The article presents a comprehensive Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development, integrating primary and secondary control models with the authors' original life-span theory of control. The theory emphasizes the importance of individual agency in development, focusing on the regulation of motivation to achieve and disengage from goals across the life course. Key challenges include adapting to changing opportunities and constraints, selecting and compensating for goals, and maintaining a balance between multiple life domains. The theory proposes that adaptive development is driven by primary control, which involves actively influencing one's environment, and secondary control, which involves adjusting internal processes to maintain or enhance primary control. The theory also highlights the importance of goal selection, engagement, and disengagement, with specific strategies for each phase. The authors argue that effective life-span development requires a comprehensive understanding of these processes, including the use of optimization strategies to balance competing goals and adapt to changing circumstances. The theory is supported by empirical research and is designed to guide future studies in life-span development.The article presents a comprehensive Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development, integrating primary and secondary control models with the authors' original life-span theory of control. The theory emphasizes the importance of individual agency in development, focusing on the regulation of motivation to achieve and disengage from goals across the life course. Key challenges include adapting to changing opportunities and constraints, selecting and compensating for goals, and maintaining a balance between multiple life domains. The theory proposes that adaptive development is driven by primary control, which involves actively influencing one's environment, and secondary control, which involves adjusting internal processes to maintain or enhance primary control. The theory also highlights the importance of goal selection, engagement, and disengagement, with specific strategies for each phase. The authors argue that effective life-span development requires a comprehensive understanding of these processes, including the use of optimization strategies to balance competing goals and adapt to changing circumstances. The theory is supported by empirical research and is designed to guide future studies in life-span development.