Antecedents and Outcomes of Positive Career Goal Progress Discrepancy Appraisal in Young Adults

Informed by self-regulation theories, this study examines the role of positive career goal discrepancies, where young adults appraise their progress towards career goal outcomes as better than expected. The research investigates how person-specific factors, like career calling, and situational factors, such as career congruence with parents, relate to self-regulatory responses, specifically career satisfaction and optimism. The cross-sectional study was conducted to test the hypotheses in a sample of 295 young adults ( M Age = 18.58 years, SD = 0.70). The latent variable analyses results showed that career calling and congruence with parents correlate positively with career satisfaction and optimism, and that positive career goal discrepancy appraisals played a significant role in explaining these relationships. Notably, positive achievement/ability and effort discrepancies, but not standard discrepancies, explained how career calling and congruence with parents relate to career satisfaction, but not optimism. These insights contribute to our understanding of working with young adults who already perceive themselves as highly capable and motivated, helping them to optimize their career progress and success.