Perfectionism and compulsiveness in relation to career indecisiveness: Empirical analysis and implications for counseling

Occupational indecision (an overextended delay in a student’s choice of an occupational orientation and professional direction) can assume different forms, such as a student’s referral to his personal ineffectiveness, or his continuous and active search for information with respect to a variety of occupational demands. Such perfectionistic investigation concerning the “right” occupation may constitute a form of delaying his or her final decision, and appears to have features in common with the psychological condition known as obsessive-compulsive disorder. In an initial exploration of a potential relationship between perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive behavior and students’ difficulties in reaching a decision with respect to their future occupations, a correlational study was conducted with a sample of students in their final year of Gymnasium and students in their first year of Lyceum. All three variables were directly related. The origins and confrontation of these difficulties are discussed and their importance in student counseling is described.