Resumo:
This study aimed to analyze the relationship between career identification and career commitment, contributing to their conceptual and empirical delimitation. This study sought to gather validity evidence for the Brazilian context of a career identification scale; to test two theoretical models that describe the relationship between identification and commitment; and to compare personal and occupational predictors as additional evidence of overlap between these constructs. The study adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional design, with data collected both through SurveyMonkey and in-person applications. The study included 303 professionals with at least a technical level of education and immersed in a career. The statistical analyses included Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling, with the aim of identifying the structure of the constructs, testing alternative theoretical models, and assess model assessing data fit. Additionally, a psychometric network analysis was conducted to examine the interconnections among the items, alongside with multiple regressions and ANOVA to evaluate predictors and group differences. The results revealed a high correlation and potential conceptual overlap between the constructs, indicating that they share a common underlying base. The network analyses showed a dual and interconnected structure, in which items from both constructs were distributed across communities linked by semantic bridges, demonstrating overlap. Similarly, the analysis of antecedents revealed shared predictors and comparable effects, reinforcing the hypothesis that these constructs represent complementary manifestations of the same bond. Overall, the findings suggest that career identification and commitment express a common affective–identificatory core. This research expands the understanding of career-related bonds and provides theoretical and methodological contributions for refining models and measurement instruments in this field.
