Super's theory of career development, called differential-developmental- social-phenomenological psychology, is broader and more inclusive than Ginzburg's. Super said that Ginzburg did not have a meaningful definition of occupational choice, and disagreed with the bright line drawn between choice and adjustment. Instead, Super proposed intrinsic relationships between self-concept and career over time, using the following key concepts:

1. Life Stages - Five developmentally different life stages, each with its own life-tasks, are:

a. Growth: from birth to about age 14, this stage includes fantasy (ages 4 to 10), interest (ages 11 to 12), and capacity (ages 13 to 14). Primary tasks are creating self-concept and getting a fix on the world of work.

b. Exploration: from about ages 14 to 24, including the tentative phase (from age 15 to 17). The main concerns here are coming to, identifying, and working toward a vocational preference.

c. Establishment: from about ages 24 to 44, including stabilization (about ages 25 to 30) and advancement (about ages 30 to 44). The matters at hand here are firming up vocational preference and advancing in the work.

d. Maintenance: approximately ages 44 to 64. Now the trick is to hold on to gains and status without growing feet of clay.

e. Decline: from about age 64 on, including deceleration (about ages 64 to 70) and retirement (from about age 70 on). This is when he only thing left is to ease out work and into retirement.

2. Vocational Self Concept - comes from the general milieu and experiences of one's growing up, seeing the working world, and identifying with working adults; this is a central part of overall self-concept. People choose occupations reflecting and encouraging their own vocational self-concepts. Counselors should help clients to clarify values and inclinations, and to avoid overestimating their abilities.

3. Career Maturity - Since mastering tasks in one developmental stage depends on having accomplished tasks in preceding stages, career maturity can be gauged by specific behaviors. How well one does at tasks tied to levels of life and career development can be a guide to what to do next. Some elements of career maturity are: abilities to explore, choose, and plan; knowledge of the working world and preferred occupation; and attitudes toward work, independent choice, and understanding of preferences and other factors that make up choices.

4. Life Roles - Super dubbed his theory the "life-span, life-space" approach, presenting six roles (child, student, leisurite, citizen, worker, and homemaker) played over a "life career". "Role salience" is how close to center stage any of these is at any one time in life.