The authors investigated the effects of 3 framings of career compromis
e (I. Gati, 1993): in terms of alternatives, aspect importance, and wi
thin-aspect preferences. Three groups of Israeli young adults (ns = 95
, 108, and 154) and 71 school counselors were presented with hypotheti
cal stories about individuals whose career decision involved a comprom
ise. The results of 4 studies, using both between-subjects and within-
subject designs, and both rating scales and forced choices, supported
the hypothesis: The alternatives framing was associated with a greater
extent of compromise and greater difficulty in making a career decisi
on than were the 2 aspect framings. No differences were found between
aspect importance and the within-aspect preference framings. The impli
cations for research and counseling are discussed.