Development of "I". Equal ideas about themselves.

The system of psychological defenses of the "I" does not protect a person, but his inner world, self-image, preserves the stability of the components of the "I-concept".

Avoids or masters a threatening feeling - anxiety, sometimes grief or other disorganizing emotional experience. Maintains self-respect, supports a positive sense of one's own "I".

Each person prefers certain defenses that become an integral part of his individual style of dealing with difficulties. This automatic unconscious use of a certain protection or a set of protections is the result of a complex interaction of 4 factors (according to N. McWilliams):

innate temperament;
nature of stresses experienced in early childhood;
protections, whose role models (and sometimes conscious teachers) were parents or other significant figures;
consequences that were learned on the basis of one's own experience of using individual defenses (the theory of learning calls this the reinforcement effect; the psychodynamic approach - the unconscious choice of a person's favorite ways of overcoming difficulties).

There is an emotional level: the emotions and feelings you feel for yourself, whether you care about yourself or not (I love myself, I hate myself, I care about myself, I don't care about myself).

Rational level: your idea of yourself (I am sociable, I am beautiful, I am smooth, I am interesting)

Behavioral Level: comes from the two levels above. (If on an emotional level you love and respect yourself, on a rational level you consider yourself to be an interesting and knowledgeable person, then your behavior conveys confidence. On the contrary, when you hate yourself, you do not know who you are - your behavior conveys insecurity).

Emotional level:

Rational level:

Behavioral level:

Self-images are represented in the "I-concept", which includes not only the image of one's appearance, physical, mental, and moral characteristics, but also the attitude towards oneself as a whole or towards individual aspects of one's personality

Personality development can be passive and active. Passive growth involves alternating several stages of development from birth to old age in accordance with society's norms. That is, a person develops as much as the environment expects from him. He "correctly" goes through the stages of childhood, youth, youth, maturity, preparation for old age. In essence, with passive personality development, growth stops already at the stage of maturity, since qualitative changes in the personality, as a rule, occur in the periods of youth and youth (they contribute to the successful performance of life tasks). But there are people who supplement passive personality development with active growth, and at all stages of life, including maturity, and sometimes old age.

Active personality development occurs as a result of a person's personal initiative. If with passive growth intelligence grows naturally, "by itself", then with active growth a person has a desire, an idea, which is transformed into an intention, after which he sets goals for himself and engages in self-development, improvement of his own personality. He does it on his own or undergoes appropriate training, receives the education necessary to acquire certain skills.

Personal development always involves going beyond the comfort zone. In order to master new skills, you need to go through certain inconveniences, even the first steps of the baby do not come out right away. A person who strives for active development is ready to leave his comfort zone for the sake of self-improvement. Such a personality has its own characteristic features:

A large number of diverse desires.
Interest in many things.
Interest in own future.
The desire to make your future bright.
Seeing realistic perspectives.

People who strive for the development of their personality are considered psychologically healthy, they are in harmony with their "I" and can build their lives the way they want. Qualitative personality changes do not fall from the sky and do not spontaneously arise inside - they are created by teachers, coaches or the person himself, who decided to change himself and achieve a certain goal.