The evolving role of work in society and the factors driving emerging trends in work were examined to assist career development practitioners in helping individuals deal with life-role balance. Donald Super's life-space theory was presented as a framework for adult career development and used as a backdrop for discussing how adults can crystallize their life-role identities, develop life-role readiness and adaptability, and move from role conflict toward life-role integration. Life-role salience and the contextual influences on life-role behavior were shown to be particularly useful for addressing life-role readiness. The behavior of planning was deemed especially important because it reflects awareness, which is the first step in coping with the developmental tasks associated with any life role. Life-role planning portfolios were recommended as an effective tool that career educators and career counselors can use to help people develop the behaviors of planning, exploring, information gathering, decision, making, and reality testing. Career educators and counselors were urged to remember that people differ in terms of which roles are most viable and salient for them and that personal, structural, and cultural factors such as gender expectations, social class, discrimination, personal choice, and family expectations influence individuals' levels of commitment to and participation in life roles. (Contains 57 references.) (MN)