Question

Young adults are faced with an abundance of career opportunities. List and describe the three periods of vocational development. How do personal and environmental factors like personality, family and gender stereotypes influence a individual in choosing a vocation?

Answer 1

Donald Super has generated a life span vocational choice theory that has six life and career development stages. These six stages are:

1. The crystallization stage, ages 14-18

2. Specification stage, ages 18-21

3. Implementation stage, ages 21-24

4. The stabilization stage, ages 24-35 5. Consolidation, age 35

6. Readiness for retirement, age 55

One of Super’s greatest contributions to career development has been his emphasis of the role self-concept development plays. Super recognized that the self-concept changes and develops throughout people’s lives as a result of experience. People successively refine their self-concept(s) over time and application to the world of work creates adaptation in their career choice. Although the career development theory provides a foundation for the professional work force it’s research has omitted women, people of color and the poor. With the changing work force and nature of work the theory has been called into question.