ipatory compromise takes place when people begin to moderate
their hopes (assessments of compatibility) with their perceptions of
reality (assessments of accessibility). As they do, the aspirations
they voice will shift away from their ideal and toward the expected.
Experiential compromise takes place when individuals meet a bar-
rier in implementing their most-preferred choices.
The barriers and opportunities in implementing different aspi-
rations include, for example, the local availability of particular kinds
of education and employment, hiring practices (including discrimi-
nation), and family obligations. They also include the fact that not
all combinations of sextype, prestige, and vocational interest type are
readily available in the labor market. As Figures 4.1 and 4.2 show,
for example, there is more high-prestige work that is distinctively
masculine than feminine, and some combinations do not even exist
(low-level investigative work). These external constraints restrict
virtually everyone to some degree; few have unrestricted choices.
Perceptions of Accessibility. As I described earlier, vocational
aspirations are a function of people’s assessments of what is accessi-
ble as well as what is compatible. The relative accessibility of dif-
ferent jobs is hardly obvious, however; it can vary greatly across
time and place, depending on many factors. Information on acces-
sibility degrades quickly as time passes, and it may always be diffi-
cult to obtain for some occupations.
Notions of accessibility depend on both the information to
which individuals are exposed and the information they themselves
seek out. Monitoring and seeking out information demand time
and effort.
Three principles govern the accumulation and influence of
information on accessibility, all emphasizing economy in search:
- Selective attention
- Need to implement as spur to action
- Ease and proximity of search
GOTTFREDSON’S THEORY OF CIRCUMSCRIPTION, COMPROMISE, AND SELF-CREATION 101