1. Overview: The subject matter of vocational psychology has changed over the past century, and is today increasingly concerned with issues of work behavior and experience from a global perspective. What Is Vocational Psychology?, Horatio Alger, New Economy, Globalization, China, Flat-World Platform, Triple Convergence, Comic and Tragic Aspects,

2. Work Roles: We shall consider how work builds from simple to complex constructs, from work of the moment to a career over time, how individuals derive a sense of meaning from their own work to how they come to value work shared with others, and how work that always begins as actual may become virtual. Work roles are highly dependent on one's historical and cultural context. Work, Job, Volunteering and Employment, Self-Employment, Occupation, Career, Project, Work Ethic, Calling, Individualism, Collectivism, Life Stage, Lifespan, Motile and Sessile Work Roles, Virtual Work, Telecommuting, Telework, Career Patterns,
3. Non-Work Roles: The subject matter of vocational psychology extends from activity directly related to work to roles increasingly removed from it; non-work roles complement and are increasingly used to repair stress-induced damage caused by work roles. The degree to which specific non-work roles are available is highly constrained by one's historical and cultural context. Avocation and Leisure, Rest and Vacation, Unemployment, Retirement, Dual-Career Marriage, Work-Family Commitment,
4. Biological Factors: A proper starting point for vocational psychology lies in the study of biological factors associated with individual differences in work behavior and experience, as the root-causes of many important traits and learning lie in the biological substrate. Genes, Hormones, The Developing Brain, Lateralization, Stress/Rest/Disease, Rest, Fitness, Physical Demands, Drugs, Diet/Nutrition/Weight, Nutrition, Blood Type, Physical Constraints, Aging,
5. Traits: Traits are enduring and relatively stable individual-level factors affecting vocational behavior and experience; although many are rooted in biological factors, trait development typically is influenced by environmental factors during development. Gender, Intelligence, g-factor, Knowledge, Emotional Intelligence, Aptitudes, Executive Processing, Personality, Lifestyle, Self-Esteem, Interests, Needs, Values, Value System, Crystallization, Career Aspirations, Hope, Optimism, Mental Imagery, Ambition, Achievement Motivation, Career Salience, Extrinsic Motivation, Intrinsic Motivation, Locus-of-Control, Fear of Success, Procrastination,
6. Learning: We study how vocationally relevant knowledge and skills are acquired through learning; in addition, aspects of character develop through the interaction of traits with new learning, often through mimetic and representational imaginative processes. Historical and cross-cultural influences are particularly important in relation to learning and mimetics. Instrumental Learning, Associative Learning, Self-Observation Generalizations, World-View Generalizations, Task-Approach Skills, Engagement, Horizontal Decalage, Career Education, Occupational Perceptions, Self-Engagement, Academic Persistence, Apprenticeship, Sin and Virtue, Character, Meme, Paragons, Life History, Early Memories, Self-Knowledge, Leadership, Creativity, Fantasy, Possible Occupational Selves,
7. Group and Organizational Factors: Particularly in relation to adult work in organizations, we examine group and organizational factors associated with quality of work performance and the nature of work experience. Group and organizational factors are highly dependent on particular historical and cultural context. Teamwork, Virtual Teams, Reality Principle, Trust, Workplace Gossip, Harassment, Sexism, Occupationism, Stag Effect, Occupational Sex-Type, Action, Elitism, Prestige / Occupational Status,
8. Person-Environment Fit: We are concerned with the the degree of fit between person (subsuming biological, traits, and learning) and his or her work environment, the assumption generally being that closer degrees of fit are desirable. Person-Environment Fit (PEF), Theory of Work Adjustment, Correspondence, Vocational Self-Concept, Vocational Realism, Calling, Multipotentiality, Honeymoon Effect, Flow, Celerity, Endurance, Pace, Rhythm, Reasonable Accommodations, Fundamental Attribution Error,
9. Decision-Making, Planning, and Information-Processing: We seek to understand how individuals process information about their vocational situation and make decisions affecting their work and non-work roles; we also examine the subjective experience of such information processing and decision-making. Decision-Making, Decision-Making Skills, Career Planning, Problem-Solving, Career Maturity, Career Commitment, Joblock, Vocational Choice, Specialty Choice,
10. Vocational Outcomes: We identify and predict factors associated with various outcomes relevant to work and non-work roles; such outcomes may be either objectively observable (e.g., successful completion of a construction job) or subjectively reportable (e.g., job satisfaction). The relative importance of various outcomes is sensitive to historical and cultural context. Job Satisfaction, Synthesis, Occupational Stress and Burnout and Karoshi, Workaholism, Work Undercommitment, Buffering Effects, Satisfactoriness, Subrogation Principle, Great Groups, Teamwork, Occupational Mobility, Status Attainment Theory, Plateaued Workers, Differential Influence Principle, Work Dysfunction, Temporary Production Impediment, Underachievement, Tardiness, Employee Theft, Workplace Violence, Selection, Quitting and Tenure,

11. Holland's Theory: John Holland's theory passed through a number of revisions across a 40-year period, and has probably generated more research than any other single vocational theory. The history of the theory is presented, along with detailed treaments of both its original and final (most recent) versions. The theory is evaluated in terms of Lakatos' philosophy of science. Psychosexual Stages and Vocational Personality, Play and the Emergence of Vocational Personality, Vocational Personality Type, Realistic Type, Investigative Type, Aristic Type, Social Type, Enterprising Type, Conventional Type, Work Environments, Howard Gardner, Hexagon, Kitson's Hexagon, Structure of Interests, Vocational Interest Circle, Congruence, Consistency, Differentiation, Vocational Identity, Calculus, Images of Occupations, Occupational Daydreams, Career Barriers,
12. Circumscription and Compromise: Linda S. Gottfredson's theory of circumscription and compromise is described, along with an account of its development across two major statements of the theory. Holland described it as an important extension of his own theory. Reactions of others to the theory are examined in light of Gottfredson's other research and theoretical interests. Circumscription, Compromise, Accessibility of Occupations, Glass Ceiling, Cognitive Map of Occupations, Social Space, Compatibility,
13. Social-Cognitive Career Theory: The team of authors that proposed the social-cognitive career theory has been highly successful in establishing it as a central and popular theory. Its major theory statements are reviewed, and the success of the theory is interpreted in light of Kuhn's philosophy of science. Outcome Expectations, Career Affirmations, Personal Goals, self-efficacy, research self-efficacy,
14. Expertise Theory: Expertise theory of career development is introduced as a derivation of Ericsson's and Sternberg's theories of the development of expertise and the role of practice in the development of talent. Expertise Theory, Practice, Performance Routines, Positive Vocational Psychology, Ten-Year Rule,
15. Chaos Theory: Over the past decade, chaos theory has been applied to vocational behavior and experience in ways that have extended the subject matter of vocational psychology in interesting ways. Various proposals for chaos theory in career development are reviewed, with emphasis on that originating out of work at Florida State University. Chaos Theory, Happenstance and Chance, Big Break, Acts of God, Contextualism,

16. Counseling and Career Coaching: Individuals may receive individual or group counseling; one may distinguish between therapeutic and coaching interventions, the latter intended to foster practice that develops work-related expertise. Career Intervention, Career Counseling, Phases of Career Intervention, Phases in Trait-and-Factor Counseling, Synchronicity, Process, Personal Career Reality, Resistance, Social Influence, Self-Talk, Metaphors,
17. Assessment: Assessment is the systematic observation of client behavior so as to form a basis for understanding the client, which from the perspective of those who use theories means the degree of applicability of general vocational theories to the client's unique situation. Career intervention professionals typically develop skills in the use of a range of assessment methods and instruments. Although some professionals eschew the use of standardized instruments, most rely on them and make frequent use of them. Indiscriminate Testing, Factor Analysis, Assessment Center, Simulation, Work Sample, Situational Judgment Tests, Rated Abilities, Career Genograms, Projective Personality Tests, Graphology, Barnum Effect, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Integrity Tests, Inventoried Interests, Expressed Interests, Manifest Interests, Tested Interests, Narrative, Interpretation, Case Study,
18. Occupational and Economic Information: It is important for the professional to know a great deal about the world of work, typical paths in career development within a given economy, and standard sources of occupational and economic information; equally important is the professional's ability to help the client learn skills in acquiring and making wise use of such information on his or her own. Focused Exploratory Behavior, Division of Labor, Occupational Classification Systems, Entrepreneurship, Dead Occupations, Postindustrialism, Hard Industries,
19. Computerized Interventions: Computers have been used as a basis for career interventions with increasing frequency over the past several decades. Clark Hull first imagined the development of a mechanized system for career assessment and occupational recommendations in the late 1920s, and the first major use of computers in vocational psychology was the automated scoring and report generation for major career assessment instruments (especially interest inventories). In addition, early comprehensive career intervention systems arrived on the scene as early as the 1960s, running on mainframes. Several generations of career intervention systems have resulted in a range of options for the professional and his or her clients. Computerized Interventions, CACGS, DISCOVER, SIGI Plus,
20. Other Career Interventions: Other career interventions include laws (including laws against discrimination in employment), social advocacy, vocational rehabilitation, efforts to develop mentoring in professions and organizations, social efforts to mitigate the effects of unemployment and to speed the reentry of individuals into the work force, the development of philosophical systems that at least indirectly facilitate career development, and the creation of artistic works that themselves serve to influence either vocational behavior or an individual's experience of work. In short, any activity that serves to affect an inidividuals work behavior or experience may be thought of as a type of career intervention, whether it is intential or not. Public Policy, Employment Law, Aging, Laws, NDEA-2, Social Advocacy, Vocational Rehabilitation, Mentoring, Job Club, Kaizen, Poetry,
21. Special Populations and Cultural Context: Of growing interest in recent years is how career interventions may need to be tailored to best meet the needs of various special populations. Mental Retardation, Prodigies

22. Uncovering Information About Jobs: In addition to learning about occupational information (addressed in an earlier section), job seekers need to uncover information about specific available jobs. Much of this information is not widely disseminated, and the information is shared only among private networks. Effective job search includes pursuing such "hidden" information. Such methods may include information interviews, job shadowing, and library or internet research. Lamination of Occupational Information, Job Search Tactics,
23. Marketing Yourself: Job seekers market a product: themselves. Job search includes developing methods that communicate to potential employers (or clients) the essence of what the worker would bring to the job. This includes development of an effective resume or curriculum vita (C.V.), cover letters, business cards, and other formal methods (e.g., online databases, networking events) of communicating one's strengths. It may also be useful to market oneself to intermediaries in the job search process: headhunters, agents, and so on. Your Brand, Career Brand Idea, Career Business Strategy, Career Brand Strategy, Career Branding, Career Branding Signals, Job Search Tactics,
24. Applying for Jobs: The most common way people obtain jobs is through a formal application process. The application can either be a process extended over time or a single event. The typical job application includes two components: a job description, usually publicized by the employer, and the application materials, completed by the job seeker. Employers vary in the degree of specification that they require regarding what the application materials may include; these can range from materials completely designed by the job seeker to a required form to be completed with no variation across applicants. In addition, the application process may include any number of assessments. Various jurisdictions establish different legal guidelines for what employers and applicants may do in the application process. Job Search Tactics,
25. Interviewing: The job interview is the most common assessment method that employers use during the job application process. Despite its ubiquitousness, research has generally raised doubts regarding its validity as a predictor of actual job performance (compared to methods such as standardized tests and biodata forms). Various jurisdictions establish different legal guidelines for the questions that employers may ask during job interviews. Interview, Interviewing Basics, Job Search Tactics,
26. Negotiating Offers: Individuals must evaluate offers of employment in light of a number of factors, including their present and anticipated future needs, the standard compensation packages provided to others performing similar work in the economy, and the present and anticipated future circumstances of the prospective employer. The compensation package and the nature of the work to be done may be included in the negotiation, before a final agreement for employment is reached. Salary is typically an important aspect of the package, but there may be a number of other aspects to consider on both sides. Employers also vary in the degree to which they are open to negotiation.