Journal of Counseling Research

Aim: The motivation of students to pursue studies in the field of psychology and counseling is one of the intriguing and significant topics in the literature and culture of psychotherapy. The aim of this study was to Exploration of effective factors on the tendency to PhD Education in psychology and counseling. Methods: The current research employed a qualitative approach based on the grounded theory. The target population included all doctoral students in the psychology and counseling field at Islamic Azad University of Roudehen in the academic year 2023, and 17 participants were purposively selected using the theoretical saturation principle. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, and the gathered information was coded based on the method proposed by Strauss and Corbin (2008). Findings: Findings: The results of the study were presented in the form of 52 open codes, 22 core Axial, and 5 selected codes. The 5 selected codes included: Compensation Mechanism (medical perspective, competition, Compensating for feelings of inferiority, approval seeking and need for attention, solving personal and family problems, parents' failed wishes), desire for superiority (feeling of power, social prestige and being an expert, ambition, source of income), scientific worldview (curiosity, scientific thinking, didactic style, interest in psychological texts), humanistic worldview (interest and need for interaction with people, sense of philanthropy), and psychotherapy and education experiences (job satisfaction and client satisfaction, confidence in one's own capabilities, continuing the past path, perception of failure, improving educational and career levels, self-knowledge and personal growth). Finally, the model was presented with five indicators: causal conditions, contextual and background conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences. Conclusion:Based on the obtained results from this research, it can be stated that the effective factors on the tendency to PhD Education in the field of psychology and counseling encompass a spectrum of factors based on growth and damage.