Contextualizing career development: Cultural affordances as the missing link in social cognitive career theory

This study extends social cognitive career theory (SCCT) by introducing cultural affordances as culturally embedded interpretive frameworks through which individuals make sense of and navigate between distal contextual affordances (e.g., Confucian values) and proximal contextual affordances (e.g., contemporary work values). Based on qualitative interviews with 31 unemployed, university-educated Chinese youths, the study shows how cultural affordances shape individuals’ interpretation of career-related opportunities and tensions arising from the interplay between traditional and contemporary values. This extension enhances SCCT’s cultural relevance, offering insights into career development in contexts where tradition and modernity intersect.