Robert W. Lent is Distinguished University Professor, Counseling Psychology Program, Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, University of Maryland. He received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from The Ohio State University in 1979. After serving as Staff Psychologist at the University of Minnesota's Student Counseling Bureau from 1979-85, he joined the counseling psychology faculty at Michigan State University (1985-95). He has been at the University of Maryland since 1995.
Dr. Lent has published extensively on such topics as career choice and decision-making, inclusion of women and students of color in STEM fields, career self-management and transitions, academic and work satisfaction, and technology and the future of work. His other research interests include counselor training and development, emotional well-being and psychological wellness, relationship adjustment processes, and promotion of health behaviors. Dr. Lent is a Fellow of Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA). He is also a recipient of the Leona Tyler Award for Lifetime Achievement in Counseling Psychology (Division 17, APA) and the Eminent Career Award (National Career Development Association).
Dr. Lent is co-editor, with S.D. Brown, of the Handbook of counseling psychology (4 editions) and Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (3 editions). Along with M.L. Savickas, he has also co-edited, Convergence in career development theories: Implications for science and practice. He is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Counseling Psychology and the Journal of Vocational Behavior.
Fellow, Division 17 (Counseling Psychology), American Psychological Association
Selected Edited Books and Volumes
Brown, S.D., & Lent, R.W. (Eds.). (2008). Handbook of Counseling Psychology (4th ed.). New York: Wiley.
Brown, S.D., & Lent, R.W. (Eds.). (2021). Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Selected Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance [Monograph]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45, 79-122.
Lent, R.W., & Lopez, F.G. (2002). Cognitive ties that bind: A tripartite view of efficacy beliefs in growth-promoting relationships. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 21,256-286.
Lent, R.W., Hill, C.E., & Hoffman, M.A. (2003). Development and validation of the Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50, 97-108.
Lent, R.W. (2004). Toward a unifying theoretical and practical perspective on well-being and psychosocial adjustment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 482-509.
Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., Sheu, H., Schmidt, J., Brenner, B.R., Gloster, C.S., Wilkins, G., Schmidt, L.Lyons, H., & Treistman, D. (2005). Social cognitive predictors of academic interests and goals in engineering: Utility for women and students at historically Black universities. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 84-92.
Lent, R.W., Singley, D., Sheu, H., Gainor, K., Brenner, B.R., Treistman, D., & Ades. L. (2005). Social cognitive predictors of domain and life satisfaction: Exploring the theoretical precursors of subjective well-being. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 429-442.
Lent, R.W., & Brown, S.D. (2006). On conceptualizing and assessing social cognitive constructs in career research: A measurement guide. Journal of Career Assessment, 14, 12-35.
Hill, C.E., & Lent, R.W. (2006). A narrative and meta-analytic review of helping skills training: Time to revive a dormant area of inquiry. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 43, 154-172.
Lent, R.W., & Brown, S.D. (2006). Integrating person and situation perspectives on work satisfaction: A social-cognitive view. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69, 236-247.
Sheu, H., Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., Miller, M.J., Hennessy, K.D., & Duffy, R.D. (2010). Testing the choice model of social cognitive career theory across Holland themes: A meta-analytic path analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76, 252-264.
Sheu, H., Rigali-Oiler, M., & Lent, R.W. (2012). Multicultural Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale –Racial Diversity Form: Factor structure and test of a social cognitive model. Psychotherapy Research, 22, 527-542.
Hoffman, M.A., Lent, R.W., & Raque-Bogdan, T.L. (2013). A social cognitive perspective on coping with cancer: Theory, research, and intervention. The Counseling Psychologist, 41,240-267.
Lent, R.W. (2013). Career-life preparedness: Revisiting career planning and adjustment in the new workplace. Career Development Quarterly, 61, 2-14.
Lent, R.W., & Brown, S.D. (2013). Social cognitive model of career self-management:Toward a unifying view of adaptive career behavior across the life span. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 557-568.
Brown, S.D., & Lent, R.W. (2016). Vocational psychology: Agency, equity, and well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 541-565.
Lent, R.W., Sheu, H., Miller, M.J., Cusick, M.E., Penn, L.T., & Truong, N.N. (2018). Predictors of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics choice options: A meta-analytic path analysis of the social-cognitive choice model by gender and race/ethnicity. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65, 17-35.
Lent, R.W. (2018). Future of work in the digital world: Preparing for instability and opportunity. Career Development Quarterly, 66, 205-219.
Sheu, H., Lent, R.W., Miller, M.J., Penn, L.T., Cusick, M.E., & Truong, N.N. (2018). Sources of self-efficacy and outcome expectations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics domains: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 109. 118-136.
Lent, R.W., Morris, T.R., Penn, L.T., & Ireland, G.W. (2019). Social-cognitive predictors of career exploration and decision-making: Longitudinal test of the career self-management model. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 66, 184-194.
Lent, R.W., & Brown, S.D. (2019). Social Cognitive Career Theory at 25: Empirical status of the interest, choice, and performance models. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 115.
Brown, S.D., & Lent, R.W. (2019). Social Cognitive Career Theory at 25: Progress in studying the domain satisfaction and self-management models. Journal of Career Assessment, 27, 563-578.
Lent, R.W., & Brown, S.D. (2020). Career decision making, fast and slow: Toward an integrative model of intervention for sustainable career choice. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 120, 103448.
Sheu, H., Lent, R.W., Lui, A.M., Wang, X.T., Phrasavath, L., Cho, H., & Morris, T.R. (2020). Meta-analytic path analysis of the social cognitive well-being model: Applicability across life domain, gender, race/ethnicity, and nationality. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 67, 680-696.
Penn, L.T., & Lent, R.W. (2021). Retiring or rewiring? Test of a social cognitive model of retirement planning. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68, 538-549.
Selected Book Chapters
Lent, R.W. (2007). Restoring emotional well-being: A theoretical model. In M. Feuerstein (Ed.), Handbook of cancer survivorship (pp. 231-247). New York: Springer.
Lent, R.W. (2008). Understanding and promoting work satisfaction: An integrative view.In S.D. Brown & R.W. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of Counseling Psychology (4th ed.) (pp. 462-480). New York: Wiley.
Lent, R.W., & Sheu, H. (2010). Applying social cognitive career theory across cultures: Empirical status. In J.G. Ponterotto, J.M. Casas, L.A., Suzuki, & C.M Alexander, (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (3rd ed.) (691-701). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Sheu, H., & Lent, R.W. (2015). A social cognitive perspective on career intervention. In P. J.Hartung, M. L. Savickas, & W. B. Walsh (Eds.), APA Handbook of career intervention: Foundations (Volume 1, pp. 115-128). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Brown, S.D., & Lent, R.W. (2019). A social cognitive view of career development and guidance. In J. A. Athanasou & H. N. Perera (Eds.), International Handbook of Career Guidance (2nd ed.) (pp. 147-166). Springer.
Lent, R.W., & Brown, S.D. (2021). Career development and counseling: An introduction. In S.D. Brown and R.W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (3rd ed.) (pp. 1-29). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Lent, R.W. (2021). Career development and counseling: A social cognitive framework. In S.D. Brown and R.W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (3rd ed.) (pp. 129-163). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Lent, R.W., & Brown, S.D. (2021). Promoting satisfaction and effective performance at work. In S.D. Brown and R.W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (3rd ed.) (pp. 733-767). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Lent, R.W., Morrison, M.A., & Ezeofor, I. (2021). Career development and disability: A social cognitive perspective. In D.R. Strauser (Ed.), Career development, employment, and disability in rehabilitation: From theory to practice (2nd ed., pp. 93-102). New York: Springer.
Lent, R.W., Sheu, H., & Miller, M.J. Broadening the participation of women and underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities in STEM fields: A meta-analytic lens on the social cognitive interest, choice, and persistence hypotheses. National Science Foundation Grant HRD-1252095, Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering. (Role:PI)
Lent, R.W., Miller, M.J., & Smith, Paige, E. A longitudinal, mixed-method test of a social cognitive model of women’s adjustment to STEM majors: Building an empirical foundation for theory-based interventions. National Science Foundation Grant HRD-0827470, Research on Gender in Science and Engineering. (Role: PI)