cortex. A problem exists when the brain signals a gap between an
existing state and a desired state. The signal may stem from exter-
nal demands (for example, the need to choose a college major, to
secure employment, or to react to input from significant others) or
from internal states such as anxiety, depression, confusion, avoidant
behavior, or physiological stress reactions. One then queries oneself
and the environment to identify the gap between the existing state
of indecision and a more desired state of decidedness; such queries
serve to frame the problem (Cochran, 1994).
This encoding of internal and external signals and sending out
inquiries is the process of communication. This phase involves
324 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT
FIGURE8.2. The Five Stages of the CASVE Cycle of
Information Processing Skills Used in Career Decision Making
Source:FromCareer Development and Services: A Cognitive Approachby G. W.
Peterson, J. P. Sampson, and R. C. Reardon. Copyright © 1991. Reprinted with
permission of Brooks/Cole, an imprint of the Wadsworth Group, a division of
Thomson Learning. Fax 800-730-2215.
[Image not available in this electronic edition.]