Saturday, January 31, 2015

Donald Super: Lifespan Theory (Week 3)



Donald Super's Lifespan Theory was developed in the 1950s and last revised in 1990.

Super theorized that "career choice was a process, not an event" (Gysbers, p. 23).  He emphasized the relation that various life roles had to one another and suggested that our decision to pursue a certain occupation is based on our career's relation to these other roles.  These roles change over one's lifetime and require different allotments of time at various developmental stages.

Career maturity/career adaptability: "a readiness to engage in the developmental tasks appropriate to the age and level at which one finds oneself" (Gysbers, p. 24)

  • Self-concept is central to Super's theory; the way you perceive yourself and your situation changes over time based on life experiences
  • Six major roles: 
    1. Child
    2. Student
    3. Homemaker
    4. Worker
    5. Citizen
    6. Leisurite
  • Developmental stages:
    • Birth
    • Growth (0-15)
    • Exploration (15-25)
    • Establishment (25-45)
    • Maintenance (45-65)
    • Disengagement (65+)
  • Maxicycle and minicycle: Developmental stages listed above (maxicycles) are not necessarily sequential; people cycle back through them within each of these stages (minicycle)

Web source: http://www.careers.govt.nz/educators-practitioners/career-practice/career-theory-models/supers-theory/