Reflection Paper 2
Zixu Jin
October 4, 2019
Word count: 981
Madison’s Case based on Super’s Theory
The life Span Life Space theory by Donald Super is a career approach that focuses on
a broad view of career and evaluates how personal and situational factors influence the
manner in which people make career decisions. One of the key parts of the theory is the life-
career rainbow model that indicates that a person’s career development consists of the life
span and the life space. The theory asserts that due to these two factors, a person plays
different roles in life, which impact their career development. The roles are child, student,
leisurite, citizen, worker, and homemaker (Amundson, Harris-Bowlsbey, & Niles, 2014). For
example, based on the case study, Madison seems to play different roles: child, worker, and
homemaker. Amundson et al. indicate that as these roles interact, they influence each other,
hence Super names this component the life-space. A person’s self-concept is closely tied to
these roles because it affects one’s choice of the roles and determines their importance.
Amundson et al. further notes that career is a culmination of the activities executed through
an individual’s roles. The counselling goals of Super’s theory include establishing an
individual’s career maturity and closing up the deficits, helping a client explore and
strengthen his or her self-concept, as well as helping the client establish the importance of the
life-career rainbow (Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996). Considering that Madison is in the
Exploration stage, the counselling process should focus on responding to her concerns based
on this aspect. When intervening Madison’s situation, there is need to consider the sequences
of the Career Development Assessment and Counselling (CDAC) model, as recommended by
Super et al.
, One of the areas to assess as far as Madison is concerned is the life-space component.
Super et al. (1996) emphasizes that there is need to understand a client’s work role salience
and his or her life structure. Super’s theory indicates that the interaction of multiple roles
influence each other in a reciprocal manner. This means that people’s decisions about the
work-role, for instance occupational choice, are influenced by social positions that are
meaningful to their lives. This means that Madison’s career concerns are to some extent
triggered by the totality of roles that she plays, both in her work environment and beyond her
work place. For example, she is planning to have children in the near future and therefore
start a family. Thus, the parent role will influence her attitude towards the next career
decision she makes. In order to establish the impact of different life roles on Madison’s career
considerations as a counsellor, I would administer the Salience Inventory (SI). Super et al.
(1996) indicates that it measures a person’s value expectations for, commitment to and
participation in the aforementioned life roles. Therefore, Madison’s SI scores can determine
whether she should continue being a teacher, change careers, or prioritize other roles besides
her work, for instance focus on starting a family.
Another area of assessment is Madison’s life span component. According to the case
study, Madison’s highest score for Adult Career Concerns Inventory (ACCI) was exploration.
Super’s theory indicates that development stages in the life-span component can re-occur in
the course of one’s career development because as Amundson et al. (2014) reveals, in
contemporary society, many people tent to recycle stages of exploration, establishment, and
maintenance. Considering that the Exploration stage entails crystallization and specification
and implementation of occupation choice (Super et al., 1996), Madison is considering
undergoing this process again despite having gone through it in an earlier stage of her
lifespan. This is indicated by the fact that she is contemplating to seek for teaching job in
another school or to change her career. To further expand on Madison’s Exploration
Zixu Jin
October 4, 2019
Word count: 981
Madison’s Case based on Super’s Theory
The life Span Life Space theory by Donald Super is a career approach that focuses on
a broad view of career and evaluates how personal and situational factors influence the
manner in which people make career decisions. One of the key parts of the theory is the life-
career rainbow model that indicates that a person’s career development consists of the life
span and the life space. The theory asserts that due to these two factors, a person plays
different roles in life, which impact their career development. The roles are child, student,
leisurite, citizen, worker, and homemaker (Amundson, Harris-Bowlsbey, & Niles, 2014). For
example, based on the case study, Madison seems to play different roles: child, worker, and
homemaker. Amundson et al. indicate that as these roles interact, they influence each other,
hence Super names this component the life-space. A person’s self-concept is closely tied to
these roles because it affects one’s choice of the roles and determines their importance.
Amundson et al. further notes that career is a culmination of the activities executed through
an individual’s roles. The counselling goals of Super’s theory include establishing an
individual’s career maturity and closing up the deficits, helping a client explore and
strengthen his or her self-concept, as well as helping the client establish the importance of the
life-career rainbow (Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996). Considering that Madison is in the
Exploration stage, the counselling process should focus on responding to her concerns based
on this aspect. When intervening Madison’s situation, there is need to consider the sequences
of the Career Development Assessment and Counselling (CDAC) model, as recommended by
Super et al.
, One of the areas to assess as far as Madison is concerned is the life-space component.
Super et al. (1996) emphasizes that there is need to understand a client’s work role salience
and his or her life structure. Super’s theory indicates that the interaction of multiple roles
influence each other in a reciprocal manner. This means that people’s decisions about the
work-role, for instance occupational choice, are influenced by social positions that are
meaningful to their lives. This means that Madison’s career concerns are to some extent
triggered by the totality of roles that she plays, both in her work environment and beyond her
work place. For example, she is planning to have children in the near future and therefore
start a family. Thus, the parent role will influence her attitude towards the next career
decision she makes. In order to establish the impact of different life roles on Madison’s career
considerations as a counsellor, I would administer the Salience Inventory (SI). Super et al.
(1996) indicates that it measures a person’s value expectations for, commitment to and
participation in the aforementioned life roles. Therefore, Madison’s SI scores can determine
whether she should continue being a teacher, change careers, or prioritize other roles besides
her work, for instance focus on starting a family.
Another area of assessment is Madison’s life span component. According to the case
study, Madison’s highest score for Adult Career Concerns Inventory (ACCI) was exploration.
Super’s theory indicates that development stages in the life-span component can re-occur in
the course of one’s career development because as Amundson et al. (2014) reveals, in
contemporary society, many people tent to recycle stages of exploration, establishment, and
maintenance. Considering that the Exploration stage entails crystallization and specification
and implementation of occupation choice (Super et al., 1996), Madison is considering
undergoing this process again despite having gone through it in an earlier stage of her
lifespan. This is indicated by the fact that she is contemplating to seek for teaching job in
another school or to change her career. To further expand on Madison’s Exploration
