Multidimensional Scaling: Some Possibilities for Counseling Psychology

Although counseling psychologists conduct a great deal of research that attempts to reveal the structure of a given data set, rarely if ever do they utilize scaling procedures, preferring instead to rely on factor analytic strategies. In this article, we give a short introduction to the use of multidimensional scaling (MDS), with specific emphasis on applications in counseling and vocational psychology, including an example of one standard nonmetric scaling method. We conclude with a discussion of some conceptual and practical considerations associated with the use of MDS, along with a description of its possible applications to a variety of substantive issues in counseling and vocational psychology.