| Although emotion may once have been viewed as something to be avoided when making important life decisions, recent research and theories of emotional intelligence point to the interdependence of emotion and cognition in the decision making process. Emotional intelligence as conceptualized by Mayer and Salovey (1997) consists of four interrelated abilities: (a) perceiving emotions, (b) using emotions to facilitate thought, (c) understanding emotions, and (d) managing emotions in a way that enhances personal growth. It is argued that such abilities facilitate the career decision-making process and lead to decisions that more fully satisfy career related interests, values, needs, and aspirations. Emotions experienced during the career decision-making process also have implications for the perception of risk related to specific career options, the amount and kind of self-exploration individuals will engage in, how information related to the career choice process will be processed, as well as tendencies to employ systematic, heuristic, or dependent decision-making styles. These effects are presented in a theoretical model of the role of emotion in the vocational decision-making process. To more fully explore the role of emotions in career choice several individuals were interviewed regarding their recent career decisions. Their experiences serve to provide real-life examples of the emotional dynamics of vocational choice. |
