Do people adjust career choices according to socioeconomic conditions?: an evolutionary analysis of future discounting

The ability to process environmental cues and make advantageous choices has been fundamental during human evolution. Discounting future rewards is a capacity of our evolved mind and could be useful for understanding career decisions. This paper investigated the relationship between real-life plans, career choices, and income indicators based on an evolutionary approach of future discounting. Study 1 analyzed the plans of 200 senior high school students, and Study 2 analyzed a database of 46,649 applicants to a Brazilian public university. The results demonstrated that lower income subjects made career decisions with quicker returns and smaller investments. They included a job in immediate plans more frequently than higher income students who planned to go to a university. Analyzing the applicants' choices, higher income subjects sought courses with greater entrance difficulty. We suggest that individuals adjust career plans and choices according to their socioeconomic conditions and assume different discounting rates by considering risks of failure and future gains...

Achievement goals of youngsters in rio de janeiro in different contexts / Metas de realização de jovens do rio de janeiro em contextos distintos / Los objetivos futuros de jovenes en rio de janeiro en diferentes contextos

In this study, we compared the Future Goals of 160 youngsters (16-30 years-old; 71 female and 89 male). University students and slum-dwelling youth were compared. Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, information about their families and two open questions: “What do you expect to do in your life that you consider very important?” and “Do you believe you’ll achieve that? Why?” Predicted differences in the participants’ answers between the two groups were observed. Favela youth showed higher levels of uncertainty while describing their goals and also presented lower scores of objectives. From an Evolutionary perspective of Psychology, through the Life Story Strategies Theory, we concluded that, for young people from different social contexts, the ways of planning the future tend to vary depending on the adaptability of achievement due to the present constraints in the youth’s realities.

Este estudo teve por objetivo comparar as metas de realização de jovens de dois contextos distintos: universitários e moradores de favela. Participaram 160 jovens do Rio de Janeiro: estudantes universitários ( n = 80) e jovens moradores de duas favelas cariocas (Rocinha, n = 40 e Vigário Geral, n = 40), de ambos os sexos, com idades entre 16 e 30 anos. Os participantes responderam ao questionário sociodemográfico, questões referentes à família e duas perguntas abertas: “O que você pretende realizar em sua vida que considera muito importante?” e “Você acredita que conseguirá realizar isso? Por quê?”. Por meio da análise de conteúdo temático-categorial observou-se uma diferença significativa entre os grupos no número de metas relatadas, esperança de realizá-las e justificativas referentes à esperança de realização. A partir da Teoria Evolucionista das Estratégias de História de Vida, conclui-se que para jovens de diferentes contextos os modos de planejar o futuro tendem a variar em função das limitações e possibilidades presentes.

La finalidad en este estudio fue comparar las metas de rendimiento de jóvenes de dos contextos distintos: estudiantes universitarios y jóvenes que viven en barrios pobres. Participaron 160 jóvenes de Rio de Janeiro: estudiantes universitarios ( n = 80) y jóvenes que viven en dos barrios pobres (Rocinha, n = 40 y Vigário Geral, n = 40), ambos sexos, entre 16 y 30 años de edad. Los participantes respondieron un cuestionario sociodemográfico, cuestiones relacionadas con la familia y dos preguntas abiertas: “¿Qué es lo que quiere lograr en su vida que considera muy importante?” y “¿Usted cree que puede lograr esto? ¿Por qué?”. Aplicando el análisis de contenido temático-categorial, se identificó una diferencia significativa entre los grupos en el número de objetivos reportados, en la esperanza de alcanzarlos y en las justificaciones relativas a esta esperanza. Con base en la Teoría de la Evolución de las Estrategias de Historia de Vida, se concluye que, para los jóvenes en contextos diferentes, las maneras de planificar el futuro varían de acuerdo a las posibilidades y limitaciones actuales.