A Latent Profile Analysis of Protean Career Attitude and Vocational Identity Status

Abstract

This study aimed to examine individuals with adaptive protean career attitudes in the current era. Data were obtained from surveying 672 South Korean adults in their 30s and 40s, each with at least one year of work experience. Participants were categorized based on their protean career attitudes and vocational identity status, with subsequent exploration of their relationships with meaning in life, differentiation of self, and resilience. Data analysis involved latent profile analysis, maximum likelihood analysis, and BCH analysis. Results revealed three groups: “diffused wanderer,” “organizational adapted citizen,” and “protean career identity.” The study confirmed the influence of meaning in life and differentiation of self within these profiles, along with differences in resilience. This research offers valuable insights into the characteristics of adaptable individuals based on their “protean career identity.”