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Frederick T L. Leong and Azy Barak (Editors). Contemporary Models in Vocational Psychology: A Volume in Honor of Samuel H. Osipow. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001, 336 pages, $79.95 cloth, $39.95 softcover.
Reviewed by Edward J. Pavur, Jr., Assessment Manager, Management Service, New Orleans, LA.
Vocational Psychology is the study of the ways people set out to make a living, establish a work identity, and develop personally as they invest part of themselves in their work. For some of us, work is part of what we do; for others, work is part of who we are.
Leong and Barak have edited a book to honor their colleague and mentor, Samuel H. Osipow, who worked for 40 years in the field of vocational psychology and who influenced all of the topics dealt with in this intriguing collection of papers. Certain chapters will help guide practitioners who counsel clients on career conflicts and work identity issues. Many of the chapters will excite graduate students and researchers about promising avenues for investigation. This volume will be of interest to those in cognate fields which study education, life-span development, cultural influences, gender issues, employee selection, work effectiveness, decision making, job stress, identity, individual assessment, executive coaching, counseling, individual differences, and social psychology.
Chapters 2 through 5 consider findings in specific content areas. Chapter authors Gati and Asher describe job hunting as an active process of prescreening alternative careers, in-depth exploration, and choice leading to the application for one or more promising positions. This model is compared to alternative, outcome models in the "personenvironment fit" tradition.
The Betz chapter reviews the role of self-efficacy in influencing career development. The approach to specific occupational fields is influenced by beliefs that one is a generally capable worker; or that one is specifically capable in math, social skills, or computer skills; or that one likes aesthetic occupations or enjoys influencing others. Self-efficacies show gender differences, are sometimes amenable to intervention, and figure in social-cognitive models of career behavior.
Research in occupational stress and strain have been plagued by methodological problems. However, Spokane and Ferrara indicate that the scales of the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI) have demonstrated good psychometric characteristics and usefulness as outcome measures. The OSI has resulted in over 60 pertinent...