CCA CCA Career Transitions & Life-Span Development 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Donald Super's life-span theory, which stage involves an individual exploring career options and making tentative choices, typically occurring in adolescence and early adulthood?
- Exploration stage (Correct answer)
- Establishment stage
- Maintenance stage
- Decline stage
Correct answer: Exploration stage
Super's Exploration stage (roughly ages 15-24) involves trying out different roles, gathering information, and making tentative career decisions through education and early work experience.
Question 2: A 52-year-old client who was recently laid off after 20 years in manufacturing is seeking a new career direction. According to Super's theory, this client is most likely in which stage experiencing a 'recycling' phenomenon?
- Maintenance stage, cycling back through exploration due to an unexpected career disruption (Correct answer)
- Decline stage, preparing for retirement rather than new career development
- Establishment stage, building their initial career identity for the first time
- Growth stage, developing self-concept and early career values
Correct answer: Maintenance stage, cycling back through exploration due to an unexpected career disruption
Super recognized that adults can recycle through earlier developmental stages (mini-cycles) when faced with career disruptions, returning to exploration and re-establishment even in midlife.
Question 3: Which theorist developed the concept of 'planful competence' as a key predictor of career success?
- Glen Elder (Correct answer)
- John Krumboltz
- Linda Gottfredson
- Mark Savickas
Correct answer: Glen Elder
Glen Elder's life course theory identified planful competence—the ability to set goals, plan strategically, and adapt—as a key predictor of positive career and life outcomes.
Question 4: In career counseling, a 'bridge job' refers to:
- Employment that serves as a transition between a primary career and full retirement (Correct answer)
- A temporary contract role bridging two permanent positions after a layoff
- An entry-level position used to gain experience in a new industry
- A part-time job taken to supplement income during career exploration
Correct answer: Employment that serves as a transition between a primary career and full retirement
Bridge jobs are typically taken by older workers who have left their career jobs but are not yet fully retired, providing income, purpose, and a gradual transition to retirement.
Question 5: A mid-career client describes feeling disconnected from their work despite having financial stability and job security. This experience is MOST consistent with:
- Midlife career plateau or meaning crisis requiring values clarification and purpose-driven exploration (Correct answer)
- Early career identity diffusion requiring foundational self-assessment tools
- Late career burnout requiring immediate medical intervention
- Career indecision rooted in lack of occupational information
Correct answer: Midlife career plateau or meaning crisis requiring values clarification and purpose-driven exploration
A meaning crisis in mid-career often reflects unmet higher-order needs—not lack of information or instability—and requires existential exploration of values, purpose, and identity.
Question 6: According to Schlossberg's Transition Theory, which factor most influences an individual's ability to cope with a career transition?
- The individual's perception of the transition as positive, negative, or neutral (Correct answer)
- The speed at which the career change is completed
- The client's age at the time of the transition
- The salary differential between the old and new career
Correct answer: The individual's perception of the transition as positive, negative, or neutral
Schlossberg emphasized that the individual's perception and appraisal of the transition—not its objective characteristics—is the most influential factor in determining coping and adaptation.
CCA CCA Career Transitions & Life-Span Development 1
According to Donald Super's life-span theory, which stage involves an individual exploring career options and making tentative choices, typically occurring in adolescence and early adulthood?