Abstract
The purpose of this research was to examine the relation of psycho-social development and motivation in career development process by analyzing the way three managers from one Japanese company dealt with their psycho-social developmental tasks of adulthood. These subjects, aged between 45 and 59, were considered to have professionally attained a certain level of success. Data was obtained by using 1 hour and 50 minute to 2 hour and 20 minute video-taped interviews. The detailed description from those interviews was used as qualitative data for analysis of their psycho-social development and motivation. The framework of this research was based on the psycho-social development theory of Erikson, E. H. and the motivation theory of Maslow, A. H. The findings were as follows: 1) A self-actualization tendency differs by the individual. 2) A close relation exists between growth motives and positive coping with the psycho-social developments. 3) The self-actualization tendency increases with age. 4) The crisis conquest require the following conditions: sufficiency of lack desire, intimacy from the others and emergence of growth motives.
