Personal growth initiative and mental health

Weigold, Ingrid K.; Joyce, Nicholas R.; Spieth, Russell E.; Russell, Elizabeth J.; Kimbrell, Megan T.

doi:10.1037/e612202010-001

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Thus, our findings replicate prior research that PGI is useful in capturing an important personality construct implicated in the process underlying the decision to seek mental health care (Danitz et al, 2018; Robitschek & Hershberger, 2005; Robitschek et al, 2019; Weigold et al, 2018). Specifically—and novel to the present study—our results suggest that a person’s intentions to seek mental health care may be explained more fully by considering the role of PGI, or a “skill set consisting of cognitive … and behavioral … components related to active and intentional growth” (Robitschek et al, 2012; Weigold et al, 2020, p. 376).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Personal growth initiative (PGI) reflects the degree to which a person is actively engaged in positive self-change: it includes cognitive factors (e.g., awareness of need for change and knowledge of how to move toward growth) and behavioral components (e.g., ability to initiate and maintain change-directed behavior; Robitschek, 1998; Robitschek et al, 2012). Research has documented a positive relationship between PGI, a sense of self-efficacy, internal locus of control, and satisfaction with life (Robitschek & Keyes, 2009; Weigold et al, 2014; for a meta-analysis, see Weigold et al, 2020). Higher levels of PGI are also related to personal commitment to developing a positive sense-of-self (Luyckx & Robitschek, 2014), a process and outcome intrinstic to pursuing mental health care.…”

Section: Personal Growth Initiativementioning

confidence: 99%

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Personal growth initiative, mental health stigma, and intentions to seek professional psychological help: A model extension.

Seidman¹,

Crick²,

Wade³

2022

Stigma and Health

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The public and self-stigmas of seeking psychological help are well-known barriers which prevent people from seeking mental health care. However, little consideration has been given regarding if, and to what extent, there is an incremental role of personality factors on the development of a person's attitudes and intentions toward seeking professional psychological help. Thus, there is a clear gap in the theoretical and quantitative understanding of the help-seeking process. Personal growth initiative (PGI), which captures a person's ability to identify areas for change and initiate growth, is a modifiable characterological orientation that may offer novel insight into the process underlying the decision to seek mental health care, which is instrinically characterized by its momentum toward positive self-change. Therefore, the present study sought to expand upon an established model of stigma and help-seeking variables by testing the incremental and predictive utility of PGI. Using structural equation modeling among a sample of college students, 70% of whom reported clinically relevant levels of interpersonal problems, we modeled the relationships among PGI and four well-researched help-seeking variables-public stigma, self-stigma, attitudes toward mental health care, and intentions to seek mental health care-after controlling for severity of interpersonal problems. Our study provides evidence for PGI as a unique predictor of lower self-stigma and increased help-seeking intentions above and beyond the other variables in the model. We discuss potential implications and the need for further research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Personal Growth Initiativementioning

confidence: 99%

Personal growth initiative, mental health stigma, and intentions to seek professional psychological help: A model extension.

Seidman¹,

Crick²,

Wade³

2022

Stigma and Health

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“…This study finds that vocational identity mediates the relationship between personal growth initiative and occupational engagement. The possible reason for this is that individuals with higher personal growth initiative tend to acquire career-related information and make positive self-change to further integrate career information with the self as a way to promote their vocational identity ( Weigold et al, 2020 ; Kim et al, 2021 ). Moreover, individuals with higher levels of vocational identity have a better understanding of their career development needs ( Diemer and Blustein, 2007 ), and are consequently able to make more appropriate and extensive occupational engagement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of personal growth initiative on occupational engagement of college students in the uncertain social context: A cross-lagged model and a moderated mediation model

et al. 2022

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In recent years, the international social context has become increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA), and college students need a high level of long-term occupational engagement to cope with the unpredictability of the current employment environment. In this context, this study used a longitudinal design to explore the relationship between personal growth initiative and occupational engagement among college students and, based on this, further explored the role of vocational identity and Big Five personality traits in it. This study used a questionnaire survey method and the study participants were 700 college students in Shandong, China. And the time interval between the two questionnaire measurements was 4 months, with 559 final valid participants (182 males and 377 females). The following results were found in this study: (1) The cross-lagged model found that personal growth initiative was a significant positive predictor of occupational engagement. (2) The moderated mediation model found that vocational identity mediated the relationship between personal growth initiative and occupational engagement, and that neuroticism among the Big Five personality traits played a moderating role, i.e., individuals with higher level of neuroticism personality trait had a relatively weaker positive predictive effect of vocational identity on occupational engagement. This study concludes that colleges and universities need to understand students’ interests and personality traits and provide more targeted career education (e.g., intentional growth training and cognitive behavioral therapy) to promote their personal growth initiatives, reduce their neuroticism levels and in turn enhance their vocational identity in order to help college students achieve long-term sustainable occupational engagement in the uncertain social context.

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“…Participants filled out the survey that contained questions regarding their ability to grow as a person, i.e., personal growth initiative (Robitschek, 1998). An extensive meta-analysis (Weigold et al, 2020) on the correlates of PGI shows in various clinical, education, and performance-related settings, significant correlations between the construct and reduced reduce distress and enhanced wellbeing in response to stressful and potentially traumatic events. We also measured emotional stability and relatedness to others using an adapted version of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) developed by Goodman (2001).…”

Section: Study 1: First Meeting Seriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discover Your Inner Strength: A Positive Psychological Approach to Bolster Resilience and Address Radicalization

Dechesne

Ahajjaj

2021

Front. Psychol.

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The article reports initial attempts to evaluate a new positive psychological approach to bolster resilience among Muslims in the Netherlands. The approach uses Quranic texts and principles from mental contrasting and implementation intentions (MCII) to encourage Muslims in the Netherlands to reflect in groups on appropriate responses to challenges they are facing. The participants are inspired by Quranic texts and encouraged to write responses to specific challenges in the form of IF-THEN rules and to practice these IF-THEN rules for several weeks. Two studies indicate that this approach increases personal growth initiative. The implications of these findings for the MCII literature and prevention/countering violent extremism are discussed.

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Personal growth initiative and mental health

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Personal growth initiative, mental health stigma, and intentions to seek professional psychological help: A model extension.

Personal growth initiative, mental health stigma, and intentions to seek professional psychological help: A model extension.

Effects of personal growth initiative on occupational engagement of college students in the uncertain social context: A cross-lagged model and a moderated mediation model

Discover Your Inner Strength: A Positive Psychological Approach to Bolster Resilience and Address Radicalization

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