Different types of growth and development of the personality are determined primarily by two questions:
- What is the driving force, the engine of change?
- What is the direction of change, what or who determines it?
The engine, the driving force of growth and development can be:
- Addition of internal potential for growth and life circumstances: «I grow naturally.» This is natural, spontaneous, passive personal growth.
- Own conscious initiative: “I actively develop myself”, I control the process, this is an active personal growth.
- Initiative of other people or organizations: “They are working with me” See →
The direction, in turn, can be determined:
- My innate characteristics, interests and abilities,
- Interested environment: family, school, social organizations,
- Life problems and circumstances
- By my personal conscious choices, decisions
Three variants of driving forces and four variants of directions in general give a typology of personal growth and development: a matrix of twelve significant meanings, which can be given the following names.
- I grow naturally, the direction of growth is determined by my innate characteristics.
Benjamin Franklin liked to read, and books were bought for him whenever they could. And when they noticed his interest in learning, they began to take him to a village school. What is it? This is a general development.
- I grow naturally, I am driven by life’s problems and circumstances
I studied music, but the music club closed and I was sent to sports, because it was close to home. The guys in the yard fought a lot, I also learned to fight. They gave me a guitar, it seemed cool to me, I learned a few chords. The girl is looking for a circle of friends, out of boredom she went to trainings for personal growth, she hung out a little there. This is spontaneous development.
- I grow naturally, the direction and scope of my growth is determined by the interested environment.
When Benjamin Franklin was little, while eating at the common table, his father always started some interesting and moralizing conversation. What is it? This is a normal upbringing.
- I grow naturally, choosing the direction of my growth on my own.
It is difficult to say how it happened, but the idea of becoming a military pilot sunk into the boy’s soul. In principle, he remained as lazy as he was, but mainly began to read books on military pilots, he even became interested in an aircraft modeling circle at school, although he began to ignore other school subjects that were not related to flying. How to call it? Fragmented development?
- I actively develop myself by reacting to life’s problems and circumstances.
Benjamin Franklin took up compositing because it could support him. This is self-development as a response to life’s challenges.
- I actively develop myself, independently choosing the direction of my development.
I have made a plan for my own development and I am doing what I have chosen, within the framework of the requirements that are needed here. «I’m lazy» — no longer rolls. I decided to do 15 pull-ups daily for a year — I will do it. This is a conscious and volitional personal self-improvement.
- I actively develop myself in the direction determined by my innate characteristics and abilities.
In what direction I will develop myself, I do not clearly plan, rather choosing what my heart tells me and what “goes” with me. But I can’t imagine myself without development, I love high-quality results, so I realize my talents to the maximum. This is self-realization.
- I actively develop myself in the direction given by society.
Benjamin Franklin, at the age of 22, compiled a list of 13 virtues that he diligently taught himself: thrift, hard work, justice, humility … ↑ This is classic self-education.
- They work with me, they help me to develop in order to solve the problems I face.
Coaching
- They work with me, they help me develop in the direction that suits my characteristics.
Groups of personal growth.
- They work with me, they help me develop in the direction that I have chosen.
Personal development trainings.
- They work with me, they help me develop in the direction set by society.
Education.
This typology tacitly uses two assumptions:
- it is suggested that the person is always active, and
- It is assumed that there is no conflict between the individual and society.
If we go beyond these assumptions and consider options when a person is passive or a person’s aspirations and habits are in conflict with the requirements of society, we will have additional meanings. For example:
- I am passive (or my natural movement is contrary to society), but they make me what others and society need = socialization, formation.
- I am used to and want to live in my own way, society is reshaping me in the direction it needs — re-education.
Where is the growth, where is the development?
If, with all the positive changes in a person, her personal identity (leading values and personal roles) is preserved, we can talk about personal growth (quantitative changes).
If, in the process of positive changes, personal identity changes, a person begins to realize himself as another and behaves like another (not like a boy, but like a man, not like a helpless, but like a capable person, not like a follower, but like a leader) — it is said about the development of personality ( qualitative change).
If in the process of learning a person acquires skills that qualitatively change his ability to solve certain situational tasks, but do not change his personal identity, there was a general development of the personality within the framework of personal growth.
These are instrumental trainings, the assimilation of specific, narrowly situational skills.
If in the process of learning a person acquires skills that qualitatively change his ability to solve problems in a wide range of situations, skills of a universal plan (responsibility, positivity, constructiveness), this changes him qualitatively as a person.
The trainings that provide this are personality development trainings.