Donald Super’s life-span, life-space theory, Tā Donald Super ariā mō te pānga o ō te tangata tūnga, taiao hoki ki tōna toiora aramahi

Donald Super was a prominent figure in career development psychology. From the 1950s to 1990s he developed and refined his career development theory that was based on an earlier theory developed by Eli Ginzberg.

He introduced 5 stages of career development, each with its own tasks and challenges:

• Growth.
• Exploration.
• Establishment.
• Maintenance.
• Decline/disengagement.

Super identified 3 core concepts that were important to the development and use of the life-span, life-space theory of careers.

• Lifelong Development: Career decisions aren’t one-off – they happen across life, from childhood to retirement.
• Self-Concept: As people grow and gain experience, their understanding of themselves changes. Career choices often reflect this evolving self-view.
• Career Readiness: Super called this “vocational maturity” – how prepared someone is to make career decisions. It’s not just about age, but about adaptability and readiness.

You can learn more about the 5 life stages and tasks at the different stages in our Donald Super Developmental self-concept resource.

Super’s theory help explains how people’s work choices and goals can change throughout their lives. It also shows how different life roles, like being a parent, student, or community member can affect career decisions.

For example, someone returning to work might be balancing several responsibilities. Thinking about the skills they’ve gained from these experiences, exploring flexible job options and setting goals for learning or training can help them move forward in their career.

Super’s career theory is still valued for showing how career development happens over a lifetime and is shaped by different life roles. It helps people reflect on their experiences and plan next steps.

However, it’s less commonly used today because careers are more flexible and unpredictable and the theory doesn’t fully account for external factors like economic changes or cultural differences.

Theory of Career Choice: Matching Personalities and Environments, by Margaret M. Nauta. In Career Theories and Models at Work: Ideas for Practice (chapter 25) edited by Nancy Arthur, Roberta Borgen (Neault) and Mary McMahon. Published by CERIC

Career Development and Counselling: Putting Theory and Research to Work (chapter 4) edited by Steven D. Brown and Robert W. Lent. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.