PART II
LIFE-SPAN THEORY
CHAPTER 7
CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDHOOD
Have the class write down their own career choices prior to age eight and at ten or eleven. Discuss what
was important in these choices. Use Figure 7-1, page 172, as a guide. For example, were curiosity,
exploration, desire for information, or key figures important in these early career choices?
Who were your early role models (key figures)? What key figures have you observed in the lives of your
own children or in children you know?
What do Howard and Walsh’s concepts of pure association and magical thinking add to Super’s view of
the career development of children?
In what ways have you experienced Gottfredson’s “circumscription” and “compromise” in your own
career development?
Describe your “internal compass” and how well this concept fits for you.
If there are a number of students in class with interests in elementary guidance, it might be helpful to role
What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of Super’s and Gottfredson’s theories?