The emotions aroused by a vocational transition in adolescents: Why, when, and how are they socially shared with significant others?

Vignoli, Emmanuelle Nils, Frédéric [UCL] Parmentier, Michaël [UCL] Mallet, Pascal Rimé, Bernard [UCL]

359 adolescents completed a self-report questionnaire that measured the emotional impact of an anticipated transition, social sharing modes, its psychological benefits, and relationships intimacy with mother, father and best friend. Results show that the transition has been shared rapidly, repeatedly, with several partners, especially intimates (mother, father, best friend). However, partners and motives of vocational sharing depend on the valence of the transition. The intensity of negative emotions is positively related to both the frequency and the depth of vocational sharing while the intensity of positive emotions is only related to the depth of the sharing. Perceived intimacy with significant others is positively associated with both the depth and the frequency of sharing, although to a lesser extent for the latter. In addition, the intrapersonal and interpersonal benefits are related to the depth of vocational sharing, but not to its frequency. The results are discussed in reference to knowledge and theories regarding the quality of relationships with significant others, emotions, social sharing of emotions in coping with vocational transitions and in career development. In particular, they show the importance of dissociating the frequency and depth of sharing in providing psychological benefits of social sharing and the importance to distinguish negative and positive emotions in this sharing process.