Vocational interests as personality traits: Characteristics, development, and significance in educational and organizational environments

Abstract Vocational interests are an important aspect of personality with implications for career decisions and educational choices as well as for goal-oriented behaviors in other domains of life. This chapter provides an overview of the key assumptions of the theory of vocational interests and summarizes empirical findings from educational and organizational contexts. Against this background, the development of vocational interests is described with special regard to dynamic interactions that influence stability and change across the life span. In addition, we argue that vocational interest is more than just a predictor of career choice, but it is also a motivational aspect of personality with wide-ranging effects on people’s lives and their individual development.