such intersection is that the most central elements of self-concept
(for which the highest absolutelevels of concern can be aroused) are
not necessarily the most salient (of most relativeconcern) in any
particular circumstance. Salience and centrality have frequently
been conflated in research on compromise.
One last prediction on priorities in compromise concerns gen-
der differences:
- The sextype threshold is more relaxed for women than for men,
because research suggests that women currently are more will-
ing to perform cross-sextyped work than are men. It may be like
clothing, where women are freer to dress like men than men are
to dress like women. Stated in terms of Figure 4.4, the curve for
sextype is more often displaced to the right for women.
Principle 2: Opting for the “good enough.”Individuals settle for a
good choice, not the best possible choice. Individuals are generally
satisfied by the former and typically unable or unwilling to go through
the demanding process of gathering and balancing the often-vague
(their own values) and uncertain (accessibility) information neces-
sary for identifying the best possible choice.
Principle 3: Staving off the “not good enough.”If the individual is
not satisfied with the available choices within the social space, he
or she will avoid becoming committed to any, if possible. Avoid-
ance may take many forms, including searching for more alterna-
tives, persevering with an untenable choice, reconsidering the
tolerable-effort boundary, or simply delaying decisions or commit-
ments (remaining “undecided”) for as long as possible.
Principle 4: Accommodating to compromise. Individuals accom-
modate psychologically to even major compromises in field of work
activity, less to compromises in prestige that threaten social stand-
ing, and least of all to shifts in sextype that undermine the imple-
mentation of an acceptable gender identity. Overall satisfaction with
one’s occupation will depend on the degree to which the compro-
106 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT