Individuals’ Interests in Vocational Environments with Activity Opportunities That Are Inconsistent with Holland’s Calculus Hypothesis
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
Holland’s RIASEC theory posits that career choices are guided by the desire to establish congruence between individual interests and environmental activity opportunities. Furthermore, the theory states that most individuals exhibit interests that are consistent with the circular ordering of RIASEC domains, thereby rendering specific interest constellations unlikely. Therefore, as activity opportunities provided by many environments are inconsistent with the circular RIASEC order, the question emerges as to which individuals they attract. In this article, we examine the plausibility of three different scenarios that assert inconsistent environments (A) attract individuals with similarly inconsistent interests; (B) attract individuals with consistent, but only partially congruent interests; and (C) attract individuals with overall strong interests. Data collected within three university majors (N = 553)—two consistent (emphasizing either R or S) and one inconsistent (emphasizing both R and S)—support Scenario B, suggesting that inconsistent environments are linked to lower congruence and greater interest diversity.
Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 427 - 448 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Journal of Career Development |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 14 Apr 2025 |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2025 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
| Scopus | 105006446006 |
|---|---|
| ORCID | /0000-0002-3689-8428/work/187991394 |
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- vocational interests, environmental consistency, interest circumplex, interest consistency, interest congruence, RIASEC