of our abilities or courage, for instance, until they are actually
tested. And many an education or business major has solidified—or
changed—career plans after taking a course that gives them actual
field experience. This, then, is a period of learning more about one’s
psychological profile, especially as it affects one’spublicself, that is,
the public presentation of who we can and want to be.
Occupational exploration is confined to the zone of acceptable
alternatives circumscribed at earlier stages. It now focuses, in par-
ticular, on fields of work within that space that seem most congru-
ent with the more internal, unique sense of self that the individual
wishes to implement and project. Youngsters also begin to contem-
plate occupational preferences within a broader life plane—one
that comes with social obligations as well as personal fulfillment—
for example, as “good providers” (economic or nurturant) for their
future families.
Whereas the first three stages are devoted to rejecting unaccept-
able alternatives, this stage is devoted to identifying which of the
acceptable choices are most preferred and most accessible. Gradients
of preference shift as youngsters learn more about and reflect on their
personality, values, special aptitudes, and family needs. For example,
as a result of recent volunteer work, a young man may realize that he
is more attracted to artistic work than to the midlevel social service
or entrepreneurial occupations that he had been considering.
Preference gradients also shift as young people consider probable
barriers and opportunities in implementing different choices. The
young man, for instance, might begin to rethink his new-found inter-
est in artistic work as he learns how much competition there is for so
few artistic jobs. Stage 4 thus initiates the process of compromise.
Compromise of Aspirations
Whereas circumscription is the process by which individuals reject
alternatives they deem unacceptable, compromise is the process by
which they abandon their most-preferred alternatives. Compromise
is adjusting aspirations to accommodate an external reality. Antic-
100 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT