HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
AND PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Personal Development or Self Development is a process of discovering oneself by realizing one’s
potentials and capabilities that are shaped over time either by studying in a formal school or
through by environmental factors.
Concept of understanding oneself from famous
men's in the past
Socrates – an unexamined life is not worth living
Aristotle - knowing yourself is the beginning of all
wisdom.
Passion
Feelings
Identity
Interest
Intellect
Developmental scientist identified the three aspects or domains of
human development (Papalia & Feldman, 2012) as:
1. Physical development, which covers the growth of the body
and the brain, motor and sensory skills, and even physical health;
2. Cognitive development, which covers our capacity to learn,
to speak, to understand, to reason, and to create; and
3. Psychosocial development, which 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:
Heredity or the inborn traits passed on by the generations of
offspring’s from both sides of the biological parents families.
Environment is the world outside of ourselves and the
experiences that result from our contact and interaction with this
external world.
Maturation is the natural progression of the brain and the body
that affects the cognitive (thinking and intelligence), psychological (
emotion. Attitude, and self-identity), and social (relationship)
dimension of a person. The influence of physical maturation over a
person’s development is most pronounced during his or her
childhood and adolescence stages.
What is Personal Development?
Human beings have the sole capacity to reflect upon itself,
and in the process, develop self-awareness, become
motivated, and then desire to grow and change for the better;
and are prompted to mature and improve until it reaches its desired
level of development. It is therefore, natural for human beings to
develop toward maturity and fullness (Rogers, 1961)
Personal development maybe defined as a process in which
persons reflect upon themselves, understand who they are,
accept what they discover about themselves, and learn and
thinking skills to reach their fullest potential as human
beings.
Origins of Personal Development
The evolution of the understanding of human development may have
started eons ago when the first Homo sapiens walked the face of the earth. The
cavemen who drew figures on their cave walls attempted to narrate their
experiences such as hunting. The act of drawing can be deemed as an attempt
toward creative expression and narration. It was during the time of the Western
philosophers, particularly the Greek thinkers, when questions about the self and
about being human begun to be asked. In Republic, which some consider to be the
greatest work on the philosophy of education, Plato argued that building
character, as much as intelligence, is what education is all about. Even
during the early times of human development and civilization, there was already an
attempt to link individual development with social responsibility. Eastern, thought may
have understood personal development through another concept. In Confucian
philosophy, the great Chinese being will always desire to become the
“superior man” not just to his peers and followers, but also to himself
most especially.
LAO TZU
Knowing others is intelligent
Knowing yourself is true wisdom
Mastering others is strength
Mastering yourself is true power
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 1950’s which dealt with personal growth and meaning as a way of
reaching one’s fullest potentials.
The two proponents of humanistic psychology were Abraham Maslow and
Carl Rogers. While Maslow theorized the five stages of human
development based on hierarchy needs, peaking in what he termed as “
self-actualization” Carl Rogers, in his psychotherapy practiced, theorized
that “ the individual has within himself the capacity and the tendency,
latent if not evident, to move forward toward maturity” ( Rogers
1961).
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to Theorize the Five Stages of Human
Development
Personal Development in Adolescence
While personal development falls within the realm of psychology, it
cannot be detached from the development of the brain and the rest of
the physical body.
Adolescence is the transition period between childhood and early
adulthood. Although scientist and psychologist may slightly differ in
pegging the exact age of adolescence, it is widely believed to be between
ages 11 or 12, and lasting about 18 years of age. (Feist & Rosenberg,
2012).
In the Philippine context, authors Corpuz, Lucas, Borabo, and Lucido
(2010) defined the three stages of adolescence as:
• Early adolescence – between 10 and 13 years of age
• Middle adolescence – between 14 and 16 years of age
• Late adolescence – between 17 and 20 years of age
Adolescence starts with the biological changes called puberty. The
physical body undergoes growth at this time, for both male and female,
leading towards physical maturity.
Biological changes bring about cognitive (thinking and reasoning) and
affective ( feelings and emotions) changes. The child, who has reached
adolescence, is now capable of reasoning about abstract concepts and
problems. At this point, the adolescent become more inquisitive about
things like philosophy, religion and politics. This is also the stage when
adolescents begin to ask questions about their identity. Relationship
with family and friends are also affected by puberty during adolescence.
Friends become the center of relationship more than family ( Feist &
Rosenberg, 2012).
Spirituality and Religious Beliefs in Personal Development
As we have discussed personal development in the psychological, social
and biological contexts, it is also important to consider the spirituality
and religious beliefs of a person, and how these influence personal
development. Feist and Rosenberg (2012) infer that during
adolescence, young people will start asking about abstract questions,
like about politics or religion, and eventually form their own beliefs.
This refection is left to the student to find out how his or her religious
beliefs influence one’s identity development and understanding
personal development. Personal development maybe approached from
different religious perspectives: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam,
and Judaism, among others, whose teachings may serve as the core or
basis in developing one’s self.
