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This questionnaire is designed to find out how you go about making important decisions in your life. Some of these decisions for example, might be: to go to college or not; to decide on a career; or to take job X vs. Y. We believe that regardless of what the decision is about, each person has his or her own unique way of going about making decisions. We also believe that there is no one best way for everybody, and that you have probably learned to rely on a way which works best for you, based on your past experiences. Before filling out this section, think about how you have made these important decisions in the past, or about how you are handling decisions with which you are currently confronted. Try to get a picture of how you typically or characteristically make decisions. Then go ahead and respond to the statements below in terms of how you feel. Remember, we don't think that there is a single best way for everybody, so there are no "right" or "wrong" answers. On the answer sheet, circle "A" if you Agree with the statement, or "D" if you disagree with it. For a statement to be true of you, it doesn't always have to be the case, but more often than not. 1. I am very systematic when I go about making an important decision. 2. I often make a decision which is right for me without knowing why I made the decision. 3. When I make a decision it is important to me what my friends think about it. 4. I rarely make an important decision without gathering all the information I can find. 5. Even with important decisions, I make up my mind quickly. 6. I like to have someone to steer me in the right direction when I am faced with an important decision. 7. When I make a decision I consider its consequences in relation to decisions I will have to make later on. 8. When I make a decision I just trust my inner feelings and reactions. 9. I really have a hard time making important decisions without help. 10. When I need to make a decision, I take my time and think it through carefully. 11. I often decide on something without checking it out and getting the facts. 12. I often make decisions based on what other people think, rather than on what I would really like to do. 13. When an important decision is coming up, I look far enough ahead so I'll have enough time to plan and think it through before I have to act. 14. I don't really think about the decision; it's in the back of my mind for a while, then suddenly it will hit me and I know what I will do. 15. I rarely make a decision without talking to a close friend first. 16. I double-check my information sources to be sure I have the right facts before deciding. 17. In coming to a decision about something, I usually use my imagination or fantasies to see how I would feel if I did it. 18. I put off making many decisions because thinking about them makes me uneasy. 19. Before I do anything important, I have a carefully worked out plan. 20. I don't have to have a rational reason for most decisions I make. 21. I seem to need a lot of encouragement and support from others when I make a decision. 22. I don't make decisions hastily because I want to be sure I make the right decisions. 23. I make decisions pretty creatively, following my own inner instincts. 24. There's not much sense in making a decision that is going to make me unpopular. 25. Often I see each of my decisions as stages in my progress toward a definite goal. 26. I usually make my decisions based on how things are for me right now rather than how they'll be in the future. 27. I don't have much confidence in my ability to make good decisions, so I usually rely on other's opinions. 28. I like to learn as much as I can about the possible consequences of a decision before I make it. 29. A decision is right for me if it is emotionally satisfying. 30. I usually don't have a lot of confidence in my decisions unless my friends give me support on them.
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ANSWER SHEET INSTRUCTIONS: Circle "A" for Agree and "D" for Disagree (A) (B) (C)
EFFECTIVE DECISION-MAKING
There are various ways to make decisions. You can, for example, do nothing. Then someone else will end up making a decision for you. You can wait until the perfect opportunity comes along. Of course, you could be waiting for a long time. You can decide to go after what looks best today, and worry about the consequences later. The problem with these styles of decision making is that they are based on a false assumption: They are based on the assumption that you don't have any control. If you make decisions in any of these ways, you're assuming that you can't think your way through a good choice. And that's wrong. It is possible to make reasonable decisions. You may not always make perfect decisions, but you can make decisions based on a clear understanding of what you need and what you can achieve. The purpose of this session is to show you some ways to make decisions. These decision-making methods can help you to weigh carefully the various career alternatives you're considering. According to Janis and Mann, you have a much better chance of making a good decision if you: 1. Look thoroughly for a wide range of choices. Don't limit yourself to just a few obvious choices. 2. Think carefully about what you want to achieve with your decision, and understand how your decision will affect your values. 3. Consider all the possible bad consequences of each choice, as well as its good consequences. 4. Search intensively for new information that will help you with your decision. 5. Pay attention to all new information even if it doesn't support the choice you want to make. 6. Re-examine the good and bad consequences of all the possible choices - even the one's you've already rejected - before you make a final decision. 7. Make careful plans for carrying out your decision and think through how you will cope when things go wrong.
DECSION-MAKING STRATEGIES
COMPLIANT This person prefers to let someone else decide for them. "Whatever you say, sir." DELAYING This person can't make up their mind to decide. "I'll do it later. What's the big rush? FATALISTIC This person thinks that what will be will be, so why decide. "It's all in the cards". IMPULSIVE The person decides and then thinks about the decision. AGONIZING This person searches for so much information that the decision gets so complex, he/she is "lost in the confusion." PLANNING This person is an organized decision maker who carefully weighs alternatives before deciding. He/she follows a definite strategy. INTUITIVE This person uses more feeling than thinking. "It feels right inside so I think I'll do it." This is a mystical choice. PARALYSIS This person knows he/she must decide but is so overwhelmed by the choices that he/she is unable to make any decision at all. Consider These Consequences When Making Important Life Decisions 1. How will I benefit or lose by choosing this alternative? 2. How will my family, friends, intimates benefit or lose if I choose this alternative? 3. How will I feel about myself if I choose this alternative? Does it fit with my values? 4. How will other people react to my choice? Will I be respected or criticized?