that broke with the static trait-and-factor theory. They posited that
career development is a lifelong developmental process. They also
suggested that career choices are characterized by compromise and,
once made, are for the most part irreversible. Ginzberg (1972) later
altered both of these propositions. The theory of Ginzberg and oth-
ers stimulated an initial flurry of research but had little impact on
practice, which remained steadfastly loyal to the trait-and-factor
model.
In 1953, Donald Super published his theory of career choice
and development. Super’s theory included propositions relating to
trait-and-factor theory, developmental psychology, and personal
construct theory (Kelley, 1955), from which Super derived his ideas
about self-concepts and sociological theory. Super continued to
revise and refine his theory throughout his life. Although a version
of Super’s theory appeared posthumously in the third edition of this
book (Super, Super, & Savickas, 1996), it is probably accurate to
note that the last statement by Super himself appeared in 1990. In
that statement, he admitted that the disparate segments of his the-
ory had not been properly cemented together and suggested that
building a truly comprehensive model of career choice must be left
to future theorists. Super and his followers have had, and continue
to have, an impact on career development thinking, research, and
practice.
In 1956, Anne Roe published a landmark book, The Psychology of
Occupations,in which she set forth a theory of career development
rooted in Maslow’s need theory and in personality theory. She theo-
rized that early childhood environments predisposed children to
enter certain occupational groups. She also developed a row (fields of
interest) by level (occupational level) classification of occupations.
Roe’s theory stimulated a number of research projects (see Roe &
Lunneborg, 1990), but it never became a major influence on practice.
In 1959, John Holland set forth a comprehensive trait-oriented
explanation of vocational choice, which extended the trait-and-
factor model of the thirties and forties from a static to a dynamic
model. In 1973, he published a fuller version of his theory, which
INTRODUCTION TO THEORIES OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND CHOICE 5