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Career Thought Inventory
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About Career Thought Inventory
Scale Name
Career Thought Inventory
Author Details
James P. Sampson, Jr., Gary W. Peterson, Janet G. Lenz, Robert C. Reardon, Denise E. Saunders,
Translation Availability
Not Sure
Background/Description
The Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) was developed in the early 1990s by a team of psychologists led by James P. Sampson, Jr. The CTI is a self-administered, objectively scored assessment designed to help students and adults identify negative career thoughts that interfere with effective career decision making.
The Career Thought Inventory is based on the cognitive information processing (CIP) model of career development, which posits that career decision making is a complex process that involves thinking about one’s interests, values, skills, and abilities, as well as the demands and opportunities of the work environment. The CIP model also suggests that negative career thoughts can interfere with this process by leading to indecision, procrastination, and self-doubt.
The Career Thought Inventory consists of 48 items that are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). The items are grouped into three subscales:
- Decision-Making Confusion: This subscale measures negative thoughts about making career decisions, such as “I don’t know what I want to do with my life” or “I’m too afraid to make a decision.”
- Commitment Anxiety: This subscale measures negative thoughts about making a commitment to a particular career, such as “I’ll never find a career that I’m truly passionate about” or “I’m not good enough for the career I want.”
- External Conflict: This subscale measures negative thoughts about how external factors, such as family expectations or financial constraints, are preventing them from pursuing their desired career.
The CTI also yields a Total score, which is a single global indicator of negative thinking in career problem solving and decision making.
The CTI has been shown to be a reliable and valid measure of negative career thoughts. It has also been shown to be effective in predicting career indecision and procrastination.
The CTI can be used by individuals, career counselors, and other professionals to help people identify and challenge their negative career thoughts. It can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of career counseling interventions.
The CTI was developed in response to the growing need for an assessment instrument that could measure negative career thoughts. At the time, there were few available instruments that were specifically designed for this purpose.
The CTI was developed based on a review of the existing literature on career development and cognitive therapy. The authors of the CTI also conducted a series of pilot studies to ensure that the instrument was measuring what it was intended to measure.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
Instructions for administering the CTI:
- Explain the purpose of the CTI to the participant.
- Tell the participant that the CTI is a self-administered assessment and that there are no right or wrong answers.
- Ask the participant to read each question carefully and to answer it honestly.
- If the participant has any questions, answer them to the best of your ability.
- Once the participant has completed the CTI, thank them for their time.
Additional tips for administering the CTI:
- Create a quiet and comfortable environment for the participant to take the CTI.
- Allow the participant to take the CTI at their own pace.
- Be sensitive to the participant’s needs and be prepared to provide support if needed.
Reliability and Validity
The Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) is a widely used career assessment instrument that has been shown to be reliable and valid.
Reliability refers to the consistency of a measurement instrument. A reliable instrument will produce similar results over time and when administered by different people.
The CTI has been shown to have high internal consistency reliability, meaning that the items on each subscale are highly correlated with each other. The CTI also has good test-retest reliability, meaning that individuals’ scores on the CTI tend to be similar when they take the test twice, a few weeks apart.
Validity refers to the degree to which an instrument measures what it is intended to measure. There are different types of validity, including content validity, construct validity, and criterion validity.
The CTI has been shown to have good content validity, meaning that the items on the instrument are relevant to the concept of negative career thoughts. The CTI also has good construct validity, meaning that it correlates with other measures of negative career thoughts and career indecision.
The CTI has also been shown to have good criterion validity, meaning that it is predictive of important career outcomes, such as career indecision and procrastination.
Available Versions
48-Items
Reference
Sampson Jr, J. P., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., Reardon, R. C., & Saunders, D. E. (1999). The Use and Development of the Career Thoughts Inventory.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CTI?
The CTI is a self-administered, objectively scored assessment that measures negative career thoughts.
What does the CTI measure?
The CTI measures three types of negative career thoughts: decision-making confusion, commitment anxiety, and external conflict.
Who can take the CTI?
The CTI can be taken by individuals of all ages, including high school students, college students, and adults.
How is the CTI scored?
The CTI is scored using a scoring sheet that is provided with the assessment. The scoring sheet provides instructions for calculating scores for each of the three subscales, as well as the Total score.
How are the CTI scores interpreted?
The CTI scores are interpreted by comparing them to normative data. The normative data provides information about the scores of other individuals who have taken the CTI.
How can the CTI be used?
The CTI can be used by individuals, career counselors, and other professionals to help people identify and challenge their negative career thoughts. The CTI can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of career counseling interventions.
Is the CTI reliable and valid?
Yes, the CTI is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring negative career thoughts. It has been shown to be reliable over time and when administered by different people. It has also been shown to be valid, meaning that it measures what it is intended to measure.
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