INTRODUCTION TO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Human Development and Personal Development
Developmental scientists identified the three aspects or domains of human development (Papalia &
Feldman, 2012) as:
1. physical development
➔ covers the growth of the body and the brain, motor and sensory skills, and even physical
health
2. cognitive development
➔ covers our capacity to learn, to speak, to understand, to reason, and to create
3. psychosocial development
➔ includes our social interactions with other people, our emotions, attitudes, self-identity,
personality, beliefs, and values
While human development covers the whole lifespan of human existence in relation to the three
domains, personal development is one’s own development and growth within the context of the three
aspects of human development. Human development is also influenced by the following:
➢ Environment
➔ the world outside of ourselves and the experiences that result from our contact and
interaction with this external world.
➢ Maturation
➔ the natural progression of the brain and the body that affects the cognitive, psychological,
and social dimensions of a person. The influence of physical maturation over a person’s
development is most pronounced during his or her childhood and adolescent stages.
Is it Personality Development or Personal Development?
You must be familiar with the term personality development and must have heard of learning places
where you could enroll to learn skills like table etiquette, how to sit properly and walk with grace, how
to dress up appropriately and how to communicate better.
In some personality development centers, they also offer sessions that deal with oneself and how
one relates with others. Training in these skills brings about noticeable transformation and
improvement in one’s personality.
Personality development also includes image enhancement such as skin care and makeup, fashion
and clothing, and even body contouring; modeling and beauty pageants.
,What is Personal Development?
Personal development may be defined as a process in which persons reflect upon themselves,
understand who they are, accept what they discover about themselves, and learn (or unlearn) new
sets of values, attitudes, behavior, and thinking skills to reach their fullest potential as human beings.
Zorka Hereford (2007), author of the book, 9 Essential Life Skills – A Guide for Personal Development
and Self-Realization, defined personal development as “the process of striving to be the best that
you can be in order to reach and realize your full potential. It is a journey of self-discovery,
self-improvement, and self-realization."
Psychology and Personal Development
• Psychology, being the study of human thinking and behavior, serves as a foundation for personal
development.
• The school of thought that gave birth to the contemporary understanding of personal development
started during the flourishing of humanistic and positive psychology in the 1950s, which dealt with
personal growth and meaning as a way of reaching one’s fullest potential.
• The two proponents of humanistic psychology were Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.
• Abraham Maslow theorized the five stages of human development based on a hierarchy of needs.
• Carl Rogers, in his psychotherapy practice, theorized that “the individual has within himself the
capacity and the tendency to move forward toward maturity.”
, •Martin Seligman, a noted psychologist and president of the American Psychological Association,
realized how psychology, after the Second World War, puts more emphasis in diagnosing, treating,
and preventing psychological disorders and therefore focusing on a disease model of human nature.
• The 'disease model' or mental illness approach to psychology, which focuses on identifying what's
wrong with people, in order to 'fix' them
• Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi helped refocus this emphasis of psychology from a
disease model toward what is good and positive about human persons and their desire to achieve
their full potential.
• Positive psychology also created a balance between what humanistic psychology emphasized: that
human nature is basically good, while adding that human nature includes both the positive and the
negative aspects.
• The Positive Psychology Center of the University of Pennsylvania defines positive psychology as the
scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The
field is founded in the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what
is best within them, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.
Personal Development in Adolescence
• Adolescence is the transition period between childhood and early adulthood. Although, scientists
and psychologists may slightly differ in pegging the exact age of adolescence, it is widely believed to
be between ages 11 or 12, and lasting to about 18 years of age.
• In the Philippines context, authors Corpuz, Lucas, Borabo, and Lucido defined the three stages of
adolescence as:
➢ Early adolescence—between 10 and 13 years old
➢ Middle adolescence –between 14 and 16 years old
➢ Late adolescence – between 17 and 20 years old
• Adolescence starts with the biological changes called puberty.
• Biological changes bring about cognitive and affective changes.
• The child who has reached adolescence is now capable of reasoning about abstract concepts and
problems.
• At this point, the adolescent becomes more inquisitive about things
• This is also the stage when adolescents begin to ask questions about their identity.
• Relationships with family and friends are also affected by puberty during adolescence.
• Friends become the center of relationships more than family
GETTING TO KNOW ONESELF
Self-Concept
• Self-concept essentially refers to the way we think about ourselves, evaluate our appearance,
thoughts, and behaviors, and perceive ourselves both as individuals and in comparison to others.
• A popular definition is provided by Baumeister (1999): “The individual’s belief about himself or
herself, including the person’s attributes and who and what the self is.”
Human Development and Personal Development
Developmental scientists identified the three aspects or domains of human development (Papalia &
Feldman, 2012) as:
1. physical development
➔ covers the growth of the body and the brain, motor and sensory skills, and even physical
health
2. cognitive development
➔ covers our capacity to learn, to speak, to understand, to reason, and to create
3. psychosocial development
➔ includes our social interactions with other people, our emotions, attitudes, self-identity,
personality, beliefs, and values
While human development covers the whole lifespan of human existence in relation to the three
domains, personal development is one’s own development and growth within the context of the three
aspects of human development. Human development is also influenced by the following:
➢ Environment
➔ the world outside of ourselves and the experiences that result from our contact and
interaction with this external world.
➢ Maturation
➔ the natural progression of the brain and the body that affects the cognitive, psychological,
and social dimensions of a person. The influence of physical maturation over a person’s
development is most pronounced during his or her childhood and adolescent stages.
Is it Personality Development or Personal Development?
You must be familiar with the term personality development and must have heard of learning places
where you could enroll to learn skills like table etiquette, how to sit properly and walk with grace, how
to dress up appropriately and how to communicate better.
In some personality development centers, they also offer sessions that deal with oneself and how
one relates with others. Training in these skills brings about noticeable transformation and
improvement in one’s personality.
Personality development also includes image enhancement such as skin care and makeup, fashion
and clothing, and even body contouring; modeling and beauty pageants.
,What is Personal Development?
Personal development may be defined as a process in which persons reflect upon themselves,
understand who they are, accept what they discover about themselves, and learn (or unlearn) new
sets of values, attitudes, behavior, and thinking skills to reach their fullest potential as human beings.
Zorka Hereford (2007), author of the book, 9 Essential Life Skills – A Guide for Personal Development
and Self-Realization, defined personal development as “the process of striving to be the best that
you can be in order to reach and realize your full potential. It is a journey of self-discovery,
self-improvement, and self-realization."
Psychology and Personal Development
• Psychology, being the study of human thinking and behavior, serves as a foundation for personal
development.
• The school of thought that gave birth to the contemporary understanding of personal development
started during the flourishing of humanistic and positive psychology in the 1950s, which dealt with
personal growth and meaning as a way of reaching one’s fullest potential.
• The two proponents of humanistic psychology were Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.
• Abraham Maslow theorized the five stages of human development based on a hierarchy of needs.
• Carl Rogers, in his psychotherapy practice, theorized that “the individual has within himself the
capacity and the tendency to move forward toward maturity.”
, •Martin Seligman, a noted psychologist and president of the American Psychological Association,
realized how psychology, after the Second World War, puts more emphasis in diagnosing, treating,
and preventing psychological disorders and therefore focusing on a disease model of human nature.
• The 'disease model' or mental illness approach to psychology, which focuses on identifying what's
wrong with people, in order to 'fix' them
• Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi helped refocus this emphasis of psychology from a
disease model toward what is good and positive about human persons and their desire to achieve
their full potential.
• Positive psychology also created a balance between what humanistic psychology emphasized: that
human nature is basically good, while adding that human nature includes both the positive and the
negative aspects.
• The Positive Psychology Center of the University of Pennsylvania defines positive psychology as the
scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The
field is founded in the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what
is best within them, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.
Personal Development in Adolescence
• Adolescence is the transition period between childhood and early adulthood. Although, scientists
and psychologists may slightly differ in pegging the exact age of adolescence, it is widely believed to
be between ages 11 or 12, and lasting to about 18 years of age.
• In the Philippines context, authors Corpuz, Lucas, Borabo, and Lucido defined the three stages of
adolescence as:
➢ Early adolescence—between 10 and 13 years old
➢ Middle adolescence –between 14 and 16 years old
➢ Late adolescence – between 17 and 20 years old
• Adolescence starts with the biological changes called puberty.
• Biological changes bring about cognitive and affective changes.
• The child who has reached adolescence is now capable of reasoning about abstract concepts and
problems.
• At this point, the adolescent becomes more inquisitive about things
• This is also the stage when adolescents begin to ask questions about their identity.
• Relationships with family and friends are also affected by puberty during adolescence.
• Friends become the center of relationships more than family
GETTING TO KNOW ONESELF
Self-Concept
• Self-concept essentially refers to the way we think about ourselves, evaluate our appearance,
thoughts, and behaviors, and perceive ourselves both as individuals and in comparison to others.
• A popular definition is provided by Baumeister (1999): “The individual’s belief about himself or
herself, including the person’s attributes and who and what the self is.”
