The importance of self-knowledge in the process of professional choice of the adolescent: original study

Introduction: The experience of professional choice is often marked by anguish caused by internal and social conflicts, so the adolescent at this stage needs to deal with the influences of family and friends, so the importance of self-knowledge as an essential internal resource and facilitator is emphasized. in the future planning process. Objective: The objective of the present study was to verify the position of adolescents in relation to their professional choices, investigate social influences, the importance of self - knowledge in deciding and articulating future plans. Methods: Participated in the study 20 students of the 3rd year of high school, in a primary and secondary school, aged between 17 and 18 years. Results: The results indicate that (68%) of the adolescents consider themselves undecided and confused about their professional choice, on the other hand (32%) consider themselves optimistic and confident about their own decisions. According to the types of social influences analyzed, (73.0 %) of respondents chose to make decisions independently, (14.0 %) showed to be influenced by friends and (13.0 %) indicated family influences. Conclusion: Adolescents were undecided about the professional plans, most of the subjects surveyed, sought to decide life independently, but (82.0 %) of the subjects demonstrated impotence in relation to the capacity for self-knowledge, therefore, one can perceive the lack of internal resources, which may hamper the process of professional planning and self-actualization.