What is self development, and how to start using it?

There are two types of people, those who inspire me and those who don’t. Those who inspire have seriously worked on self development. And you, have you spent time on this thing?

What is self development?

APA (American Psychology Association) states that self development is the growth or improvement of one’s qualities and abilities.

Oftentimes, self development is also referred to as personal development, personal growth, self improvement, etc.

It involves the development of all aspects of the individual. It incorporates developing positive life skills and cultivating a realistic and healthy sense of self-esteem.

How can you use self growth nowadays?

You can and should use self growth in business, relationships, and any other activity. It helps improve soft skills and personality. And if you don’t use self growth methods, you will move towards your goal slower than a turtle.

The process of personal development involves the growth of one’s mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual selves so one can lead a fulfilled and productive life like Alex Monaco does.

What psychologist and psychoanalysts was thinking about self development 

Many psychologists and psychoanalysts were working on self growth theories. I will list a few.

The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) was one of the most influential modern scientists to put forth a theory about how people develop a sense of self. Before him, people believed that humans could not change themselves. Let’s look at what others told us about self development.

Psychologist Erik Erikson

Psychologist Erik Erikson (1902–1994) created a theory of personality development based, in part, on the work of Freud. However, Erikson believed the personality continued to change over time and was never truly finished. His theory includes eight stages of development, beginning with birth and ending with death. According to Erikson, people move through these stages throughout their lives. In contrast to Freud’s focus on psychosexual stages and basic human urges, Erikson’s view of self-development gave credit to more social aspects, like the way we negotiate between our own base desires and what is socially accepted (Erikson 1982).

A Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget (1896–1980) was a psychologist who focused on the role of social interactions in child development. He recognized that the development of self evolved through a negotiation between the world as it exists in one’s mind and the world that exists as it is experienced socially (Piaget 1954). All three of these thinkers have contributed to our modern understanding of self-development.

Self development stages

There are many stages of self improvement. These stages help to understand how improvement works. Let me list the stages:

1. Self study

At this stage, the most important thing is to be observant. It’s hard to see your own problems, so it’s good to ask others to help. Know that your friends can tell you what you can change.

2. Awareness

At this stage, you notice what should be changed.

“It is not primarily our physical selves that limit us but rather our mindset about our physical limits.” – Ellen J. Langer

3. Acceptance

At this stage, you accept the fact that this or that thing needs to be changed or not. If you can’t accept the problem, then you won’t be able to change yourself. As the saying goes, you can only get out of jail if you accept the fact that you are in jail.

Just remember what Robert Biswas-Diener said: “Once you start making the effort to ‘wake yourself up’—that is, be more mindful in your activities—you suddenly start appreciating life a lot more.”

4. Goal and purpose

At this stage, you have to set the goal, what you want to achieve, and what method you will use. 

5. Commitment

At this stage, when you know exactly what needs to be changed, you have to take responsibility to really go for the goal and not give up in the process. 

6. Action  

Action is everything!

What next? Next, you go to the first stage to look again at what you have achieved and what you can improve.

Oh yes, look at yourself like a diamond that needs to be polished, polished, polished. 

Clearly, this stage never ends. Remember, you cannot solve problems forever. But you must work on self development. Because if you will not, you can rot and return to your old state. Ed Diener put it perfectly in the following quote: “Probably the biggest insight… is that happiness is not just a place, but also a process. Happiness is an ongoing process of fresh challenges, and it takes the right attitudes and activities to continue to be happy.”

Self development methods  

There are many ways to change yourself. I will list a few:

1. Read self development books.
2. Find a self development coach. He will help you to choose methods, technics.
3. Don’t forget meditation (it helps).
4. Try self development courses.

Try the free self development course (12-day course)

Oh yes, enough talking. It’s time for action! Take advantage of my free course that I created with psychologists. Use it today here: order 12 missions!