STUDENTS PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR FUTURE PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR

Doctoral students from university-based clinical, counseling, and scho ol psychology programs responded to items that asked how willing they would be to engage in various professional activities and the reasons for their choices. The data were factor analyzed; five subscales resul ted that were analyzed in a one-way MANOVA. Results indicated similari ties between clinical and counseling for therapy and medically related disorders (Subscale 1) and specialized assessments and techniques (Su bscale 4); and similarities among all three specialties on academic ac tivities (Subscale 5). Traditional differences were also found: school students were more likely to endorse activities related to children a nd schools (Subscale 2); whereas counseling students were more likely to endorse activities related to consultation, educational-vocational counseling, and evaluation (Subscale 3). The results support current s imilarities and historical differences among the specialties and raise questions regarding education of and future career opportunities for psychologists.