personal development
Let an agent explain personal development as a concept and field, relay psychological, educational and spiritual perspectives from academic sources with attribution, describe practices and the self-help industry neutrally, and distinguish personal development from therapy, formal education and career training.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain personal development as a concept and field, relay psychological, educational and spiritual perspectives from academic sources with attribution, describe practices and the self-help industry neutrally, and distinguish personal development from therapy, formal education and career training.
Activities and processes by which people develop their capabilities, awareness, identity and potential over the life course, encompassing cognitive development and identity formation studied in psychology, spiritual and religious development, reflective practices such as biography work, and applied fields such as coaching including sales coaching, training and self-help; personal development is pursued individually, in education and in workplaces, and its self-help industry is the subject of both enthusiasm and critique.
What it is for: Developing capabilities and identity.
It can be explain the concept; relay perspectives; describe practices and industry; distinguish related fields.
Distinguishing features
Lifelong
Self-directed and guided
Multiple dimensions
Commercial industry
What it looks like
Not a visible object; practices and processes.
Physical character
self-help market: tens of billions USD per year - estimates
key theorists: Erikson, Maslow, Rogers list
How it is recognised
Development of capabilities and identity
Cognitive development, identity formation, spiritual and religious development, biography work, coaching including sales coaching
Therapy treats disorders; formal education certifies; career training builds job skills
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - in registry terms
draws on - and humanistic psychology
is contrasted with - which treats disorders
In practice
Families and kinds
cognitive and psychological development including identity formation
spiritual and religious development
reflective practices such as biography work
coaching including life and sales coaching
self-help and personal growth movements
personal development in education and workplaces
Standards and regulation
Coaching accreditation bodies such as the ICF
Consumer protection against misleading self-help claims
No regulation of the concept
Failure modes and hazards
Unproven or exploitative programmes
Confusing personal development with therapy
Agents giving personal psychological advice
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What personal development is.
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is personal development, and how does it differ from therapy, formal education and career training? definition
- Is the question about the concept, a practice, a programme or a personal situation? boundary
Dimensions
Dimensions.
Dimensions
Dimensions.
- What are cognitive development, identity formation, spiritual and religious development and biography work? definition
- Which entry fits the specific dimension? action
Theory Theories.
Attribution.
Psychology
Psychology.
Psychology
Psychology.
- How do Erikson, Maslow, Rogers and later researchers explain development across the life course, with positions attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Spiritual
Spiritual and religious.
Spiritual
Spiritual.
- How do religious and spiritual traditions frame development, as they describe it? provenance
- Is the presentation respectful and attributed? boundary
Practice Practices and industry.
Attribution.
Coaching
Coaching.
Coaching
Coaching.
- What is coaching, including sales coaching, and what evidence supports it, with findings attributed? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Self-help
Self-help industry.
Self-help
Self-help.
- What is the self-help industry, and what critiques exist, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the user seeking personal help, which may need a qualified professional? boundary
Context Settings and history.
Context.
Settings
Education and work.
Settings
Settings.
- How is personal development built into schools, universities and workplaces? provenance
- Which entry fits professional development? action
History
History.
History
History.
- How did ideas of self-cultivation develop from ancient philosophy to modern movements? provenance
- Which entry fits the history of self-help? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should identity formation and coaching be separate primary entries?
- How should academic sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases from psychology, religion and sales; should they be split off?