MP2212092T MICHELLE PETRUS

MP2212101T SITI NURFATHINI BINTI MUHAMMAD AZRIE

INTEGRATION OF SUPER’S LIFESPAN THEORY WITH PSYCHODYNAMICS
THEORY

Psychoanalytic Theory and Super Theory

Psychoanalytic theory and Super’s lifespan theory are both developed from the
foundation of the development of life.
In psychoanalytic theory, Freud explained that humans behave with regards to their
irrational forces, unconscious motivations, and biological and instinctual drives as these evolve
through key psychosexual stages in the first years of life. He stated that this personality is based
on 3 structures, namely id, ego, and superego. When a person has conflicts among his/her id,
ego, and superego, he/she will be in a state of anxiety making them feel that they are out of
control of their life.
This can be integrated into Super’s Lifespan theory as he also believes that the
development of a person’s personality throughout the lifespan influences their different life roles
in every stage of their life, as he introduced in the Life Career Rainbow. A person will be in a
state of distress when their life roles and work roles collide.
Both Freud and Super believe that humans play different life roles throughout the
development of their life. Freud believes that a person has different needs in each stage of life
development, while Super believes that a person plays different life roles in every stage of their
life depending on their environment and upbringing. Both psychoanalytic and Super’s lifespan
theory divided these stages of life in relation to age.

Adlerian Theory and Super Theory

Both Adler’s and Super theory can be integrated and used in career counseling by guiding
clients in decision making and their career development.
Both of these theories believed in development holistically whereby Donald Super’s
theory suggested in his Life Career Rainbow that the process of one individual is a lifelong
development process, this theory consists of stages from growth, Exploration , Establishment,
Maintenance and lastly Disengagement. According to this theory, one individual undergoes
self-development holistically.
Adler’s theory, he also believed that it is crucial to understand one individual’s unique
story and the influence of his or her past experience on his or her current behavior.