Super's Life Span, Life-Space Theory of Career Development

The Theoretical Era can be divided into two categories: Modern and Postmodern. This blog will discuss one theory from the Modern Era, Super's Life-Span, Life-Space Theory of Career Development.

 Theorist: Donald Super

 Summary: This theory "organizes the concepts of life roles and life stages into an interactive system". Super believed that "career choice was a process, not an event." Super combines aspects of many different areas including developmental, differential, social, personality, and phenomenology psychology in a mash-up that drives this theory.

  • Super's 14 Propositions
    • The first 3 emphasize that people have different abilities, interest, and values
      • no person fits only one occupation, and a variety of occupations are available for an individual
    • The next 6 focuses on self-concept and its implementation in career choices
    • The next 4 deal with the synthesis and compromise between individual and occupation as the focus for personality organization
    • the last looks at work and occupation as the focus for personality organization and the interplay of life roles 
  • Life-Career Rainbow (pictured to the right)
    • Has 5 life stages shown in relationship to age ranges on the upper outside rim
      • Growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance, and decline 
      • Super calls them maxicycles. They might appear to be linear, but not everyone goes through the stages in the same way or age
      • Transitions from stages involved minicycles
      • Developmental tasks are to be mastered before moving to the next stage
    • Life roles located in the space and time of life stages
      • Homemaker, worker, citizen, leisurite, student, and child
      • Can be in more than one role at a time
      • some roles are more important at different ages in life 
  • Career Maturity: a readiness to engage in the developmental tasks appropriate to the age and level at which one finds oneself 
    • maturity is never reached, but is a goal 

Additional Links: Super's Developmental Theory Video

Reference: Gysbers, N.C., Heppner, M.J. Johnston, J.A. (2014). Career Counseling: Holism, Diversity, and Strengths. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

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