SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF SELF-EFFICACY AND OTHER IMPORTANT VARIABLES

This paper aims at introducing Social Cognitive Theory of Career Development and at illustrating its applications for studies conducted at different contexts. The main aspects which are important to make a vocational choice were highlighted, considering that they guide the motivation to this behavior. Personal, context and learning aspects that lead to self-efficacy beliefs formation and outcome expectations were pointed out, which, in turn, help the formation of vocational interests. All these aspects are considered essential for creating the motivation for choosing specific professional areas. According to the literature review, this approach was confirmed with people from different races, from varied moments of vocational development, in both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, with people of both sexes and of different socio-economic levels. Therefore, the utility of this model is discussed, considering its importance for understanding people's motivation to make choices at the vocational realm.