Self-development, or personal development, covers all activities that one undertakes to improve one's life;

• improve one's awareness and identity,
• learning new skills, developing one's talents and potential,
• build human capital and facilitate employability,
• overcoming bad habits
• enhance the quality of life
• and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations.

Done propertly, self-development takes place over the course of a person's entire life.

Maslow's Hierarchy and Self-Actualisation

There are many ideas surrounding personal development, one of which is Abraham Maslow's process of self-actualisation. Maslow (1970) suggests that all individuals have an in-built need for personal development which occurs through a process called self-actualisation.

For Maslow, the path to self-actualisation involves being in touch with your feelings, experiencing life fully and with total concentration.

Further Reading

Personal Development ( Wikipedia )

Self-Development methods

Maslow, A. H. (1970), Motivation and Personality, (2nd Edition), Harper & Row, New York.

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