Ignatian Spirituality and Career Development: New Evidence for Age-Old Practices

Y

19

Spiritual Development; Career Development; Higher Education; Correlation; Scores; Pretests Posttests; Self Concept; Decision Making; Career Awareness; Student Attitudes; Comparative Analysis; Vocational Adjustment; Intervention; Career Counseling; Best Practices; Undergraduate Students; Religious Colleges; Private Colleges; Christianity; Self Concept Measures; Career Choice; Vocational Maturity; Self Efficacy

10.1177/0894845320957086

0894-8453

Given the importance of career discernment in emerging adulthood, we evaluated an understudied career development approach for higher education students. Specifically, we tested the relationship between spiritual discernment exercises and sense of purpose and calling through the indirect effects of self-concept clarity, career decision self-efficacy, and knowledge of occupational information. Participants (N = 127) were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions and were surveyed at a 10-week interval. Results indicated significantly higher posttest scores for purpose (B = 0.169, p = 0.026) and calling (B = 0.134, p = 0.013) in the spiritual discernment condition compared to the general adjustment (i.e., control) and traditional career development conditions. Mediation analyses also revealed a significant indirect effect of self-concept clarity on sense of purpose (B[subscript ab] = 0.059, p = 0.033). These findings suggest that spiritual discernment practices can significantly enhance the effectiveness of career development interventions for discerning purpose and calling.

As Provided

2022

EJ1341198