Young Adults’ Self-Regulatory Responses to Positive Career Goal Discrepancies: Testing Cross-Lagged Relationships

Researchers have assessed young people’s outcomes when they do not meet their career goals, but little is known about the consequences when they do better than expected (positive discrepancies). We (a) tested the cross-lagged relationships between positive career goal discrepancies and the career-related outcomes of upward goal revision, career exploration, and career coasting, and (b) assessed the indirect relationships between positive career goal discrepancy and outcomes through self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Using a sample of 314 young adults (76% female, Mage 19.13 years), we found that the standard causation model was the most parsimonious. Positive discrepancies predicted more upward goal revision and exploration and less coasting after a 6-month time lag, both directly and indirectly through outcome expectations. The findings highlight the importance of positive career goal appraisals in career goal-setting, exploration, management and clarify the roles of agency (self-efficacy and outcome expectations) as explanatory mechanisms in these relationships.