Abstract

This study was designed to investigate whether psychological separation and parental attachment are significantly related to career maturity and to explore the influence of gender on the relationships among these variables. Subjects were 221 Korean high school juniors from intact families. Participants completed 1) a brief demographic data questionnaires, 2) the Psychological Separation Inventory, 3) the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment and 4) the Career Attitude Maturity Inventory. Data were analyzed using a canonical correlation analysis for the total sample and by gender. Psychological separation was significantly associated with career maturity. Although all the psychological separation variables with the exception of conflictual independence from mother were influential in the development of career maturity, the most influential factors were emotional independence and functional independence from mother. Parental attachment was also significantly associated with career maturity. Especially, attachment to mother was influential in the development of career maturity. Some significant gender differences in the relationships among psychological separation, parental attachment and career maturity were found. It was concluded that both psychological separation and parental attachment are important family relationship factors in the development of career maturity of Korean high school students. The implications of this study for theory and counseling practice were discussed and recommendations for future research were made.