Argues that career maturity gives insufficient attention to the contexts of time and culture. Suggests the use of recent advances in developmental theory as an alternative for understanding developmental transitions. Cites findings from a study highlighting how individual differences and contextual factors contribute to the school-to-work…

Compares adolescents from East Germany who experienced an educational system offering little choice with adolescents from West Germany who experienced more leeway to investigate career maturity. East German adolescents reported more career maturity. Person-related variables predicted career maturity in both groups; family and peer context were…