Date of Award

1990

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Business

First Advisor

James D. Evans

Second Advisor

Susan A. Myers

Third Advisor

William T. Hancock

Abstract

This study considered the relationship of life-script decisions to an individual's occupational interests. A variety of definitions and functions of work were discussed, and the influences or early family parenting styles and mode-ling were explored.

The theory of Transactional Analysis was used as the basis tor explaining emotional and psychological needs of individuals. The origins of the three ego states, Parent, Adult, and Child, were described and defined The life script, or life plan, of individuals, developed from decisions: which are based on messages and modeling from parental figures, was used to determine the executive ego states of the subjects. The ego state which dictates a person's behavior is said to have executive power.

In a clinical study involving 31 adult clinical patients the relationship of an individual's occupational decisions, resulting in his or her life-script, were examined along two dimensions-Holland 's primary personality type and Executive Ego State.

Holland's Self-Directed Search (1973), was used to determine the subjects' primary personality types, which were then compared with subjects' executive ego states. These ego states were derived from a clinical study in which three clinicians rated subjects to determine which ego state was executive in a consistent measure.

In spite of the agreement of the clinicians regarding executive ego status, no other significant findings arose from the study that would link executive ego state to the choice of a career.

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