Personal Development Research Articles

Effect of engagement in personal growth initiative skills on depression, anxiety, and stress: Multilevel mediation analysis with intensive longitudinal data.

The current study examined the association between the possession of personal growth initiative (PGI) skills and symptoms of mental illness (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) and the potential mediating role of daily engagement of PGI skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants consisted of 73 individuals (Mage = 41.62, SDage = 12.44) who were recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Data for possessed PGI was collected in April 2020, and the daily survey started approximately 1 month later at the beginning of May 2020 for 29 days. Controlling for demographic variables, multilevel mediation models revealed significant association between PGI skills and PGI engagement. However, our hypothesized indirect effects were not found. When inspecting the direct effects controlling for the effect of PGI engagement and demographic variables, the paths between PGI skills and both depression and anxiety were negatively associated. When examining the effect of time, there were no significant changes during the period of 29 days in the levels of PGI skills among individuals. However, a significant fluctuation within individuals in how much participants have utilized PGI skills during the study period was found. The current study highlights the influence of PGI skills at both the between-individual as well as within-individual levels in predicting symptoms of mental illness, and it also uncovers the role of PGI skills by separating into general PGI skills and individual's daily engagement in utilizing the PGI skills in predicting symptoms of mental illness.

Research on Teaching Reform of Finance and Accounting Major in Colleges and Universities under the Integrated Mode of “Post Course Competition Certificate”

In recent years, with the government’s strong emphasis on vocational education and the in-depth promotion of the “post course competition certificate” integration model, the teaching reform of finance and accounting programs in colleges and universities has gained new development opportunities. This integrated teaching model, which aligns courses with job roles, combines course content with certification requirements and enhances learning through competitions, plays a crucial role in improving the quality of education. It not only enhances teaching effectiveness but also strengthens students’ professional skills and overall competence, meeting the demands of modern vocational education. Furthermore, it positively contributes to students’ personal development and broader societal progress. In this context, this paper explores the teaching reform of finance and accounting programs in colleges and universities under the “post course competition certificate” integration model, intending to provide insights for improving the quality of finance and accounting talent development.

Leveraging Islamic Social Finance for Fair and Sustainable Tertiary Education Funding for Orphans in Malaysia: Insights from Sri Lanka

The primary objective of this paper is to draw lessons from Sri Lanka's experience with OrphanCare utilizing Islamic social finance, while also identifying avenues through which Malaysia could establish a sustainable model for achieving a similar purpose. This study uses a qualitative, exploratory approach to investigate the operational framework of OrphanCare in Sri Lanka and its potential lessons for Malaysia. Due to limited secondary sources, an unstructured interview with OrphanCare representatives was conducted to gather in-depth insights. The research unfolds in two phases: first, data collection from both primary (interviews) and secondary (reports, literature) sources to identify gaps and challenges; and second, the analysis of this data using content analysis. The OrphanCare interview from Sri Lanka offers crucial insights for Malaysia's mission in enabling orphan access to higher education. Challenges, like financial constraints and limited support networks, align with Malaysia's inequality reduction goals. Tertiary education benefits, including employability and personal growth, are highlighted. Islamic social finance lessons stress its transformative potential, while collaboration and long-term commitment are its strengths. Recommendations include education funds, support networks, career guidance, awareness campaigns, and sustainable collaborations. A regulatory framework featuring the Orphans Education Fund with a 2% annual contribution from listed companies, managed by National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN), is proposed. This paper demonstrates originality by uniquely proposing the utilization of Islamic Social Finance to enhance orphan access to tertiary education. It draws insights from Sri Lanka's OrphanCare model and presents innovative strategies for Malaysia to tackle inequalities through collaborative efforts and a robust regulatory framework.

Mining User Reviews for Key Design Features in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Mobile Mental Health Apps.

Background: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based mobile apps have been shown to improve CBT-based interventions effectiveness. Despite the proliferation of these apps, user-centered guidelines pertaining to their design remain limited. The study aims to identify design features of CBT-based apps using online app reviews. Methods: We used 4- and 5-star reviews, preprocessed the reviews, and represented the reviews using word-level bigrams. Then, we leveraged latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) and visualization techniques using python library for interactive topic model visualization to analyze the review and identify design features that contribute to the success and effectiveness of the app. Results: A total of 24,902 reviews were analyzed. LDA optimization resulted in 86 topics that were labeled by two independent researchers, with an interrater Cohen's kappa value of 0.86. The labeling and grouping process resulted in a total of six main design features for effective CBT-based mobile apps, namely, mental health management and support, credibility support, self-understanding and personality insights, therapeutic approaches and tools, beneficial rescue sessions, and personal growth and development. Conclusions: The high-level design features identified in this study could evidently serve as the backbone of successful CBT-based mobile apps for mental health.

Tragic Optimism in 500 Days of Summer and Her: A Comparative Analysis

This article aims to investigate the portrayal of optimism in two modern films, Marc Webb’s 500 Days of Summer (2009) and Spike Jonzes’s Her (2013), using Viktor Frankl’s concept of optimism. The focus is on the characters’ quest for love and self-discovery in the midst of challenges and emotional turmoil. They present the idea of seeking purpose and personal development while experiencing highly complex emotions. Accordingly, this article scrutinises the storytelling techniques embedded in characters’ notions revealed through their progression in both films to display the intricacies of relationships in today’s world. Films play a role in deepening the grasp of the complicated themes of love, technology, and obsessive passion in today’s world, as well as shed light on persistent psychological challenges with modern ways of storytelling.

Constellation of the Five Constant Virtues in English Translations of <i>The Analects</i>

The five constant virtues (<i>rén</i>, <i>yì</i>, <i>lǐ</i>, <i>zhì</i>, and <i>xìn</i>) are central to Confucian philosophy and have grown in influence over time, shaping not only traditional moral teachings but also contemporary practices in business management and personal development. However, limited research has explored how these virtues are translated and conceptualized in English versions of <i>The Analects</i>. This study aims to address this gap by examining how the five constant virtues are formed, related, and legitimized across four major English translations, spanning different historical periods. To achieve this, a mixed-methods approach is employed, integrating both qualitative and quantitative analyses. First, a multi-parallel corpus is established, enabling a detailed quantitative examination of how the five constant virtues are expressed across different translations. This analysis highlights variations in the rendering of these key concepts in each text. In parallel, Legitimation Code Theory’s (LCT) constellation analysis is applied for the qualitative component of the study. This approach explores the relationships among the virtues and how translators have conceptualized and structured these interrelations. Results indicate a reduction in variation over time, suggesting a stabilization in how the virtues are conceptualized. While translations consistently represent simpler pairings of virtues, differences emerge when more complex constellations involving all five elements are considered. These findings reveal how philosophical perspectives and temporal contexts shape translation, impacting the way Confucian virtues are legitimized and structured.

Exploration of Student Experiences and Perceptions of Self and Peer: Implications for Tailoring Supports.

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students have reported learning new behaviors, enhanced self-awareness, and personal and professional growth during their first year of DPT school. The purpose of this study was to explore in greater depth, through semistructured interviews, the student perceptions of self-identity and social identity. Seventeen early second-year DPT students from 3 universities. This investigation is an extension of a larger multisite study. Qualitative interviews were employed to enable the use of a constructivist lens to explore the importance of personal context in participants' experiences during the first year of DPT school. Students across programs shared similar characteristics and experiences. Three themes emerged: DPT students share common perceptions of themselves and classmates; sociocultural experiences shaped their actions and perceptions of self; and students recognized the need to change to be successful. The voices of the older second-career students and racially minoritized students were uniquely different from other participants. Doctor of Physical Therapy student experiences are similar across programs except for older students and racially minoritized students. Early professional identity formation was noted as well. A richer understanding of the personal characteristics, influential sociocultural factors, and student perceptions of self and classmates could enable educators to customize supports and educational strategies to help students understand the role their past and present experiences play in shaping their professional identities.

Psychological basis of emotional and moral development of the personality. Part 1. Research problem of emotional and moral development of personality

Introduction. The relevance of the research problem lies in the fact that in psychological science some theorists involved in the study of emotions believe that the states of emotional experience are unchanged. Since the principles of immutability and constancy of emotional experience are crucial for understanding consciousness, an important type of which in humans are emotions, since they influence their perceptual and cognitive processes and behavior.Purpose setting. There are unique classes of emotional phenomena, such as mood, feelings, which manifest themselves in the general background of events and persist after their completion. It is precisely such background experiences that are the basis of the emotional assessments studied in this work. Moral and aesthetic experiences associated with art, human cognition through art, ensure his development as a subject of moral relations to other people and to himself, contribute to changes in his moral experience and personal (including emotional) characteristics.Methodology and methods of the study was carried out on the basis of the study of philosophical, sociological, psychological and pedagogical scientific and methodological literature, which made it possible to develop the concept of psychological foundations. Results. Our research is educational in the management of emotions and feelings. The dynamic development of the results of our study of the emotional states of a personality, its experiences according to the author’s methods in the form of keeping an emotional diary since 1997, contributing to the self-development of a personality as a component of personal maturity, is presented.Conclusion. The practical value of the research within the framework of general psychology lies not only in the fact that the main directions for optimizing the process of emotional and moral development of a personality are identified, recommendations are substantiated for improving the specialization of people working with children, improving their professional skills, but also in developing a program for the psychological study of emotional and moral personality development (EMPD), diagnostics of specific and nonspecific emotional phenomena, which ensures timely correction of the EMPD process. The data obtained can be taken into account in schools and universities in the process of forecasting the moral atmosphere among adolescents and students, as well as the moral atmosphere of society in general.

The Hidden Scopophilia in Wild (2014) and Its Contribution to Feminist Road Film

Abstract: The power of movie in portraying feminist women are incredible, especially when movie are viewed as a low threshold art form. As early as 1965, Russ Meyer directed a feminist road movie called Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Since then, the protagonists of road movies have a second gender besides males. After Thelma and Louise achieving great success in 1991, feminist road movies instantly became a craze, and many directors began making films with similar themes, such as Leaving Normal (1992) and Boys on the Side (1995). The film Wild (2014), directed by Jean-Marc Valle and written by Nick Hornby, based on the 2012 memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, focuses on the personal growth of woman in hiking. However, like many other feminist road movies, although the director tries to tell womens stories, create strong female character and reimagine story structure, but still maintains the pleasure of looking. This article starts with camera language analysis to interpret scopophilia and the to-be-looked-at-ness of female character wrapped in the innovative feminist stories and intentions.

First-Year College Students’ Meaning Making of the Pandemic’s Impacts on Their Academics

The deep reverberations that the COVID-19 pandemic had on adolescents will continue to resonate with them as they age and go to college. In this study, we explore how 70 first year college students make meaning of COVID-19’s impacts on their academic lives as they begin their post-secondary education. Based in a phenomenological approach to ecosystems theory, we interviewed students as they began college to ask about what their academics in high school were like, how they were experiencing the transition to college, and connections they did or did not draw between the two. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview data, producing five themes: schools and teachers responded well given the circumstances, but laid groundwork for academic struggles into the future; mental and emotional challenges related to the early pandemic affected learning and learning strategies; for some, academic struggles motivated personal growth; varied impacts meant greater challenges in the transition to college; and experiences informed thinking about future trajectories. These results demonstrate the need to attend not simply to static or quantitative measures of the pandemic’s impact on young people’s lives, but how they make meaning and respond as they develop.

Practical Research on the Work of College Counselors in the Internet Era

With the rapid development of modern technology, the internet and computers have been widely integrated into production and daily life. To achieve sustainable development goals and move towards diversification in the education sector, it is necessary to introduce modern educational concepts and work models. Counselors are an indispensable element in the work of college students. Traditional work models are no longer able to meet the personalized development needs of students and even seriously hinder the progress of the work. Counselors should transform their traditional work thinking, rely on internet technology to expand their work space, break the constraints of time and space, and provide objective conditions for exploring the future prospects of their work. In order to improve the overall efficiency of daily management work, counselors need to follow the trend of the times, seize the opportunities of the times under the premise of adhering to the laws of student development, and give full play to the advantages of internet technology applications to meet the diverse challenges of their work.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presentations among referrals to a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) inpatient unit in Ireland.

This retrospective chart review aimed to identify the intersection between young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)'s needs and CAMHS inpatient service needs. A retrospective chart review was conducted on all referrals to a CAMHS inpatient unit over three years (n = 352). Referrals which specified a formal diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of ASD were identified (n = 111), and basic demographic data were collected. Young people with either a formal or suspected diagnosis of ASD referred to the unit presented with a wide range of co-occurring conditions. Of these young people, 30 were admitted to the unit and only 6 of them were engaged with an ASD specialist service. Young people with diagnosed or suspected ASD were more likely to be admitted if they presented with suicidality. Males with diagnosed or suspected ASD were more likely to have a diagnosis of OCD while females with diagnosed or suspected ASD were more likely to present with eating and feeding disorders and personality development difficulties. Findings highlight the lack of a clear care pathway for young people with co-occurring autism or suspected autism and complex mental health problems.

Enhancing Cultural Intelligence and Global Competency in Marketing Education: a Comparison Between Study Abroad and Host Country Students

ABSTRACT A study abroad program offers numerous benefits and holds significant importance in a student’s educational and personal development. It offers a transformative and enriching experience that can positively impact a student’s personal, academic, and professional life. We propose a short-term study abroad and cultural exchange program where one of the main focuses is to create an opportunity for study abroad students to interact and collaborate with people from a different culture (host country students). American students spent 2 weeks with Thai students attending lectures, group discussions, and activities to learn about international marketing and sustainable tourism in Thailand. This study examines the effects of this program on student’s cultural intelligence, global competency, openness to diversity, and learning. It also compares the differences between these two groups to offer more insights. The results show that American study abroad students showed higher cultural intelligence, global competency, and openness to diversity after the program completion, whereas Thai host country students did not show any significant changes.

Dimensions of Job Demands Among New-Generation Employees Based on Online Reviews by Employees

Based on employees’ online reviews, this article analyzes the dimensions of job demand for new-generation employees, using a combination model of Latent Dirichlet Allocation, decision-making trials and evaluation laboratory, interpretative structural modeling, and cross-impact matrix multiplication (LDA—DEMATEL—ISM—MICMAC). The results show that job demand is composed of 10 dimensions, and there is significant interdependence between the dimensions. Changing one dimension will quickly affect the other dimensions. The dimension with the greatest influence degree is leadership and team atmosphere (s1), while the dimension with the highest affected degree and centrality degree is welfare and promotion (s3). Leadership and team atmosphere (s1), company culture and industry (s4), overall environment and platform (s5), and platform and technology (s7) were identified as the key factors. They play a causal role in job demand and have a significant impact on other dimensions. Dimensions such as working relationship and intensity (s2), welfare and promotion (s3), opportunity and resources (s6), business and industry development (s8), corporate prospects and personal development (s9), and work stress and position (s10) are affected by other dimensions and require special attention. The underlying need is present for the dimension of leadership and team atmosphere (s1), which has a direct or indirect impact on other dimensions in different ways.

Investigation of 3rd Grade Life Science Textbook Texts and Activities According to Lipman's Critical Thinking Theory

Aim: Individuals need to have a philosophical critical thinking skill in order to have a reasonable approach to the situations and events they will encounter throughout their lives and to benefit themselves and the society Philosophical critical thinking is a process that enhances individuals' capacity to interrogate, analyse, and assess. In this regard, an inquisitive critical approach acquired at an early age makes important contributions to personality development. The current study aims to examine the text and activity contents in the 3rd grade Life Science textbook according to Matthew Lipman's critical thinking theory. Methodology: Methodologically, document analysis was used in the study. In the 3rd grade Life Science textbook, the main approach in the data on text contents, activity questions and statements are that the statements have both a philosophical and critical meaning. The relevant data were analyzed according to the categories in Lipman's critical thinking approach and presented in tables. Findings: The findings revealed that the questions and statements that meet Lipman's critical thinking categories were insufficient. While the expressions among the categories were predominantly judgment formation and being criterion/measure based, the least common categories were context sensitivity and self-correction. Highlights: In this context, it is essential to consider the developmental stages of primary education students and contemporary educational requirements, while integrating a philosophical critical thinking approach more thoroughly into the curriculum and practices to foster an active and inquisitive student personality.

A South African view of youth entrepreneurship in the epoch of digital transformation. A review of the book “Practical tools for youth entrepreneurs” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024)

The importance of youth entrepreneurship in the context of digital transformation makes it relevant to study its development. The article is a review of a new book on the promotion and support of young and aspiring entrepreneurs in the South African Republic. The book is characterized by novelty of views and considerable informative content. It is organized into three main parts comprising 9 chapters. Issues related to the conceptual vision of youth entrepreneurship and a large-scale initiative that was specifically designed and then piloted in the South African Republic to stimulate related activities have been addressed. The author of the peer-reviewed book emphasizes the importance of the university environment and the mechanisms formed in it, on the one hand, and entrepreneurs’ personal development, on the other. Recommendations on finding sources of funding and working with potential consumers of innovative products and services have been given. The book is written in lucid language, which is characteristic rather for educational literature, and is well illustrated. It is found to contain various references to digital transformation, and governance is considered in relation to both entrepreneurial firms created by entrepreneurs and youth entrepreneurship incentive schemes in general. The book contains interesting (including pedagogical) information that will also be useful to consider when establishing cooperation among the BRICS countries.

Социально-культурная сфера русского мира. Междисциплинарный подход

The article is a continuation of fundamental research of the Russian world. This paper presents the development of the fluctuation “core” of the socio-cultural sphere of the organizational and managerial system of the Russian world. Based on the synthesis of beatitudes, gifts and fruits from the Holy Scriptures related to the ideal world, the spiritual and moral values of the material world are compared by the method of parallelism. As a result, a conceptual model of the progressive process of personal and social development on the path to truth has been developed. In the future, the model was verified with the principles of acmeology, praxiology, compliance with goals and objectives, systems of “God-manhood” and “unity”. In this regard, the work used an interdisciplinary approach, which synthesized the ideas of Russian religious philosophy, theology and modern achievements of the science of personal and social development. Consequently, a conceptual model of the socio-cultural phenomenon of Russian civilization has emerged, asserting its distinctive identity in the context of inter-civilizational dialogue.

Knowing, Being and Becoming a Person-Centred Nurse Leader: Findings from a Transformative Professional Development Programme.

Background/Objectives Leadership is central to the development of effective workplace cultures and as such should be viewed as a practice that is relational, exercised through a process of mutual and reciprocal influence. Person-centred leadership is an approach to leadership that supports a way of being that is authentic, prioritising values lived out in action. However, there is an increasing recognition that leadership development has not been impactful in relation to workplace culture. This paper reports on the ongoing evaluation of an innovative development programme (Queen's Nurse Development Programme), the overall aim of which was to illuminate the participants' experiences of engaging in transformative learning and development and identify the technical and transformative outcomes arising. The programme focused on developing leadership capacity for societal change and maximising the health impact of community nursing leaders. Methods The methodological framework for evaluation was underpinned by a Collaborative Critical Creative Inquiry. Twenty community nurses were selected to undertake the programme during 2020. The collection and analysis of data was consistent with the Collaborative Critical Creative Inquiry and was conducted as a one-day workshop, with participants engaged in a cycle of creative hermeneutic analysis. Results A total of seven themes were identified, including: sense of belonging; personal growth; developing new skills; finding voice; importance of self-care; and creating a safe place. This illuminated how the transformative learning and development processes within this programme were experienced and how these enabled participants to explore how they influence their practice and workplace. It is the journey with self that generates a sense of belonging and enables personal growth and the ability to care for self and others. Conclusions The key learning from this innovative development programme is the importance of focusing on the attributes of practitioners and the key building blocks for knowing, being, and becoming a person-centred practitioner.

Bridging Experiential Learning and Spiritual Wisdom: Integrating Kolb’s Cycle with the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism

Purpose. This study aims to explore the potential integration of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle with the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism to offer a comprehensive framework for personal growth and transformation. Methodology. A qualitative analysis was conducted, drawing on existing literature on Kolb's learning theory and Buddhist philosophy. The study focused on identifying parallels and synergies between Kolb's four-stage learning cycle and the Four Noble Truths, elucidating how their integration could enhance understanding and application of spiritual principles in daily life. Results. The analysis revealed significant alignment between Kolb's cycle and the Four Noble Truths. Reflective observation corresponds to the acknowledgment of suffering (First Noble Truth), the identification of its causes (Second Noble Truth). Abstract conceptualization mirrors the understanding of the cessation of suffering (Third Noble Truth) through wisdom and insight into the nature of existence. Active experimentation resonates with the Noble Eightfold Path (Fourth Noble Truth), emphasizing the practical application of ethical conduct, mental cultivation, and wisdom development to alleviate suffering. The integration of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle with the Four Noble Truths offers a holistic approach to personal growth and transformation. By combining experiential learning with spiritual wisdom, individuals gain a deeper understanding of the causes of suffering and the path to liberation. This integrated framework provides a structured methodology for cultivating resilience, wisdom, and compassion in daily life, fostering holistic development and contributing to greater well-being and fulfillment. Conclusion. Further research and practical application of this framework holds promise for enhancing individual and collective flourishing in diverse cultural and educational contexts.

Organizational Strategies for Providing Foreign Language Education Services to Adults Over 45: International Practices and Approaches

Organizing educational services for people over the age of 45 is essential for their personal development, economic participation, social inclusion, and mental well-being. International and local legislation supports these initiatives, aiming to provide equitable and inclusive educational opportunities for all ages and to use the benefits of these people being fruitfully involved in the economic and social life of a country. The article aims to examine the strategies for providing educational services to adult learners (citizens over the age of 45) in different countries (European countries, the USA, Australia, China, Ukraine, Brazil, and Japan), with a focus on whether this process is integrated into social services and formal and informal education systems within the framework of the concept of lifelong learning. The methods included literature review on databases such as Google Scholar, JSTOR, and ERIC; comparative analysis of educational policy documents; case studies and reports from different nations; meta-analysis; field observations; and others typical to the field of comparative education and general education. They were utilized to provide a comprehensive and well-rounded analysis of how different countries organize and implement foreign language education services for adults over the age of 45. The findings reveal that the approaches to providing foreign language education for adults over 45 varies widely across different countries, reflecting each nation's unique historical traditions, cultural values, and current societal needs. This diversity in practice can be categorized into four main groups: services provided by social services; formal education systems; informal education systems; and self-organized services to present the prevailing approach to providing foreign language education for individuals over 45 in each country. The study concludes that the provision of foreign language learning services for individuals over 45 varies significantly across countries, reflecting diverse historical traditions, cultural attitudes, and current needs. Whether through social services, formal education systems, informal educational channels, or self-organization, each country’s approach highlights the importance of adapting educational services to meet the needs of an adult population seeking continued personal and professional growth.