ELAGO, LIZZETTE C.

MC 703 – CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND COUNSELING

FEBRUARY 1, 2020

PROPONENT / NAME OF
CONCEPTS ESSENCE
THEORIES
Developmental Self-  Super recognized the contribution of trait-and-factor- theory and the  Developing a sense of
Concept Theory (1950s to matching model to vocational theory and guidance practice, but he self and realize that you
mid-1990s) believed that they were too static and insufficient in explaining change over time is
- Donald E. Super complexities of vocational behavior. important when planning
- Self-concept changes  He constructed a comprehensive career theory in which (a) career your career.
over time, and develops development is seen as a lifelong process unfolding in a series of  Everyone should plan
through experience developmental stages and (b) career selection is not a one-shot ahead, being ready for
- Career development is decision but the cumulative outcome of a series of decisions. exploration,
lifelong knowledgeable about his
- He developed the Table 1: Super’s five life and career development stages work, occupations and
theories and work of Eli Development of self-concept, career roles and be
Ginzberg Stage 1: Growth Age 0-14 attitudes, needs and general world of mature enough in
- He extended Ginzberg’s work making decisions.
life and career “Trying out” through classes, work  Occupational choice
development stages Stage 2:
Age 15-24 experience, hobbies. Tentative choice should be seen as an
from 3 to 5, and Exploration
and skill development unfolding process.
included different Stage 3: Entry-level skill building and
substages Age 25-44
Establishment stabilization through work experience
Stage 4: Continual adjustment process to
Age 45-64
Maintenance improve position
Reduced output, prepare for
Stage 5: Decline Age 65+
retirement

 He developed the concept of vocational maturity, which may or may

not correspond to chronological age. It denotes the readiness of the
individual to make career decisions.
Developmental tasks at the different stages
Early Middle Late
Adolescence
Life stage adulthood adulthood (45- adulthood
(14-25)
(25-45) 65) (65+)
Giving less Reducing Reducing
Focusing on
Decline time to sports working
essentials
hobbies participation hours
Verifying Making Holding
Keeping
Maintenan current occupationa one’s own
what one
ce occupation l position against
enjoys
al choice secure competition
Getting Settling
Doing things
Establish started in a down in a Developing
one has
ment chosen suitable new skills
wanted to do
field position
Learning Finding a
Finding Identifying
Exploratio more about good
desired new tasks to
n opportuniti retirement
opportunity work on
es place
Developing
Developing
Learning to Accepting and valuing
a realistic
Growth relate to one’s own non-
self-
others limitations occupational
concept
roles

 Super states that in making a vocational choice individuals are

expressing their self-concept, or understanding of self, which evolves
over time.
 People seek career satisfaction through work roles in which they can
express themselves and further implement and develop their self-
concept.

Super’s 3 additional perspectives to traditional individual difference

approach and vocational guidance:
1. Developmental perspective focusing on life course of vocational
behavior and stressing continuity in career development
- The need to understand and predict a career
- Career is a sequence of occupations, jobs and positions held
during the course of a lifetime, including prevocational and
postvocational activities.
- Career model – sequence of positions that an individual
occupies during his working life
- Patterns are determined by individual’s abilities, personality
traits, and the opportunities to which they are exposed
- Please see table 1.
2. Phenomenological perspective emphasizing the role of self-
concept in the development of an individual’s career
- People base their career decision on beliefs about their own
abilities and other self-attributes
- Self-concept is the way the person sees herself or himself
- Super saw career choice as the process of implementation of
self-concepts, work role as a manifestation of selfhood and
career development as an active process of improving the
match between one’s self-concept and the occupational
environment.
- Sense of identity → personal image → self-concept →
occupational perspective → occupational self-concept →
vocational preference
- Occupational self-concept – constellation of self-attributes
that are vocationally relevant for the individual
3. Contextual perspective bring forward the importance of multiple
social roles and their interaction across the life span
- The view of career development in the context of all life roles
enacted by an individual
- People’s careers cannot be understood outside of their social
context
 - To fully understand an individual’s career, it is necessary to
explore the whole web of his life roles.

Resources:

Retrieved from www.careers.govt.nz, Careers New Zealand, 2012.

Super, D. E. (1953). Career Patterns as a Basis for Vocational Counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology 1, pages 12-20.