Protean career features and affect in the career of Psychology students

This study aimed to understand the features of a protean career and the affective aspects related to the career project of undergraduate Psychology students and to explore how this project can be influenced by exploratory behavior variables, personality, and self-efficacy. The sample was composed of 341 Psychology undergraduate students: 156 (45.7%) from a private college and 185 (54.3%) from a public university. In order to measure affect in career, a scale composed of two factors was developed: negative affect and positive affect in career. Both factors showed Cronbach's alpha coefficient greater than 0.80. The personality variables neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness, as well as self-efficacy and exploratory behavior, were shown to be predictive of the protean career dimensions values-driven orientation and self-directedness.

Keywords:
Self-efficacy; Exploratory behavior; Career development; Personality; Psychology