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Psychology

Research Program onPersonal Growth(Rev.11/06)"Our lives are shaped by our minds. We become what we think." –BuddhaWhat follows:Overview and theoretical backgroundFindings from my researchCurrent research and future directions OverviewMy work focuses on intentional self-development (that is, personal growth) and related processes of self-understanding. My research studies examine how people think about and plan their lives in relation to how their lives turn out. These studies address the questions: How do people...• guide the development of their own personality and life course?• create a richly meaningful life?• create a happy life?• transcend egotism? • deepen their self-understanding?• interpret their past (i.e., their memories)?• plan their future (i.e., their goals)?• make and adapt to major life transitions? Personal Growth and Scientific PsychologyNever in the course of human history have so many individuals had as much opportunity to shape their own lives as they do today. Yet the field of psychology has generated relatively little scientific understanding of this process. Psychology has historically viewed the individual's personality as created by forces outside the individual's intentions, namely nature (biology, genes) and nurture (family, peers, culture). However, a growing body of rigorous, empirical research is examining how the individual person can intentionally contribute to his or her own development. Personality Development: Toward happiness and richer meaning in lifePersonality can be said to develop along two broad paths (Bauer & McAdams, 2004a). One is more experiential, the other more cognitive.Experiential personality development involves how one experiences or emotionally interprets one's life. Examples of this phenomenon include levels of psychological well-being, happiness, and health. Theories of this kind of personality development are primarily concerned with how good one feels about the self in a world of others.Cognitive...