Psychology of self-development and personal improvement

Many people talk about the need to study. The issue of youth education comes up all the time. But what should people do when they graduate? Who should take care of their further development, and is this necessary at all? What skills should you develop as an adult? What knowledge and skills are important?

The answer is that it is necessary to develop. Who is responsible for this? - We ourselves. Therefore, the process of further personality development is self-development, which is much more difficult, because there are no more teachers. There is only one criterion – efficiency. How to achieve results on your own? We'll talk about this in this article.

Self-development and personal improvement

If we consider the concepts of self-development and improvement from the point of view of psychology, then these are processes of purposeful activity to achieve a certain result. That is, this is conscious work on oneself, for qualitative and quantitative changes in all areas of life, in order to achieve internal and external balance.

Self-development is a set of processes of personal and spiritual development that occur through the active participation of the person himself.

As a result of growing up, a person makes a transition from one stage of self-development to another, during the process of studying at school, then at a university, at each new place of work.

Self-improvement is the purposeful formation of certain personality qualities, properties, skills, for individual interests and purposes.

Thus, the difference between self-development and self-improvement lies in the goals of these processes, the first of them is aimed at the formation of personality, and the second is aimed at changing specific selected qualities.

Social adaptation of personality: basic concepts

Your main task, after completing the training, is to learn to apply the acquired knowledge to benefit yourself, while striving to become an active, socially oriented person who is not only fully developed, but also does not try to put himself on too high a social level.

Undoubtedly, the psychology of self-development is an important component of success and the final result, but if you cannot apply the acquired skills for mutually beneficial coexistence with the outside world, then rest assured that you have only gone half way.

As a term, social adaptation of the individual implies the complete integration of the individual into the current conditions of the social environment. They are classified into three types:

Psychological;
Physiological;
Social.

In this article we will talk mainly about the program of social adaptation, so to speak, of its “growing into” the world around us. This term should not be confused with “socialization” - these are two completely different meanings, although at first glance it seems that they are similar. Socialization is communication with society throughout life, often based on the norms and rules of behavior instilled in us. Adaptation is a rapid, one might even say, leap into society. You don't have a lot of time, you are somewhat limited in space.

Society, group, individual

The psychology of human self-development characterizes this kind of adaptation as a process of personal choice of influence mechanisms in the current time. This process is considered in three stages:

Society (the people around us) - maximum adaptation to your characteristic segment of the population, taking into account its spiritual, intellectual development, including its political orientation. Overcoming this stage allows you to hone the skills of communication and mutual assistance to almost perfection;
Social group - like any interaction with living organisms, resistance will be present. It is at this stage that you learn to smooth out rough edges in communication, compromise, and sometimes just remain silent. In this case, you are required not to provoke or follow the lead of the conflict, by no means, you must learn to avoid it competently, maintaining your dignity;
The individual as a whole is the last, and most difficult, level of adaptation. Social adaptation of the individual during this period is directed inside the person himself, the implementation of attempts to achieve internal harmony, first of all, with himself, and ultimately find internal balance.

But the social adaptation of the individual does not end at the passage of such levels. A person’s entry into a system of professional, personal, including various interpersonal relationships requires a full range of relevant adaptive processes - from production to adaptation to forms of social consciousness.

The path to self-development and self-improvement

The path to self-development and self-improvement begins with awareness of the need for qualitative changes in life. This is not an easy job, consisting of many stages and achieving goals at each of them.

Each person chooses their own ways and means of self-development and self-improvement, which are more acceptable under given conditions and opportunities, depending on the chosen direction of work on oneself. Each person has his own priorities and desires, therefore, the paths of self-development and self-improvement of the individual must be formed in accordance with their main goal.

In other words, the fundamental motive when choosing will be:

the desire to stand out from the crowd;
desire for a successful life;
determining the meaning of life;
need for benefit to society;
improving physical skills for teenage boys;
working on your appearance and developing girls’ taste;
and etc.

Of the many ways of self-development and self-improvement, there are 3 main ones:

Adaptation to surrounding circumstances and conditions.

This option consists of adjusting your behavior and goals to certain standards and stereotypes accepted by society. Attitudes that run counter to socio-cultural opinion are deprived of the possibility of full implementation.

Imitation of social ideals, which is based on copying already established patterns of behavior. In this case, we are not necessarily talking about some famous person; a role model can be a father, an older brother, etc.
Self-education based on independent decision-making and the formation of one’s own model of values and worldview.

The last option is the most difficult, since independent disclosure and cultivation of personal qualities relate to the work of one’s own “I”.

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The main stages of self-improvement and self-development

Self-development and self-improvement are purely individual processes that are formed for each person based on their own desires and attitudes. Consequently, the stages of working on oneself may differ for each individual person. If we do not deviate from the generally accepted scheme, we can distinguish the following stages of self-development:

Awareness of the need for change.
Formation of the image of the “ideal self”.
Determining your positive and negative qualities.
Making a plan to achieve the goal.
Active actions divided into small stages.

Awareness of the need for change

As I have already noted, the path to self-development begins with awareness of the need for change. It is this process that gives impetus to step-by-step work on yourself. Most often, the understanding that changes are necessary both within oneself and in the external space depends on the level of consciousness of the individual. The higher it is, the easier it is to accept the fact that it is time to move forward.

Reasons for the need for self-development and self-improvement:

feeling that life has stopped;
constant feeling of depression, apathy;
procrastination;
dissatisfaction with oneself and life in general.

In a word, if everything in life is going wrong, it’s time to change something.

Formation of the image of the “ideal self”

Having realized that it is necessary to radically change the situation, it is important to understand what exactly you want to achieve. That is, at this stage, goal setting occurs. You cannot say: “I want to be rich.” It is necessary to highlight specific tasks:

To buy a house;
buy a car for 2 million rubles;
go to Turkey;
etc.

Concretization and visualization help to believe that achieving results is possible.

Determining your positive and negative qualities

Having formed your goal, you need to understand how you currently correspond to it. That is, you will need to highlight positive qualities that will contribute to achieving the goal and that can be developed. And also honestly admit to yourself the negative aspects of your personality that will limit and slow down the process. Therefore, you will have to get rid of them.

Making a plan to achieve your goal

The path to the goal should not be vague and uncertain, long-term. Therefore, it is important to draw up a specific action plan, according to which further work on yourself will take place. In addition, it is advisable to set a time frame for each stage.

Actionable steps broken down into small steps

There is a goal, a plan has been drawn up - don’t put off starting work for too long (I’ll start on Monday or the first of next month...). Procrastination is the most dangerous obstacle on the way to the desired result.

Do not pay attention to those who do not support your endeavors, you are doing this only for yourself, and not for your loved one, children or parents.

Psychology of self-development

A person open to self-development is a scientist who, when faced with a problem, collects facts, forms hypotheses, and acts to make them reality.

The psychology of personal self-development has two directions:

External. Aims at the chosen activity and its improvement. These are goal setting, plan development, motivation and control.
Internal. Development of the inner world, analysis and introspection of events, assessment and improvement.

Progress in self-development is observed when a person:

focuses on universal human values, strives to accumulate knowledge in order to be useful to society (it is useless to accumulate knowledge solely for oneself);
knows how to plan and act according to the plan;
able to mobilize oneself and overcome difficulties;
evaluates own strengths and weaknesses, realizes readiness for new activities.

Self-development in psychology is purposeful actions focused on changing reality, the picture of the world and oneself through the choice of goals, means of achieving them, and life principles.

What prevents you from developing? Fear of responsibility, laziness, egocentrism, victim position. These qualities need to be replaced with those that will contribute to self-improvement:

Mindfulness. This is the ability to experience current emotions without delving into the experiences of the past or future.
Cognition. This is what makes a person human. It is defined in the ability not only to sense, but also to perceive, think, and remember.
Action. Choosing an activity in which you would like to improve your skills and abilities, setting goals and objectives.
Life ideals (ideas). These are the highest goals set for oneself as an individual and for society.
Responsibility. The ability to accept the fact that what is happening around is the result of one’s own actions or lack thereof.

Don't forget about health. Illness, weakness and fatigue interfere with self-development, so you need to lead a correct lifestyle and maintain the performance of the body.

Motivation

In the psychology of self-development, motivation is the fuel for actions and decisions. Many people spend time looking for a motive, a reason, an argument, a “kick.” However, everyone has motivation, but with the wrong vector. It is enough to change the minus to a plus.

Motives can be internal (success at work, the need to study), or external (prestigious car, high earnings). But this is not the driving force or barrier to action. There are people focused on success and failure. "I knew it! I can't do anything. This is my destiny." To refocus on success, you need to perceive failure as a challenge:

reconsider goals, split them into smaller ones;
take into account risks, create plan options;
find partners;
constantly learn, expand the arsenal of means to achieve goals.

Responding constructively to failure is a source of motivation.

Result

Carl Rogers' theory in psychology defines self-development as a person's realization of his potential. This is the desire to become a fully functioning person, whose life is filled with meaning, search and excitement. It is believed that self-development is available only in the spiritual sense as the highest level of need. This is far from true. Self-development occurs at any stage, in any activity.

How to achieve results? Set a goal. It must be on a plane that resonates in the inner world, allows it to develop externally, is embodied in action, in practice, and forms the social role of a person.

Self-development and self-improvement where to start

Before you begin active steps towards improvement and self-development, you will need to perform several simple manipulations to simplify the procedure for further growth:

Get rid of the clutter in your head. False attitudes, stereotypes, opinions imposed by loved ones, all this interferes with working on oneself.
Increase your motivation; meaningless action will stop you halfway, preventing you from reaching your goal.
Conquer your laziness. Self-development is a difficult and long process; the lack of hard work, aspiration, and effort interferes with self-improvement.
Discipline – the path to change must be followed strictly in accordance with set goals, planned actions and specific time frames.
Change your environment. If there are people nearby who “poison” your life, why are they needed? Yes, if these are close relatives, it will not be possible to exclude them, but it is advisable to minimize communication with them, and therefore the influence on the formation of personal qualities.
Accept the fact that there may be setbacks along the way. Not everything always goes as planned, but fortitude and the fight against the fear that things won’t work out are necessary to achieve your ideal.
Track the progress of your achievements. The awareness that actions lead to results is very important in order not to leave the marathon distance.

If you don’t know where to start with self-development and personal improvement, form the basic skills and abilities that will be required on the way to achieving your goal.

Conclusion: everything is in your hands

To summarize, I would like to remind you that everything depends only on you. You and no one else are capable of radically changing the course of your life path. Self-confidence, knowledge and awareness of the goal - all this is the psychology of self-development. Learn, develop, don't be afraid to make mistakes or ask for help. If you really made a choice, then there will always be ways to achieve it. Yes, not right away. Yes, they will be difficult - but as you know, the easy path is the wrong path.

If all your resources are not put into action, you simply will not be able to fully enjoy the result of your work. Just believe in yourself, your strengths - all this is an important component of any successful person. You'll see, if you find the strength to move only forward, over time, you simply won't want to go back to the starting position. Find strength in yourself, force yourself to change, despite fears, self-doubt - all people experience such an emotional set. The task of each of us is to overcome obstacles and not be timid in the face of any difficulties.

Systems of self-development and self-improvement

When considering the issue of self-development and self-improvement, each person has to make a choice of the path along which to move towards the goal. And here you can use some independent developments, or you can use existing fairly effective systems:

Falun Dafa system;
Qigong system;
Franklin system.

Falun Dafa system

The self-improvement system comes from China. It consists of 5 sets of exercises, which are accompanied by instructions for spiritual self-development. The main principle of the teaching on which the self-improvement system is built is: “Truth, kindness and patience.”

The exercises are simple, and there are no restrictions when performing them that prevent you from performing them. They can be done at home or outdoors, independently or in a group. The use of the technique contributes to a number of positive changes in a person:

achieving peace of mind;
slowing down aging;
cure for certain diseases;
improving concentration and attention;
feeling of strength, etc.

The main thing is to perform the technique correctly, calmly and smoothly, easily, in harmony with the inner “I”.

Qigong system

Another ancient Eastern practice based on meditation. It is believed that in such a state a person is able to understand the essence of the processes occurring in the soul and body, and realize the path to self-development. Meditation allows you to feel how the positive changes taking place affect your life and health.

Franklin system

The essence of the system comes down to the fact that a person must live his life without mistakes and mistakes. Minimizing losses, according to Franklin, allows you to achieve greater results. To bring yourself to this level of self-development, you need to get rid of bad habits, determine a list of virtues and perform them within a set time frame.

Ways of self-development and self-improvement

If you are independently engaged in self-development and self-improvement, then you will need a certain set of “tools” on the way to your goal.

Books for self-development and self-improvement

Reading always brings benefits; the process itself contributes to the development and assimilation of new knowledge. Books for self-development and personal improvement are necessary for choosing the right direction for working on yourself and forming goals.

Now there is no need to go to the library and sit there for hours looking for the right source of knowledge. There are many other ways to obtain information:

you can read books online for free;
There are sites where you can download books for free;
Audiobooks are also freely available for downloading.

It is not necessary to look for literature that is difficult to perceive and understand, for example about Eastern spiritual teachings. You can choose a number of fiction books for self-development and personal improvement. In addition, if it’s hard to master something global, you can study articles on self-development and self-improvement.

The top 5 includes the following works:

"Games People Play. People who play games" (Eric Berne);
“Be the best version of yourself” (Dan Waldschmidted);
"Transcend: Nine Steps to Eternal Life" (Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman);
"Get Out of Your Comfort Zone" (Brian Tracy);
"Eat, Move, Sleep" (Tom Rath).

Websites for self-development and self-improvement

In addition to reading literature, you can use various online resources. Trainings, seminars, group classes, webinars that help in self-development and self-improvement. If you wish, you can select free resources, join thematic groups on social networks, take online tests, use audio recordings of meditations, etc.

Films about self-development and self-improvement

Watching educational films for self-development and self-improvement helps you accept and understand changes in a simpler form. It is easier to understand the information using the example of movie characters. Educational films have a psychological impact, help to see the world in a new light, discover potential and hidden talents.

Tips for self-development and self-improvement

Finally, I would like to give some advice for self-development and self-improvement so that you do not lose track and achieve the desired result:

Reduce your sleep time to 6 hours. According to scientists, this is quite enough for proper rest and high performance of the body. But immediately more time appears for oneself and active actions on the path to the goal.
Every morning, take time for yourself, your plans, visualization of goals, etc.
Set your priorities correctly, and your own self-development should not be in last place.
Form a positive mindset. Overcoming obstacles and experiencing failures with a negative outlook is much more difficult than with a positive attitude.
Smile, because smiling is the key to a good mood that you create not only for yourself, but also for those around you.
Write down your thoughts, ideas and always plan your time!
Communicate more with people, change your environment if it is toxic, seek support in your endeavors.

The process of self-development and self-improvement is quite complex. Partial personality change occurs automatically, under the influence of external circumstances, for example, while studying at school, university, at a new place of work, otherwise, it is long-term painstaking work caused by the desire to develop certain qualities, skills, etc. In working on oneself you can use already existing techniques, methods, methods or systems. But there is no limit to perfection, invent, create, become better every day!

Psychological attitudes and their functions

The main functions of such installations are: organizing one’s own worldview - its main purpose is to develop reasonable skepticism towards various newfangled methods. Thus, the psychology of self-development in this case is designed mainly for self-hypnosis.

The second function is opportunistic - its main task is to ensure the most comfortable and favorable stay for a person in society during training, and, in principle, during everyday worries.

The last function of such a plan is protective, designed to protect us from the negative impact of individuals, for whom your failure will simply be another reason for slander. In this case, you will develop immunity to this kind of statements, which will help you not to deviate from your intended goal.

I would like to note at the end of this section that the psychological mechanisms of self-development, no matter how they are aimed primarily at realizing the importance, as well as the correctness of the path you have chosen. With their help, you can simply protect yourself from such influence, and also simply remind yourself once again why this was all started.