Personal Development In First Year Psychology Students

Abstract

First year at faculty means a new experience for young students with the purpose not only to help them acquire new information in their chosen field of specialization, but also developing skills to independently obtain and operate with it. In this paper we will present the experimentation of a personal development program using dramatization, role-play, relaxation and awareness techniques focused on enhancing socioemotional competencies. The practical objectives were to increase creative expression, the problem solving and interpersonal abilities, to support the awareness capacity resulting in more balanced emotional regulation, focused attention and self-assessment. The participants took part in more complex program preventing academic abandonment. The results showed changes concerning the motivation oriented towards relations. Students became more able to identify their personal needs and purposes, more relaxed, even-tempered, tolerant and sincere and they learnt to better co-operate in the group, to be more sensitive to other's needs and emotions, to trust each other in group activities. We consider these changes as real and significant personal resources able to stimulate and to guide the students' behavior toward action (including planning, organizing, carring out tasks) and goal achievement. A stronger intrinsic motivation would help students face the challenges they met in their academic development in a more adaptive manner and to view their academic progress from a more adequate perspective, one that has a very personal and unique relation to other aspects of their life (family, society, environment, spirituality.