All Conference Presentations, Performances and Exhibits
The Relationship between Mood State and Career Decisions
Location
Guzman Lecture Hall
Start Date
4-15-2016 2:30 PM
End Date
4-15-2016 3:30 PM
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Emily Newton, Ph.D.
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Mood has a significant influence on both behavior and decision making. Career choice, being one of the biggest decisions one will make in their lifetime, thus has the potential to be affected by mood state. While it is considered normal to experience apprehension about choosing a career path, it has been suggested that a correlation exists between an individual's general mood state and their level of career decisiveness. The purpose of this study is to expand on previous research and determine if different mood states, depressive and anxiety symptoms specifically, have a relationship with being undecided and lacking confidence in one's own career decisions. The current study also seeks to determine if there is a correlation between a clinical diagnosis of mood disorders and which career field one wishes to pursue. Young adults' self-reports on mood symptoms, indication of clinical diagnosis, and choice of career field will all be examined. Participants, ages 18-25 (n≈60), will be solicited through social media platforms and in Dominican University of California undergraduate psychology courses. Participants will be emailed a link, if they are Dominican University of California students, or can access the link on social media posts to fill out an online survey on surveymonkey.com. They will voluntarily respond to 65 questions that are a combination of the Career Decision Profile (Jones, 1989), the Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung, 1965), and the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (Ree, French, MacLeod, & Locke, 2008). They will also be asked to enter demographic information: age, gender, level of education, mood disorder diagnosis, and career field interest. It is hypothesized that a) Individuals currently experiencing depressive or anxiety symptoms will be less decisive in career choice than those not experiencing those symptoms; b) Individuals with previous clinical diagnoses of mood disorders will be more likely to choose careers in either human services or health science fields than other career fields. Data will be collected in February and March of 2016. This research may help shed light on how to further support individuals struggling to make career decisions.
The Relationship between Mood State and Career Decisions
Guzman Lecture Hall
Mood has a significant influence on both behavior and decision making. Career choice, being one of the biggest decisions one will make in their lifetime, thus has the potential to be affected by mood state. While it is considered normal to experience apprehension about choosing a career path, it has been suggested that a correlation exists between an individual's general mood state and their level of career decisiveness. The purpose of this study is to expand on previous research and determine if different mood states, depressive and anxiety symptoms specifically, have a relationship with being undecided and lacking confidence in one's own career decisions. The current study also seeks to determine if there is a correlation between a clinical diagnosis of mood disorders and which career field one wishes to pursue. Young adults' self-reports on mood symptoms, indication of clinical diagnosis, and choice of career field will all be examined. Participants, ages 18-25 (n≈60), will be solicited through social media platforms and in Dominican University of California undergraduate psychology courses. Participants will be emailed a link, if they are Dominican University of California students, or can access the link on social media posts to fill out an online survey on surveymonkey.com. They will voluntarily respond to 65 questions that are a combination of the Career Decision Profile (Jones, 1989), the Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung, 1965), and the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (Ree, French, MacLeod, & Locke, 2008). They will also be asked to enter demographic information: age, gender, level of education, mood disorder diagnosis, and career field interest. It is hypothesized that a) Individuals currently experiencing depressive or anxiety symptoms will be less decisive in career choice than those not experiencing those symptoms; b) Individuals with previous clinical diagnoses of mood disorders will be more likely to choose careers in either human services or health science fields than other career fields. Data will be collected in February and March of 2016. This research may help shed light on how to further support individuals struggling to make career decisions.