Super’s theory is very complex. Explain the basics of the theory as if you were educating a 15-year-old seeking career advice.
Super’s theory is complex yet explaining this theory to a 15-year-old does not have to be. We all understand that there are stages in life, and this is how I would approach this topic in counseling a teen.
Hypothetical Example:
Your 15 now and you can see that your thoughts and dreams have changed since far back as you had conscience thought’s that you can remember. When you were, 5 what was important to you then, may seem trivial now that your almost an adult. Donald Super’s theory is showing how all people move through life and the only thing you can count on is “thing’s change”. Right now, you most likely have developed what interest you and you’re in what Donald Super called the “exploration” stage. The first being growth is usually around 4-13, and you understand the need to succeed in school and are setting up your own personal identity as you navigate the world around you. In this exploration stage you have a clue of what your doing well and might want to transfer that into an occupation. Later, in life your expectation’s might change due to your personal surrounding, e.g., marriage, kids, or difficulties with current occupation. This is where change will occur and again it is a constant and quite possibly the only aspect in life that you depend on. In essence, the career you chose now may not be the career you become to desire most.
Donald Super talks about establishment being between the ages of 25-44 years, where you might be in your career choice and be striving for a promotion in this field and maybe even going back to school to obtain the requirements needed to land that big promotion. Trust me, we all go through this phase and it is how we handle it whether or not it will be a satisfactory outcome. Basically, once you feel like you have mastered that position you will seek more responsibility and money to continue shaping the world you have built. Donald Super was defining these stages based on a normal life perspective. There are so many things that will happen in life that sometimes goals get thwarted. But it does not mean the ultimate goal cannot be achieved. There just might be a couple exits on the highway of life we end up taking at one time or another.
Donald Super talks about this next stage he called “Maintenance (45-65) is the period of continual adjustment, which includes the career development tasks of holding on, keeping up, and innovating,” (Career Research (n.d.) para 8). At this stage you will working to hold on to that home you bought, getting ready to send kids off to college, making sure your 401k is on point and that is a subject we will get into as well as you choose the occupation you want to venture into first. You see, when Donald Super came up with these stages in the 1950’s; that was back in the days where people chose a profession that they would stay in for life. That simply is just not the case today. In this stage you might open your own business, decide on an entire different career but one thig will stay the same and that is “change”.
This brings us to the golden years… Donald called this Disengagement (over 65). I know it may seem like a long way off, but trust me, you will blink and be there fast. This stage is the need to just chill out and reap the benefits of all of your hard-earned work. Many people relocate to Florida or to an island if they have managed their funds correctly. I suggest taking a finance course to all young adults to get a feel of how to handle your money and make good decisions as you go through the ever-changing life that you will and already have embarked on.
Reference
Career Research (n.d.). Super’s Career Development Theory. Retrieved http://career.iresearchnet.com/career-development/supers-career-development-theory/
