In the following sections, we present an overview of the basic
theory, its empirical base, its range of generalizability, and the impli-
cations for counseling. Given space limitations, we refer interested
readers to other sources for a fuller, more technical elaboration of the
theory and its research base (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994, 2000;
Swanson & Gore, 2000), as well as discussions of the theory’s con-
ceptual underpinnings, relations to established career theories (Lent
& Hackett, 1994), and practical applications (Lent & Brown, 1996).
Central Theoretical Concepts and Assumptions
Before we present SCCT’s models of interest development, choice,
and performance, it is useful to consider some of the theory’s under-
lying assumptions and constructs that extend from social cognitive
theory.
Person-Environment Interaction
Each of the major theories of career choice and development
acknowledge that vocational outcomes are determined by the trans-
actions occurring between persons and their environments (Osipow,
1990). However, their views on the nature of the person-environ-
ment (P-E) interaction differ from those of SCCT in some impor-
tant ways. First, the foundational career theories tend to view person
and environment variables in trait-oriented (Dawis, 1996; Super,
Savickas, & Super, 1996) or typological (Holland, 1997) terms,
whereas SCCT highlights relatively dynamic and situation-specific
features of the self system. Because traits and types involve relatively
global, constant, and enduring attributes, theories that rely exclu-
sively on such attributes may not adequately reflect the fluid nature
of P-E transactions and, consequently, may underestimate people’s
capacity to change, develop, and self-regulate. It is noteworthy that
proponents of the traditional career theories have made important
efforts to reconceptualize them in more dynamic P-E terms (see, for
example, Chartrand, 1991; Rounds & Tracey, 1990) and to identify
260 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT