Personal Growth Initiative in the Therapeutic Process: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Personal growth initiative (PGI), an individual's active and intentional engagement in the growth process, was originally developed as a potentially useful construct in therapy. Although it has repeatedly been related to psychological well-being and distress, few studies have examined PGI in clinical samples. The current study investigated the role of PGI in a sample of 295 clients at a community-serving training clinic. Data were collected at two time points. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a second-order model with four first-order PGI factors: Readiness for Change, Planfulness, Using Resources, and Intentional Behavior. Using cross-lagged panel analysis, PGI at Time 1 was found to predict psychological distress endorsed at Time 2 after accounting for distress at Time 1.

Personal Growth Initiative and Mental Health: A Meta‐Analysis

“…First, PGI was negatively related to distress and positively related to wellness, suggesting that higher levels of PGI may be useful in reducing distress and promoting wellness. This assertion fits with past research, which has found that clients who begin counseling with higher levels of PGI might use these skills during counseling with positive results (Weigold, Boyle, et al, 2018; see Robitschek et al, 2012). Two empirically based interventions have shown evidence for increasing PGI scores (Meyers et al, 2015; Thoen & Robitschek, 2013) and may be useful both in counseling and general outreach interventions.…”

“…PGI levels could indicate which clients are most ready to make use of the counseling process (Robitschek et al, 2012). Additionally, PGI levels have repeatedly been shown to increase during the course of counseling (Danitz et al, 2018; Robitschek et al, 2019; Weigold, Boyle, et al, 2018), suggesting that this is an optimum place for clients lower in PGI levels to learn how to actively engage in growth and, consequently, increase their wellness. However, the results of the wellness total score meta‐analysis indicate that it may be important to consider which PGI measure to use.…”

“…In the past few years, longitudinal studies on counseling clients have emerged, indicating that PGI affects functioning (Danitz et al, 2018; Robitschek et al, 2019; Weigold, Boyle, et al, 2018). For example, Danitz et al (2018) examined whether PGI related to mental health in clients in a partial hospital setting.…”

“…In addition to construct differences, sample differences may account for variability in research findings. Regarding populations, many of the studies on PGI have involved college students (see Weigold, Weigold, et al, 2018). This has also been the case in the general wellness counseling literature, with relatively few studies conducted using actual clients (Myers & Sweeney, 2008).…”

“…For example, studies examining differences in PGI scores between men and women, as well as the relationship between PGI and age, have yielded inconsistent results (e.g., Blackie et al, 2015; Robitschek et al, 2012; Weigold et al, 2014). Additionally, European Americans have evidenced lower PGI mean scores compared with African Americans and Latin Americans (Shigemoto et al, 2015; Weigold, Weigold, et al, 2018). Similarities and differences across demographic groups in terms of distress and wellness have been well studied, such as higher levels of depression among women than among men (Salk et al, 2017), the inconclusive nature of gender differences in wellness (Batz & Tay, 2018), greater levels of subjective well‐being in adolescents compared with adults in recent generations (Twenge et al, 2016), and differences in the prevalence and persistence of mental disorders based on race (McGuire & Miranda, 2008).…”