Donald Super

Donald E. Super (1910-1994) was a leader in career development, focusing on the constantly changing self-concept and its relation to one's personal career development. Super developed his theory over many years, beginning in the early 1930s and spanning nearly to his death. According to Super's theory, self-concept is something that changes and grows over time and his approach to career development mirrors that.

Super's life and career development stages are as follows: Growth (birth-14), Exploration (15-24), Establishment, (25-44), Maintenance (45-64) and Decline (65+). Super argued that developmental tasks would vary depending on the stage you were in, but that the main theme would be that one's self-concept would be ever-evolving. He claimed that one would choose their vocational path based on their self-concept and how their beliefs, goals, etc. fit into that particular field.

Super developed the Life Rainbow in which he placed his five development stages on an arc and asked people to color each life role (parent, worker, citizen, leisurite, student, child) as they saw appropriate in each of those stages. This provides a visual representation of self-concept, allowing us to actually see the span in which we take on certain roles and their importance during difference stages of our development.

Super's work has greatly impacted the world of career development and has contributed helpful tools, such as the Life Rainbow, to the career counseling profession. For more information about Super, his work and his theory you can visit:

http://evolutioncounseling.com/donald-super-career-counseling-theory/

For an easy-to-read pdf of Super's Life Rainbow and deeper explanation of his developmental stages, you can visit:

http://www.careers.govt.nz/fileadmin/docs/career_theory_model_super.pdf



- A. Murray