High performance and professional decisions

As shown by the results of the latest survey of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development Labour market, education, competences. Current trends and research results (November 2025), cited in the article New Year = New Future of Work? On the pages of Jobsdoor.eu, independent career development is today almost a sign of our times. On the one hand, it can be seen as an expression of a culture of individualism and individual responsibility in a world of free choice, on the other — as a source of a sense of loneliness, competitiveness and lack of systemic support. After all, no one enters the labor market from the same level; we differ in health, origin, experience and predisposition.

In today's world, especially in the context of online psychology, there is more and more talk of so-called high-handedness. In the simplest terms, it means a sense of control and influence over the reality around us: the awareness that our actions and the energy we put into them can translate into concrete results. To better understand how high performance can support, for example, career development, it is worth looking at the results of scientific research.

The results of the research confirm that the sense of agency positively influences professional development

In all 4 studies that we cite, the sense of agency in life has positively translated into better professional decision making. What does better mean? To put it simply: it is not necessarily that each of the decisions made brought the best result, but rather that, firstly, the fear of making it was less and the belief that the decision could equal improvement was greater. In the study A mediating role of career decision self-efficacy in the relationship between career locus of control and career indecision among Turkish high school students (BMC Psychology, 2025) has been shown that how we place control - internally or externally - has a big impact on professional decision making. When our sense of control is internal, more often we trust our own decisions and believe that they will bring the expected results. This is due, among other things, to the experience of the past, which showed that our actions really led to success, and from the reflection on our own development and possibilities (“I can achieve it”). The internal locus of control is thus combined with a sense of agency, autonomy and a willingness to actively shape one's own professional path. Whereas external location of control means that professional decisions depend more on external factors; environmental pressures, market trends or random events. People with this locus of control are more likely to feel helpless about their own careers, and negative past experiences (e.g., situations where lack of decision-making led to failures) can further reduce motivation to make career decisions.

In a nutshell: the more internal sense of control, the greater the confidence in making professional decisions and the greater the willingness to explore one's own career; the more external, the greater the hesitation and indecision.

A similar relationship was shown in another study Motivational Resources of Agency in Adolescents' Career Development in Postsecondary Transition: More than Being Self-Efficacious (2025). The study showed how differently high intrinsic motivation combined with a high sense of self-efficacy compared to an asymmetrical sense of agency works when actions are taken mainly under the influence of external rewards or pressures. Self-efficacy was found to be the most important factor supporting career exploration, enabling young people to actively and consciously seek career opportunities. In contrast, motivation based on a system of punishments and rewards hindered the development of professional identity, limiting autonomy and autonomy in decision-making.

Agenicity begins at the school stage

Both this study and the previous one were conducted among students between the ages of 16 and 21 and both were shown to the school environment has a significant impact on the later professional fate of young people. A recent study also showed that the experience of self-agency allows students to determine more quickly and accurately what profession they want to pursue in the future. The conclusions of this study indicate that Preparation for entry into the labour market begins at an early stage of education. It is not only about career counseling or developing students' interests, but above all about whether the school gives young people space to have a real impact on their activities. This can take the forms:

• Involved student government,
• education on student rights and labor law,
• learning teamwork,
• The opportunity to have an open conversation with teachers.

Such an environment strengthens the sense of agency and allows young people to consciously shape their career path.

A recent study - Social-cognitive predictors of career exploration and decision-making: Longitudinal test of the career self-management model (2019) - shows that psychological well-being, self-esteem and optimism have a significant impact on career decisions. Students reported their level of professional decision-making and decision-making anxiety, and found that those who thrive best in their lives — with high well-being and a strong sense of self-efficacy — faced the least difficulty in choosing a career path. At the same time, the decision-making process and the sense of agency reinforce each other: conscious decisions increase the sense of self-efficacy, and high agency facilitates subsequent career choices. summary

The trend of independent career development, although strongly related to self-agency and decision-making skills, It's not just about acting in the spirit of individualism., although it may seem so. In the end, much depends on our own choices, but agency is also ability to operate in a group or within a system. The formation of attitudes that enter into dialogue with social and professional reality from school years, builds habits that transform into a belief in one's own ability to influence, also on the professional path. Research shows that external location of control, for example in the context of job losses due to changing market trends, is not bad at all — it allows us to realistically assess risks and legitimate concerns. However internal locus of control and a high sense of self-agency in the face of such changes, we are able, at least in part, influence one's own reality, both personal and social. Sources: 1.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40359-025-03410-8?utm_source=chatgpt.com

2.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40568367/

3.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37754452/

4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30091621/