The influences of the family of origin on career development: A review and analysis

Based on a developmental contextual perspective advocated by Vondracek, Lerner and Schulenberg, this article provides a comprehensive review of the research published since 1980 related to family of origin influences on career development and occupational choice. Because individuals are most likely to seek assistance with career decisions from family members, it is important that counseling psychologists understand how families can have a positive influence and facilitate career development. Influential family contextual factors are identified within four developmental levels (i.e., children, adolescents, college students young adults, and adults). Across the lifespan, both family structure variables (e.g., parents' occupations) and family process variables (e.g., warmth, support, attachment, autonomy) were found to influence a host of career constructs; however, the process by which families influence career development is complex and is affected by many contextual factors such as race, gender, and age. Based on this comprehensive review, implications for counseling research and practice are discussed.