A Report on

Donald Super

Prepared by
Shonnel Lagustan
 Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
- summarize the life and work of Donald Super
- list key theories of Donald Super
- discuss the significance of Donald super’s
contributions in career development

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 “
The goal isn’t more money, the goal is
living life on your terms.

Maximize your career potential

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◦ Super began his career working as a YMCA
employment counselor throughout the 1930s and
1940s. During his career, Super was also founder
and director of the Cleveland (Ohio) Guidance
Services as well as director of Clark University's
Student Personnel Bureau.
◦ Donald E. Super is most recognized for his
contributions to the vocational guidance
movement, and later to counseling psychology,
which included career counseling and life

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◦ Super's strong interest in compiling information led
to integration of existing knowledge about vocational
guidance. during his affiliation with the YMCA,
Super collected information about occupations in
Cleveland, resulting in his Compilation Project.
Super published his first book about vocational
guidance, Dynamics of Vocational Adjustment in
1942, which presented evidence of occupational
choice as a process rather than an event in a person's
life.
◦ By the time Super's third publication in 1975,
Appraising Vocational Fitness by Means of
Psychological Fitness, he had been promoted to the
rank of Professor at Columbia Teacher's College
where he had worked for 30 years.

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◦ Career highlights include serving as president of
APA's Division of Counseling Psychology. In
1983, he received the American Psychological
Association's Award for Distinguished Scientific
Contributions to Applications of Psychology. He
is also the recipient of a Doctor of Science
degree from Oxford University.
◦ Super died on June 21, 1994 at the age of 83.

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 Life-Span, Life-Space

“
Developmental Career Theory
-“differential-developmental-social-phenomenological
career theory’’
◦ -Developmental over time across the life span
◦ -Stand alone theory or synthesis of theories?
◦ - Life-span+ Life- Space+ Self-concept = career
development
- People’s Self-characteristics and Self Concept Differ,

- These Self-characteristics make them eligible for various occupations

- Individual occupations require specific traits, but these requirements are flexible enough to allow for
diversity of persons

- Self- concept develop overtime, ergo making choices and adjustments are continuous process,

- The change process can be described and fits within certain stages

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• Occupational level and career pattern are influenced by contextual and personal factors,

• Degree of readiness to address/cope with career developmental tasks ( career maturity ) influenced by
degree of success from previous tasks in earlier stages.

• Career Development can be “” Facilitated”” with developmentally appropriate career interventions

• Career choice is a synthesizing and compromising process that is interactive with the individual’s
environment,

• Life satisfaction is dependent upon finding life-role opportunities and life-role involvement consistent
with a person’s valued self-characteristics, preferences, and values.

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 ◦ Career development, like physical
development,is a life long process; yet
differse because it is not ontogenetic.

LIFE SPAN Super identified a sequence of

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 1. GROWTH(Childhood)
Children ages 4 to 13 are confronted with the tasks of
developing a sense of self and basic understanding of
the world of work.

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 Combining what they When a young person
have learned about the specifies a preference,
work world and he or she implements
themselves with the choice. These tasks
2. EXPLORATION
growing awareness that occur within the
(ADOLESENCE)
the present influences substages of tentative,
what happens next, 14- transition, and trial
to-24 year olds starts (with little
planning for the future. commitment).

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 At any time in the
As one stabilizes in
process, however, a
Getting established an occupation, he
person may decide
in a career or she turns away
that the job or field
generally occurs from wondering
he or she chose is
from ages 25-45. whether the choice
no longer the right
The career was a good one and
3. Establishment one. If this occurs,
developmental turns toward
(Early Adulthood) tasks associated dependable
he or she will
revisit the
with this stage are producer and
exploration stage
stabilizing, creating a solid
and eventually
consolidating, and reputation in the
crystallize, specify,
advancing. occupation
and implement a
(consolidating)
different choice.

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 ◦ During maintenance (ages 45-65),
workers encounter the tasks of
4. Maintenance holding, updating, and innovating.
(Middle Many must choose either to improve
Adulthood) their performance by keeping up
with advancements in their field or
to change fields altogether.

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5. Disengagement (Late
◦ Thus ,as the
Adulthood )
disengagement stage
◦ When physical capacities begins (age 65+)
begin to decline, interest in ◦ -A current trend for many
work activities begins to people at this stage
wane. Most workers involves pursuing what
become concerned with some refer to as “encore
planning for retirement. careers.”

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 LIFE SPACE
While people are busy earning a living, they
are also busy living a live (Super et
al.,1996)

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 The “simultaneous combination of life roles we play constitutes the life
style; their sequential combination structures the life space and constitutes
the life cycle. The total structure is the career pattern” (Super, 1980, p 288)

Life roles interact so that the same job holds different meaning for
people living in different situations.

The salience people attach to their constellation of life roles defines

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Super noted that people tend to play nine
major roles during their lives.

1. Son or daughter
2. Student
3. Leisurite
4.Citizen
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Life roles are
generally played
out in specific
theaters
1. home
2. school
3. workplace
4. community

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 SELF-CONCEPTS

Super defined self-concept as a “picture of the self in some role”,

Self concepts contain both objective and subjective elements.

Because self concept develop over time, the need to make choices
and the process of adjusting to these choices are life long tasks.
 RECAP !
Share what you have
learned ?

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THANKS!
Any questions?

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