ABSTRACT
Determining clients' readiness to make educational and vocational choices is the principal assessment task in comprehensive career counseling (Crites, 1974b; Super, 1983). This chapter begins with an explanation of this assertion. The bulk of the chapter describes three psychometric inventories, each of which is designed to measure different variables in the career decision-making process. The first scale, the Career Decision Scale (Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, 1976), measures difficulties in making a career choice. The second scale, the Career Development Inventory (Super, Thompson, Lindeman, Jordaan, & Myers, 1981), measures adaptability for mastering career development tasks. The third scale, the Career Maturity Inventory (Crites, 1978b), measures dispositions for vocational decision making. Each scale's construction and development are described and its validity is considered. How psychologists may use the scales in counseling practice is discussed and then illustrated with a case example. The chapter concludes with an evaluation of career decision-making assessment in contemporary counseling practice.
