Future orientation, resilience and vocational identity in southern Italian adolescents

Abstract

This study focused on the relations between vocational identity, future orientation, and resilience. Southern Italian high school students (N = 342) were assessed using the Vocational Identity Scale Assessment (VISA) and Design My Future to evaluate future orientation and resilience. Future orientation and resilience were correlated positively with commitment making, identification with commitment and exploration, and negatively with vocational flexibility and self-doubt. A cluster analysis revealed six aspects of vocational identity, whose relations with future orientation and resilience are explored. The results can support career programs in high school environments aimed to develop vocational identity construction, and provide suggestions for orientation programs.