Chronic Career Indecision: Amalgamate Career Development Theories and Action Research Perspectives

This article seeks to explore chronic career indecision in light of career development theories and action research perspectives, aiming to delineate some intervention strategies. Firstly, the issue of career indecision in general is examined, and research in this area is then utilised to fuel a discussion of chronic career indecision in particular. Attention is drawn to the antecedents of chronic career indecision, including personality factors and social and situational factors, and the psychological, interpersonal, and general well-being of chronically undecided individuals is then examined. Secondly, concepts are reviewed from three career development theories, namely the life-span life-space theory, the cognitive information processing theory, and the narrative approach, as they relate to chronic career indecision. Finally, along with an action research perspective, several intervention strategies are proposed which career counsellors may find helpful when working with chronically undecided individuals.