Life strategy and vocational self-determination during early adolescence: interconnections and characteristics

This study investigates the correlation between life strategy and career choice among high school students. The objective is to identify the relationship between temperament parameters (according to V.M. Rusalov’s QFDPI methodology), personality traits (Big Five), and professional type (according to J. Holland) on the one hand, and future career choice on the other. The study involved 68 tenth-grade students. The following methods were used to collect data: the Big Five Questionnaire (adapted by A.B. Khromov), V.M. Rusalov’s questionnaire of formal-dynamic properties of individuality (QFDPI), and J. Holland’s test of professional personality type. The obtained data were subjected to correlational analysis to identify relationships between the studied variables. The results of the study showed that the formation of a professional personality type in tenth-grade students is closely related to the features of their life strategy. A combination of such characteristics as energy, extraversion, and openness to experience is typical of people with an active life strategy and is often associated with choosing professions that require initiative and leadership qualities. At the same time, conscientiousness and low levels of neuroticism contribute to the formation of more long-term and realistic life plans, which can be reflected in career choice and career building. By linking the research results to the concept of life strategy, we obtain a more holistic understanding of how individual personality traits influence professional choice and life path in general. This allows for more effective psychological assistance to adolescents in the process of career self-determination.