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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 1–6Cite as

Personal Growth

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Synonyms

Eudaimonia; Flourishing; Fulfillment; Fully functioning; Individuation; Personal development; Self-actualization; Self-determination; Self-development; The good life; Virtues; Wisdom

Definition

The concept of personal growth has never been clearly defined but can roughly be related to the idea of a life span developmental process directed toward the goal of becoming a better person. Theories of personal growth are nonrelativistic in the sense that they see some developmental trajectories in life as better than others. The specification of what these changes consist of, or what makes them good, is, however, often ambiguous or controversial. One approach evaluates personal improvement against standards of well-being and quality of life, and this strategy has clear normative elements. Another approach follows a more descriptive path and considers growth as a sign of increased structural complexity and improved functionality.

Conceptualizations

To live means to move toward goals...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Joar Vittersø

  2. Mind, Innherredsveien 7, 7014, Trondheim, Norway

    Lisa Vivoll Straume

Authors
  1. Joar Vittersø
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  2. Lisa Vivoll Straume
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joar Vittersø .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Ilan Dar-Nimrod

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Vittersø, J., Straume, L.V. (2017). Personal Growth. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1492-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1492-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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