Alternative Dimensions for the Tracey–Rounds Interest Sphere

Abstract The Tracey and Rounds (this issue) proposals for extending Holland's hexagon have promise for advancing the field of vocational psychology far beyond the 25-year status quo exemplified by “The Holyhex” (Prediger & Vansickle, 1992b). This comment explains why Tracey and Rounds’ “interest” sphere reflects occupational attribute preference (job value) dimensions, a more encompassing structure than vocational interest dimensions. Their prestige dimension is reinterpreted as occupational aspiration level. Tracey and Rounds’ claim that the hexagon's dimensions are indeterminate and unimportant is addressed through a review of external research (12,000 occupations, 1,000 career groups, 100,000 persons) supporting the Data/Ideas and People/Things Work Task Dimensions on which they build their spherical model.