Home — Essay Samples — Psychology — Maturity — Emotional Maturity and Emotional Stability

test_template

Emotional Maturity and Emotional Stability

  • Categories: Maturity Personality

About this sample

close

Words: 2215 |

12 min read

Published: Jun 5, 2019

Words: 2215 | Pages: 5 | 12 min read

Works Cited

  • Kaur, S., & Singh, A. (2014). Emotional Maturity and Academic Achievement among Adolescents. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 40(1), 87-93.
  • Mauser, G. A., et al. (1984). The relationship of parent-adolescent interaction to academic achievement. Adolescence, 19(73), 257-267.
  • Eccles, J. S., et al. (1991). The relation of parenting style to adolescent school performance. Child Development, 62(5), 1265-1281.
  • Allison, S. T., & Sabatelli, R. M. (1988). Differentiation and self-esteem among early adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 17(3), 233-251.
  • Douvan, E., & Adelson, J. (1966). The adolescent experience. John Wiley & Sons.
  • Steinberg, L., & Silverberg, S. B. (1986). The vicissitudes of autonomy in early adolescence. Child Development, 57(4), 841-851.
  • Hangel Suneetha et al. (2007). The Effect of Working Mothers on Child's Emotional Maturity and Achievement Orientation. Indian Journal of Psychological Science, 2(1), 11-17.
  • Aggarwal, J. C. (2007). Social Maturity of Adolescents: A Study of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Variables. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 33(1), 13-21.
  • Rani Swarupa & C.R. Prabha (2008). A Comparative Study of Social Maturity among Boys and Girls. Indian Journal of Psychological Science, 3(1), 75-79.
  • Lekhi, V. (2005). Emotional Maturity and Emotional Intelligence among Rural and Urban Adolescents. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 31(1), 39-46.

Image of Dr. Oliver Johnson

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

  • 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
  • Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

author

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

  • Expert in: Psychology Life

writer

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

4 pages / 1729 words

2 pages / 944 words

6 pages / 2583 words

3 pages / 1152 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Emotional Maturity and Emotional Stability Essay

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Maturity

Transitioning from adolescence to adulthood is a complex and transformative journey that marks a pivotal phase of personal development. This essay delves into the multifaceted process of transitioning from adolescence to [...]

The question of when an individual truly becomes an adult is a topic of ongoing debate and contemplation. This essay delves into the complex and multifaceted nature of adulthood, exploring the various factors that contribute to [...]

Maturity, a concept central to personal development, is a multifaceted construct that encompasses various emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions. This essay explores the complexity of maturity, beyond chronological age, [...]

“Who is to say who is the villain and who is the hero? Probably the dictionary.” - Joss Whedon Although the line between what makes a hero can become blurred, the basic traits of a hero remain the same for the most [...]

People will always revert to what is most comfortable, reliant on their natural state. In Celeste Ng’s coming of age short story, “Girls, At Play”, the debate of nurture versus nature lies in the struggles between four girls. [...]

Most literary representations of the sexes include implicit and binary differences between women and men. Women are typically written as pure archetypes who strive to find constancy in their relationships. In contrast, men as [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

  • Instructions Followed To The Letter
  • Deadlines Met At Every Stage
  • Unique And Plagiarism Free

personal essay about maturity

Become a Writer Today

Essays About Personal Growth: Top 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

If you’re writing essays about personal growth, our guide’s article examples and prompts will help stimulate your creative thinking.

Personal growth is looking at ways to improve yourself mentally, socially, spiritually, emotionally or physically. It is a process where we envision a better version of ourselves and strive to realize that ideal self. Personal growth demands the setting of personal goals and ensuring routine progress. The work toward personal development involves a great deal of hard work and discipline as we push our existing skills and strengths to a higher boundary while reducing our underlying weaknesses.  

Read our essay examples and prompts below to help you produce a rich and creative essay about personal growth.

5 Essay Examples About Personal Growth

1. is it really too late to learn new skills by margaret talbot, 2. i’ve completed hundreds of 30-day challenges. here’s what i’ve learned by tara nicholle-nelson, 3. i was a self-help guru. here’s why you shouldn’t listen to people like me by michelle goodman, 4. how to craft a personal development plan that inspires meaningful results by scott jeffrey, 5. personal development and the power of feedback by emily marsh, 10 prompts on essays about personal growth, 1. why is personal growth important, 2. take up a personal growth challenge, 3. your personal growth journey, 4. personal growth among successful people, 5. personal growth for leaders , 6. personal growth at work, 7. best personal growth books, 8. strong motivation for achieving personal growth.

“… [H]e decides to throw himself into acquiring five new skills. (That’s his term, though I started to think of these skills as “accomplishments” in the way that marriageable Jane Austen heroines have them, talents that make a long evening pass more agreeably, that can turn a person into more engaging company, for herself as much as for others.)

Learning new things may not be a cup of tea for those in their middle ages. To get out of established expertise, be looked down on as a novice, and push the brain to work double time may even be a dreary and intimidating process. , But Journalist Tom Vanderbilt, award-winning writers, and Nobel Prize recipients prove that satisfaction is worth it for personal growth and fulfillment. 

“I think of Challenges as self-directed projects to change my behavior or spark some personal growth or development I’m clear that I’d like to have. Sometimes I want a mindset shift or want to make (or break) a habit, or I just have a sort of big project I want to sprint to finish…”

Why are we so drawn to self-imposed challenges? For one, it’s a competition only between you and yourself, giving room for flexibility in the rules you set. It provides structure to your goals, chunks your bigger long-term self-growth goals into gradual and doable daily tasks, provokes a sense of self-accountability, and helps you focus your energy on what matters most. 

“Apparently, I learned, gurus are people too, even gurus lining the self-help shelves of friendly neighborhood bookstores. They aren’t infallible, all-knowing oracles above worrying about their generous muffin top or widening backside. They are businesspeople — businesspeople with books, keynotes, and openings in their consulting practice to peddle”

From abhorring gurus to becoming one and then hating the industry much more — this is the story of a self-help book author who realizes it was herself who needed the most advice for personal growth. But, as she creates a facade of a well-balanced life to establish her credibility, things turn dark, almost costing her life. 

“When entertainment, distraction, and workaholism consume our attention, something doesn’t feel right within us… To have a full and meaningful life requires us to open to more dimensions of ourselves. And a Personal Development Plan can help us do just that.”

Everyone strives for personal growth. But once we jump at it, some wrong ingredients may spoil the sense of fulfillment we expect. The right process involves navigating your potential, creating a larger vision, selecting areas to focus on, setting your schedule, and monitoring your progress. You might also be interested in these essays about motivation .

“Without feedback, we would learn very little about ourselves, in or out of work. The feedback process is like holding a mirror up to yourself; that’s why it can be uncomfortable at times. You have to be prepared to listen to and acknowledge whatever reveals itself.”

Hearing feedback is critical to personal growth. Negative feedback is constructive in losing our bad habits. However, purely positive feedback is non-progressive and dangerous if we only seek to affirm how we regard ourselves.

We can never be perfect. But we can always progress. In your essay, explain why nurturing a growth mindset in life is essential. What long-term benefits can you reap daily from wanting to be a better person? How does it affect the mind, body, and overall wellness? Answer these while citing studies that outline the essence of personal growth.

Essays About Personal Growth: Take up a personal growth challenge

Take up any challenge you find exciting and feel up to. Then, write about your experience. If successful, offer tips to your readers on how one can prepare their body, mind, and discipline to stick to the goals. If you did not complete the challenge, don’t worry! Your failure can still be a learning experience that contributes to personal growth and is worth writing about. In addition, you can add what areas of yourself you would like to improve on if you ever take up the challenge again. 

Talk about your goals and your daily efforts to reach this goal. It could relate to acing a test, your sports team winning or professional success. Of course, there will be a handful of challenges in any journey toward a goal. What were the obstacles and distractions that tried to keep you off track? Share these with your readers and how you strived or are striving to conquer them.

When you see people already at the height of their careers, you’ll find some continuing to walk out of their comfort zones and reach for the next higher mountain. For this essay, explain the connection between striving for personal growth and success. Then, provide a list of everyday habits among successful people that others could consider adopting.

Leaders must adapt and address problems efficiently and decisively as they move through a fast-changing landscape. Elaborate on how the pursuit of personal growth helps leaders deliver in their enormous role in organizations, companies, and communities.

If you firmly believe that growth at work translates to personal growth, it would be less hard for you to get by at work. But this gets a bit more complex if your feel that your work is no longer satisfying your self-actualization needs and even limiting you. For this prompt, help your readers determine if it’s time to quit their job and continue their journey for personal growth elsewhere. If you want to address companies, offer recommendations enabling their employees to grow and have a vision for themselves. You may also suggest how managers can keep an open line of communication so that personnel can relay their self-development needs.

Essays About Personal Growth: Best personal growth books

We all have that book that has given us a new kind of energy that made us feel and believe we can do anything if we put our heart into it. We keep these books close to our hearts, serving as a reminder of other bigger goals ahead of us when the going gets tough. Create a numbered list of the books that have captivated you and helped you realize your potential. Talk about the best quotes that struck the chord and the thought racing in your mind while reading them.

When you tap onto your inherent and external motivation for a much-needed push, it may be easier to turn bad moments into something that helps advance personal development plans. For your essay, explain how motivation can be a bridge to get you to your growth goals.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

For help with this topic, read our guide explaining what is persuasive writing ?

personal essay about maturity

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

View all posts

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Duke University

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

personal essay about maturity

10 Personal Statement Essay Examples That Worked

What’s covered:, what is a personal statement.

  • Essay 1: Summer Program
  • Essay 2: Being Bangladeshi-American
  • Essay 3: Why Medicine
  • Essay 4: Love of Writing
  • Essay 5: Starting a Fire
  • Essay 6: Dedicating a Track
  • Essay 7: Body Image and Eating Disorders
  • Essay 8: Becoming a Coach
  • Essay 9: Eritrea
  • Essay 10: Journaling
  • Is Your Personal Statement Strong Enough?

Your personal statement is any essay that you must write for your main application, such as the Common App Essay , University of California Essays , or Coalition Application Essay . This type of essay focuses on your unique experiences, ideas, or beliefs that may not be discussed throughout the rest of your application. This essay should be an opportunity for the admissions officers to get to know you better and give them a glimpse into who you really are.

In this post, we will share 10 different personal statements that were all written by real students. We will also provide commentary on what each essay did well and where there is room for improvement, so you can make your personal statement as strong as possible!

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Personal Statement Examples

Essay example #1: exchange program.

The twisting roads, ornate mosaics, and fragrant scent of freshly ground spices had been so foreign at first. Now in my fifth week of the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco, I felt more comfortable in the city. With a bag full of pastries from the market, I navigated to a bus stop, paid the fare, and began the trip back to my host family’s house. It was hard to believe that only a few years earlier my mom was worried about letting me travel around my home city on my own, let alone a place that I had only lived in for a few weeks. While I had been on a journey towards self-sufficiency and independence for a few years now, it was Morocco that pushed me to become the confident, self-reflective person that I am today.

As a child, my parents pressured me to achieve perfect grades, master my swim strokes, and discover interesting hobbies like playing the oboe and learning to pick locks. I felt compelled to live my life according to their wishes. Of course, this pressure was not a wholly negative factor in my life –– you might even call it support. However, the constant presence of my parents’ hopes for me overcame my own sense of desire and led me to become quite dependent on them. I pushed myself to get straight A’s, complied with years of oboe lessons, and dutifully attended hours of swim practice after school. Despite all these achievements, I felt like I had no sense of self beyond my drive for success. I had always been expected to succeed on the path they had defined. However, this path was interrupted seven years after my parents’ divorce when my dad moved across the country to Oregon.

I missed my dad’s close presence, but I loved my new sense of freedom. My parents’ separation allowed me the space to explore my own strengths and interests as each of them became individually busier. As early as middle school, I was riding the light rail train by myself, reading maps to get myself home, and applying to special academic programs without urging from my parents. Even as I took more initiatives on my own, my parents both continued to see me as somewhat immature. All of that changed three years ago, when I applied and was accepted to the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco. I would be studying Arabic and learning my way around the city of Marrakesh. Although I think my parents were a little surprised when I told them my news, the addition of a fully-funded scholarship convinced them to let me go.

I lived with a host family in Marrakesh and learned that they, too, had high expectations for me. I didn’t know a word of Arabic, and although my host parents and one brother spoke good English, they knew I was there to learn. If I messed up, they patiently corrected me but refused to let me fall into the easy pattern of speaking English just as I did at home. Just as I had when I was younger, I felt pressured and stressed about meeting their expectations. However, one day, as I strolled through the bustling market square after successfully bargaining with one of the street vendors, I realized my mistake. My host family wasn’t being unfair by making me fumble through Arabic. I had applied for this trip, and I had committed to the intensive language study. My host family’s rules about speaking Arabic at home had not been to fulfill their expectations for me, but to help me fulfill my expectations for myself. Similarly, the pressure my parents had put on me as a child had come out of love and their hopes for me, not out of a desire to crush my individuality.

As my bus drove through the still-bustling market square and past the medieval Ben-Youssef madrasa, I realized that becoming independent was a process, not an event. I thought that my parents’ separation when I was ten had been the one experience that would transform me into a self-motivated and autonomous person. It did, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t still have room to grow. Now, although I am even more self-sufficient than I was three years ago, I try to approach every experience with the expectation that it will change me. It’s still difficult, but I understand that just because growth can be uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s not important.

What the Essay Did Well

This is a nice essay because it delves into particular character trait of the student and how it has been shaped and matured over time. Although it doesn’t focus the essay around a specific anecdote, the essay is still successful because it is centered around this student’s independence. This is a nice approach for a personal statement: highlight a particular trait of yours and explore how it has grown with you.

The ideas in this essay are universal to growing up—living up to parents’ expectations, yearning for freedom, and coming to terms with reality—but it feels unique to the student because of the inclusion of details specific to them. Including their oboe lessons, the experience of riding the light rail by themselves, and the negotiations with a street vendor helps show the reader what these common tropes of growing up looked like for them personally. 

Another strength of the essay is the level of self-reflection included throughout the piece. Since there is no central anecdote tying everything together, an essay about a character trait is only successful when you deeply reflect on how you felt, where you made mistakes, and how that trait impacts your life. The author includes reflection in sentences like “ I felt like I had no sense of self beyond my drive for success, ” and “ I understand that just because growth can be uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s not important. ” These sentences help us see how the student was impacted and what their point of view is.

What Could Be Improved

The largest change this essay would benefit from is to show not tell. The platitude you have heard a million times no doubt, but for good reason. This essay heavily relies on telling the reader what occurred, making us less engaged as the entire reading experience feels more passive. If the student had shown us what happens though, it keeps the reader tied to the action and makes them feel like they are there with the student, making it much more enjoyable to read. 

For example, they tell us about the pressure to succeed their parents placed on them: “ I pushed myself to get straight A’s, complied with years of oboe lessons, and dutifully attended hours of swim practice after school.”  They could have shown us what that pressure looked like with a sentence like this: “ My stomach turned somersaults as my rattling knee thumped against the desk before every test, scared to get anything less than a 95. For five years the painful squawk of the oboe only reminded me of my parents’ claps and whistles at my concerts. I mastered the butterfly, backstroke, and freestyle, fighting against the anchor of their expectations threatening to pull me down.”

If the student had gone through their essay and applied this exercise of bringing more detail and colorful language to sentences that tell the reader what happened, the essay would be really great. 

Table of Contents

Essay Example #2: Being Bangladeshi-American

Life before was good: verdant forests, sumptuous curries, and a devoted family.

Then, my family abandoned our comfortable life in Bangladesh for a chance at the American dream in Los Angeles. Within our first year, my father was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He lost his battle three weeks before my sixth birthday. Facing a new country without the steady presence of my father, we were vulnerable — prisoners of hardship in the land of the free. We resettled in the Bronx, in my uncle’s renovated basement. It was meant to be our refuge, but I felt more displaced than ever. Gone were the high-rise condos of West L.A.; instead, government projects towered over the neighborhood. Pedestrians no longer smiled and greeted me; the atmosphere was hostile, even toxic. Schoolkids were quick to pick on those they saw as weak or foreign, hurling harsh words I’d never heard before.

Meanwhile, my family began integrating into the local Bangladeshi community. I struggled to understand those who shared my heritage. Bangladeshi mothers stayed home while fathers drove cabs and sold fruit by the roadside — painful societal positions. Riding on crosstown buses or walking home from school, I began to internalize these disparities. During my fleeting encounters with affluent Upper East Siders, I saw kids my age with nannies, parents who wore suits to work, and luxurious apartments with spectacular views. Most took cabs to their destinations: cabs that Bangladeshis drove. I watched the mundane moments of their lives with longing, aching to plant myself in their shoes. Shame prickled down my spine. I distanced myself from my heritage, rejecting the traditional panjabis worn on Eid and refusing the torkari we ate for dinner every day. 

As I grappled with my relationship with the Bangladeshi community, I turned my attention to helping my Bronx community by pursuing an internship with Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda. I handled desk work and took calls, spending the bulk of my time actively listening to the hardships constituents faced — everything from a veteran stripped of his benefits to a grandmother unable to support her bedridden grandchild.

I’d never exposed myself to stories like these, and now I was the first to hear them. As an intern, I could only assist in what felt like the small ways — pointing out local job offerings, printing information on free ESL classes, reaching out to non-profits. But to a community facing an onslaught of intense struggles, I realized that something as small as these actions could have vast impacts. Seeing the immediate consequences of my actions inspired me. Throughout that summer, I internalized my community’s daily challenges in a new light. I began to stop seeing the prevalent underemployment and cramped living quarters less as sources of shame. Instead, I saw them as realities that had to be acknowledged, but could ultimately be remedied. I also realized the benefits of the Bangladeshi culture I had been so ashamed of. My Bangla language skills were an asset to the office, and my understanding of Bangladeshi etiquette allowed for smooth communication between office staff and its constituents. As I helped my neighbors navigate city services, I saw my heritage with pride — a perspective I never expected to have.

I can now appreciate the value of my unique culture and background, and of living with less. This perspective offers room for progress, community integration, and a future worth fighting for. My time with Assemblyman Sepulveda’s office taught me that I can be a change agent in enabling this progression. Far from being ashamed of my community, I want to someday return to local politics in the Bronx to continue helping others access the American Dream. I hope to help my community appreciate the opportunity to make progress together. By embracing reality, I learned to live it. Along the way, I discovered one thing: life is good, but we can make it better.

This student’s passion for social justice and civic duty shines through in this essay because of how honest it is. Sharing their personal experience with immigrating, moving around, being an outsider, and finding a community allows us to see the hardships this student has faced and builds empathy towards their situation. However, what really makes it strong is that they go beyond describing the difficulties they faced and explain the mental impact it had on them as a child: Shame prickled down my spine. I distanced myself from my heritage, rejecting the traditional panjabis worn on Eid and refusing the torkari we ate for dinner every day. 

The rejection of their culture presented at the beginning of the essay creates a nice juxtaposition with the student’s view in the latter half of the essay and helps demonstrate how they have matured. They use their experience interning as a way to delve into a change in their thought process about their culture and show how their passion for social justice began. Using this experience as a mechanism to explore their thoughts and feelings is an excellent example of how items that are included elsewhere on your application should be incorporated into your essay.

This essay prioritizes emotions and personal views over specific anecdotes. Although there are details and certain moments incorporated throughout to emphasize the author’s points, the main focus remains on the student and how they grapple with their culture and identity.  

One area for improvement is the conclusion. Although the forward-looking approach is a nice way to end an essay focused on social justice, it would be nice to include more details and imagery in the conclusion. How does the student want to help their community? What government position do they see themselves holding one day? 

A more impactful ending might look like the student walking into their office at the New York City Housing Authority in 15 years and looking at the plans to build a new development in the Bronx just blocks away from where the grew up that would provide quality housing to people in their Bangladeshi community. They would smile while thinking about how far they have come from that young kid who used to be ashamed of their culture. 

Essay Example #3: Why Medicine

I took my first trip to China to visit my cousin Anna in July of 2014. Distance had kept us apart, but when we were together, we fell into all of our old inside jokes and caught up on each other’s lives. Her sparkling personality and optimistic attitude always brought a smile to my face. This time, however, my heart broke when I saw the effects of her brain cancer; she had suffered from a stroke that paralyzed her left side. She was still herself in many ways, but I could see that the damage to her brain made things difficult for her. I stayed by her every day, providing the support she needed, whether assisting her with eating and drinking, reading to her, or just watching “Friends.” During my flight back home, sorrow and helplessness overwhelmed me. Would I ever see Anna again? Could I have done more to make Anna comfortable? I wished I could stay in China longer to care for her. As I deplaned, I wondered if I could transform my grief to help other children and teenagers in the US who suffered as Anna did.

The day after I got home, as jet lag dragged me awake a few minutes after midnight, I remembered hearing about the Family Reach Foundation (FRF) and its work with children going through treatments at the local hospital and their families. I began volunteering in the FRF’s Children’s Activity Room, where I play with children battling cancer. Volunteering has both made me appreciate my own health and also cherish the new relationships I build with the children and families. We play sports, make figures out of playdoh, and dress up. When they take on the roles of firefighters or fairies, we all get caught up in the game; for that time, they forget the sanitized, stark, impersonal walls of the pediatric oncology ward. Building close relationships with them and seeing them giggle and laugh is so rewarding — I love watching them grow and get better throughout their course of treatment.

Hearing from the parents about their children’s condition and seeing the children recover inspired me to consider medical research. To get started, I enrolled in a summer collegelevel course in Abnormal Psychology. There I worked with Catelyn, a rising college senior, on a data analysis project regarding Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Together, we examined the neurological etiology of DID by studying four fMRI and PET cases. I fell in love with gathering data and analyzing the results and was amazed by our final product: several stunning brain images showcasing the areas of hyper and hypoactivity in brains affected by DID. Desire quickly followed my amazement — I want to continue this project and study more brains. Their complexity, delicacy, and importance to every aspect of life fascinate me. Successfully completing this research project gave me a sense of hope; I know I am capable of participating in a large scale research project and potentially making a difference in someone else’s life through my research.

Anna’s diagnosis inspired me to begin volunteering at FRF; from there, I discovered my desire to help people further by contributing to medical research. As my research interest blossomed, I realized that it’s no coincidence that I want to study brains—after all, Anna suffered from brain cancer. Reflecting on these experiences this past year and a half, I see that everything I’ve done is connected. Sadly, a few months after I returned from China, Anna passed away. I am still sad, but as I run a toy truck across the floor and watch one of the little patients’ eyes light up, I imagine that she would be proud of my commitment to pursue medicine and study the brain.

This essay has a very strong emotional core that tugs at the heart strings and makes the reader feel invested. Writing about sickness can be difficult and doesn’t always belong in a personal statement, but in this case it works well because the focus is on how this student cared for her cousin and dealt with the grief and emotions surrounding her condition. Writing about the compassion she showed and the doubts and concerns that filled her mind keeps the focus on the author and her personality. 

This continues when she again discusses the activities she did with the kids at FRF and the personal reflection this experience allowed her to have. For example, she writes: Volunteering has both made me appreciate my own health and also cherish the new relationships I build with the children and families. We play sports, make figures out of playdoh, and dress up.

Concluding the essay with the sad story of her cousin’s passing brings the essay full circle and returns to the emotional heart of the piece to once again build a connection with the reader. However, it finishes on a hopeful note and demonstrates how this student has been able to turn a tragic experience into a source of lifelong inspiration. 

One thing this essay should be cognizant of is that personal statements should not read as summaries of your extracurricular resume. Although this essay doesn’t fully fall into that trap, it does describe two key extracurriculars the student participated in. However, the inclusion of such a strong emotional core running throughout the essay helps keep the focus on the student and her thoughts and feelings during these activities.

To avoid making this mistake, make sure you have a common thread running through your essay and the extracurriculars provide support to the story you are trying to tell, rather than crafting a story around your activities. And, as this essay does, make sure there is lots of personal reflection and feelings weaved throughout to focus attention to you rather than your extracurriculars. 

Essay Example #4: Love of Writing

“I want to be a writer.” This had been my answer to every youthful discussion with the adults in my life about what I would do when I grew up. As early as elementary school, I remember reading my writing pieces aloud to an audience at “Author of the Month” ceremonies. Bearing this goal in mind, and hoping to gain some valuable experience, I signed up for a journalism class during my freshman year. Despite my love for writing, I initially found myself uninterested in the subject and I struggled to enjoy the class. When I thought of writing, I imagined lyrical prose, profound poetry, and thrilling plot lines. Journalism required a laconic style and orderly structure, and I found my teacher’s assignments formulaic and dull. That class shook my confidence as a writer. I was uncertain if I should continue in it for the rest of my high school career.

Despite my misgivings, I decided that I couldn’t make a final decision on whether to quit journalism until I had some experience working for a paper outside of the classroom. The following year, I applied to be a staff reporter on our school newspaper. I hoped this would help me become more self-driven and creative, rather than merely writing articles that my teacher assigned. To my surprise, my time on staff was worlds away from what I experienced in the journalism class. Although I was unaccustomed to working in a fast-paced environment and initially found it burdensome to research and complete high-quality stories in a relatively short amount of time, I also found it exciting. I enjoyed learning more about topics and events on campus that I did not know much about; some of my stories that I covered in my first semester concerned a chess tournament, a food drive, and a Spanish immersion party. I relished in the freedom I had to explore and learn, and to write more independently than I could in a classroom.

Although I enjoyed many aspects of working for the paper immediately, reporting also pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I am a shy person, and speaking with people I did not know intimidated me. During my first interview, I met with the basketball coach to prepare for a story about the team’s winning streak. As I approached his office, I felt everything from my toes to my tongue freeze into a solid block, and I could hardly get out my opening questions. Fortunately, the coach was very kind and helped me through the conversation. Encouraged, I prepared for my next interview with more confidence. After a few weeks of practice, I even started to look forward to interviewing people on campus. That first journalism class may have bored me, but even if journalism in practice was challenging, it was anything but tedious.

Over the course of that year, I grew to love writing for our school newspaper. Reporting made me aware of my surroundings, and made me want to know more about current events on campus and in the town where I grew up. By interacting with people all over campus, I came to understand the breadth of individuals and communities that make up my high school. I felt far more connected to diverse parts of my school through my work as a journalist, and I realized that journalism gave me a window into seeing beyond my own experiences. The style of news writing may be different from what I used to think “writing” meant, but I learned that I can still derive exciting plots from events that may have gone unnoticed if not for my stories. I no longer struggle to approach others, and truly enjoy getting to know people and recognizing their accomplishments through my writing. Becoming a writer may be a difficult path, but it is as rewarding as I hoped when I was young.

This essay is clearly structured in a manner that makes it flow very nicely and contributes to its success. It starts with a quote to draw in the reader and show this student’s life-long passion for writing. Then it addresses the challenges of facing new, unfamiliar territory and how this student overcame it. Finally, it concludes by reflecting on this eye-opening experience and a nod to their younger self from the introduction. Having a well-thought out and sequential structure with clear transitions makes it extremely easy for the reader to follow along and take away the main idea.

Another positive aspect of the essay is the use of strong and expressive language. Sentences like “ When I thought of writing, I imagined lyrical prose, profound poetry, and thrilling plot lines ” stand out because of the intentional use of words like “lyrical”, “profound”, and “thrilling” to convey the student’s love of writing. The author also uses an active voice to capture the readers’ attention and keep us engaged. They rely on their language and diction to reveal details to the reader, for instance saying “ I felt everything from my toes to my tongue freeze into a solid block ” to describe feeling nervous.

This essay is already very strong, so there isn’t much that needs to be changed. One thing that could take the essay from great to outstanding would be to throw in more quotes, internal dialogue, and sensory descriptors.

It would be nice to see the nerves they felt interviewing the coach by including dialogue like “ Um…I want to interview you about…uh…”.  They could have shown their original distaste for journalism by narrating the thoughts running through their head. The fast-paced environment of their newspaper could have come to life with descriptions about the clacking of keyboards and the whirl of people running around laying out articles.

Essay Example #5: Starting a Fire

Was I no longer the beloved daughter of nature, whisperer of trees? Knee-high rubber boots, camouflage, bug spray—I wore the garb and perfume of a proud wild woman, yet there I was, hunched over the pathetic pile of stubborn sticks, utterly stumped, on the verge of tears. As a child, I had considered myself a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free. I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms. Yet here I was, ten years later, incapable of performing the most fundamental outdoor task: I could not, for the life of me, start a fire. 

Furiously I rubbed the twigs together—rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers. No smoke. The twigs were too young, too sticky-green; I tossed them away with a shower of curses, and began tearing through the underbrush in search of a more flammable collection. My efforts were fruitless. Livid, I bit a rejected twig, determined to prove that the forest had spurned me, offering only young, wet bones that would never burn. But the wood cracked like carrots between my teeth—old, brittle, and bitter. Roaring and nursing my aching palms, I retreated to the tent, where I sulked and awaited the jeers of my family. 

Rattling their empty worm cans and reeking of fat fish, my brother and cousins swaggered into the campsite. Immediately, they noticed the minor stick massacre by the fire pit and called to me, their deep voices already sharp with contempt. 

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

In the tent, I pondered my failure. Was I so dainty? Was I that incapable? I thought of my hands, how calloused and capable they had been, how tender and smooth they had become. It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive. And I’d gotten glasses, having grown horrifically nearsighted; long nights of dim lighting and thick books had done this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lain down on a hill, barefaced, and seen the stars without having to squint. Crawling along the edge of the tent, a spider confirmed my transformation—he disgusted me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to squash him. 

Yet, I realized I hadn’t really changed—I had only shifted perspective. I still eagerly explored new worlds, but through poems and prose rather than pastures and puddles. I’d grown to prefer the boom of a bass over that of a bullfrog, learned to coax a different kind of fire from wood, having developed a burn for writing rhymes and scrawling hypotheses. 

That night, I stayed up late with my journal and wrote about the spider I had decided not to kill. I had tolerated him just barely, only shrieking when he jumped—it helped to watch him decorate the corners of the tent with his delicate webs, knowing that he couldn’t start fires, either. When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.

This student is an excellent writer, which allows a simple story to be outstandingly compelling. The author articulates her points beautifully and creatively through her immense use of details and figurative language. Lines like “a rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees,” and “rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers,” create vivid images that draw the reader in. 

The flowery and descriptive prose also contributes to the nice juxtaposition between the old Clara and the new Clara. The latter half of the essay contrasts elements of nature with music and writing to demonstrate how natural these interests are for her now. This sentence perfectly encapsulates the contrast she is trying to build: “It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive.”

In addition to being well-written, this essay is thematically cohesive. It begins with the simple introduction “Fire!” and ends with the following image: “When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.” This full-circle approach leaves readers satisfied and impressed.

There is very little this essay should change, however one thing to be cautious about is having an essay that is overly-descriptive. We know from the essay that this student likes to read and write, and depending on other elements of her application, it might make total sense to have such a flowery and ornate writing style. However, your personal statement needs to reflect your voice as well as your personality. If you would never use language like this in conversation or your writing, don’t put it in your personal statement. Make sure there is a balance between eloquence and your personal voice.

Essay Example #6: Dedicating a Track

“Getting beat is one thing – it’s part of competing – but I want no part in losing.” Coach Rob Stark’s motto never fails to remind me of his encouragement on early-morning bus rides to track meets around the state. I’ve always appreciated the phrase, but an experience last June helped me understand its more profound, universal meaning.

Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors.

Our school district’s board of education indicated they would only dedicate our track to Stark if I could demonstrate that he was extraordinary. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years. We received astounding support, collecting almost 3,000 signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board.

They didn’t bite. 

Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. However, at that second meeting, I discovered that I enjoy articulating and arguing for something that I’m passionate about.

Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts. When the gun fires, you can’t think too hard about anything; your performance has to be instinctual, natural, even relaxed. At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. I felt my adrenaline build, and reassured myself: I’ve put in the work, my argument is powerful and sound. As the board president told me to introduce myself, I heard, “runners set” in the back of my mind. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin. 

The next few minutes blurred together, but when the dust settled, I knew from the board members’ expressions and the audience’s thunderous approval that I had run quite a race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; the board voted down our proposal. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers. Last month, one of the school board members joked that I had become a “regular” – I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. I may have been beaten when I appealed to the board, but I certainly didn’t lose, and that would have made Stark proud.

This essay effectively conveys this student’s compassion for others, initiative, and determination—all great qualities to exemplify in a personal statement!

Although they rely on telling us a lot of what happened up until the board meeting, the use of running a race (their passion) as a metaphor for public speaking provides a lot of insight into the fear that this student overcame to work towards something bigger than themself. Comparing a podium to the starting line, the audience to the track, and silence to the gunshot is a nice way of demonstrating this student’s passion for cross country running without making that the focus of the story.

The essay does a nice job of coming full circle at the end by explaining what the quote from the beginning meant to them after this experience. Without explicitly saying “ I now know that what Stark actually meant is…” they rely on the strength of their argument above to make it obvious to the reader what it means to get beat but not lose. 

One of the biggest areas of improvement in the intro, however, is how the essay tells us Stark’s impact rather than showing us: His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The writer could’ve helped us feel a stronger emotional connection to Stark if they had included examples of Stark’s qualities, rather than explicitly stating them. For example, they could’ve written something like: Stark was the kind of person who would give you gas money if you told him your parents couldn’t afford to pick you up from practice. And he actually did that—several times. At track meets, alumni regularly would come talk to him and tell him how he’d changed their lives. Before Stark, I was ambivalent about running and was on the JV team, but his encouragement motivated me to run longer and harder and eventually make varsity. Because of him, I approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

Essay Example #7: Body Image and Eating Disorders

I press the “discover” button on my Instagram app, hoping to find enticing pictures to satisfy my boredom. Scrolling through, I see funny videos and mouth-watering pictures of food. However, one image stops me immediately. A fit teenage girl with a “perfect body” relaxes in a bikini on a beach. Beneath it, I see a slew of flattering comments. I shake with disapproval over the image’s unrealistic quality. However, part of me still wants to have a body like hers so that others will make similar comments to me.

I would like to resolve a silent issue that harms many teenagers and adults: negative self image and low self-esteem in a world where social media shapes how people view each other. When people see the façades others wear to create an “ideal” image, they can develop poor thought patterns rooted in negative self-talk. The constant comparisons to “perfect” others make people feel small. In this new digital age, it is hard to distinguish authentic from artificial representations.

When I was 11, I developed anorexia nervosa. Though I was already thin, I wanted to be skinny like the models that I saw on the magazine covers on the grocery store stands. Little did I know that those models probably also suffered from disorders, and that photoshop erased their flaws. I preferred being underweight to being healthy. No matter how little I ate or how thin I was, I always thought that I was too fat. I became obsessed with the number on the scale and would try to eat the least that I could without my parents urging me to take more. Fortunately, I stopped engaging in anorexic behaviors before middle school. However, my underlying mental habits did not change. The images that had provoked my disorder in the first place were still a constant presence in my life.

By age 15, I was in recovery from anorexia, but suffered from depression. While I used to only compare myself to models, the growth of social media meant I also compared myself to my friends and acquaintances. I felt left out when I saw my friends’ excitement about lake trips they had taken without me. As I scrolled past endless photos of my flawless, thin classmates with hundreds of likes and affirming comments, I felt my jealousy spiral. I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.” When that didn’t work, I started to feel too anxious to post anything at all.  

Body image insecurities and social media comparisons affect thousands of people – men, women, children, and adults – every day. I am lucky – after a few months of my destructive social media habits, I came across a video that pointed out the illusory nature of social media; many Instagram posts only show off good things while people hide their flaws. I began going to therapy, and recovered from my depression. To address the problem of self-image and social media, we can all focus on what matters on the inside and not what is on the surface. As an effort to become healthy internally, I started a club at my school to promote clean eating and radiating beauty from within. It has helped me grow in my confidence, and today I’m not afraid to show others my struggles by sharing my experience with eating disorders. Someday, I hope to make this club a national organization to help teenagers and adults across the country. I support the idea of body positivity and embracing difference, not “perfection.” After all, how can we be ourselves if we all look the same?

This essay covers the difficult topics of eating disorders and mental health. If you’re thinking about covering similar topics in your essay, we recommend reading our post Should You Talk About Mental Health in College Essays?

The short answer is that, yes, you can talk about mental health, but it can be risky. If you do go that route, it’s important to focus on what you learned from the experience.

The strength of this essay is the student’s vulnerability, in excerpts such as this: I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.”

The student goes on to share how they recovered from their depression through an eye-opening video and therapy sessions, and they’re now helping others find their self-worth as well. It’s great that this essay looks towards the future and shares the writer’s goals of making their club a national organization; we can see their ambition and compassion.

The main weakness of this essay is that it doesn’t focus enough on their recovery process, which is arguably the most important part. They could’ve told us more about the video they watched or the process of starting their club and the interactions they’ve had with other members. Especially when sharing such a vulnerable topic, there should be vulnerability in the recovery process too. That way, the reader can fully appreciate all that this student has overcome.

Essay Example #8: Becoming a Coach

”Advanced females ages 13 to 14 please proceed to staging with your coaches at this time.” Skittering around the room, eyes wide and pleading, I frantically explained my situation to nearby coaches. The seconds ticked away in my head; every polite refusal increased my desperation.

Despair weighed me down. I sank to my knees as a stream of competitors, coaches, and officials flowed around me. My dojang had no coach, and the tournament rules prohibited me from competing without one.

Although I wanted to remain strong, doubts began to cloud my mind. I could not help wondering: what was the point of perfecting my skills if I would never even compete? The other members of my team, who had found coaches minutes earlier, attempted to comfort me, but I barely heard their words. They couldn’t understand my despair at being left on the outside, and I never wanted them to understand.

Since my first lesson 12 years ago, the members of my dojang have become family. I have watched them grow up, finding my own happiness in theirs. Together, we have honed our kicks, blocks, and strikes. We have pushed one another to aim higher and become better martial artists. Although my dojang had searched for a reliable coach for years, we had not found one. When we attended competitions in the past, my teammates and I had always gotten lucky and found a sympathetic coach. Now, I knew this practice was unsustainable. It would devastate me to see the other members of my dojang in my situation, unable to compete and losing hope as a result. My dojang needed a coach, and I decided it was up to me to find one.

I first approached the adults in the dojang – both instructors and members’ parents. However, these attempts only reacquainted me with polite refusals. Everyone I asked told me they couldn’t devote multiple weekends per year to competitions. I soon realized that I would have become the coach myself.

At first, the inner workings of tournaments were a mystery to me. To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side. I learned everything from motivational strategies to technical, behind-the-scenes components of Taekwondo competitions. Though I emerged with new knowledge and confidence in my capabilities, others did not share this faith.

Parents threw me disbelieving looks when they learned that their children’s coach was only a child herself. My self-confidence was my armor, deflecting their surly glances. Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

Despite the attack, I refused to give up. When I saw the shining eyes of the youngest students preparing for their first competition, I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was. The knowledge that I could solve my dojang’s longtime problem motivated me to overcome my apprehension.

Now that my dojang flourishes at competitions, the attacks on me have weakened, but not ended. I may never win the approval of every parent; at times, I am still tormented by doubts, but I find solace in the fact that members of my dojang now only worry about competing to the best of their abilities.

Now, as I arrive at a tournament with my students, I close my eyes and remember the past. I visualize the frantic search for a coach and the chaos amongst my teammates as we competed with one another to find coaches before the staging calls for our respective divisions. I open my eyes to the exact opposite scene. Lacking a coach hurt my ability to compete, but I am proud to know that no member of my dojang will have to face that problem again.

This essay begins with an in-the-moment narrative that really illustrates the chaos of looking for a coach last-minute. We feel the writer’s emotions, particularly her dejectedness, at not being able to compete. Starting an essay in media res  is a great way to capture the attention of your readers and build anticipation for what comes next.

Through this essay, we can see how gutsy and determined the student is in deciding to become a coach themselves. She shows us these characteristics through their actions, rather than explicitly telling us: To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side.  Also, by discussing the opposition she faced and how it affected her, the student is open and vulnerable about the reality of the situation.

The essay comes full circle as the author recalls the frantic situations in seeking out a coach, but this is no longer a concern for them and their team. Overall, this essay is extremely effective in painting this student as mature, bold, and compassionate.

The biggest thing this essay needs to work on is showing not telling. Throughout the essay, the student tells us that she “emerged with new knowledge and confidence,” she “grew unsure of her own abilities,” and she “refused to give up”. What we really want to know is what this looks like.

Instead of saying she “emerged with new knowledge and confidence” she should have shared how she taught a new move to a fellow team-member without hesitation. Rather than telling us she “grew unsure of her own abilities” she should have shown what that looked like by including her internal dialogue and rhetorical questions that ran through her mind. She could have demonstrated what “refusing to give up” looks like by explaining how she kept learning coaching techniques on her own, turned to a mentor for advice, or devised a plan to win over the trust of parents. 

Essay Example #9: Eritrea

No one knows where Eritrea is.

On the first day of school, for the past nine years, I would pensively stand in front of a class, a teacher, a stranger  waiting for the inevitable question: Where are you from?

I smile politely, my dimples accentuating my ambiguous features. “Eritrea,” I answer promptly and proudly. But I  am always prepared. Before their expression can deepen into confusion, ready to ask “where is that,” I elaborate,  perhaps with a fleeting hint of exasperation, “East Africa, near Ethiopia.”

Sometimes, I single out the key-shaped hermit nation on a map, stunning teachers who have “never had a student  from there!” Grinning, I resist the urge to remark, “You didn’t even know it existed until two minutes ago!”

Eritrea is to the East of Ethiopia, its arid coastline clutches the lucrative Red Sea. Battle scars litter the ancient  streets – the colonial Italian architecture lathered with bullet holes, the mosques mangled with mortar shells.  Originally part of the world’s first Christian kingdom, Eritrea passed through the hands of colonial Italy, Britain, and  Ethiopia for over a century, until a bloody thirty year war of Independence liberated us.

But these are facts that anyone can know with a quick Google search. These are facts that I have memorised and compounded, first from my Grandmother and now from pristine books  borrowed from the library.

No historical narrative, however, can adequately capture what Eritrea is.  No one knows the aroma of bushels of potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic – still covered in dirt – that leads you to the open-air market. No one knows the poignant scent of spices, arranged in orange piles reminiscent of compacted  dunes.  No one knows how to haggle stubborn herders for sheep and roosters for Christmas celebrations as deliberately as my mother. No one can replicate the perfect balance of spices in dorho and tsebhi as well as my grandmother,  her gnarly hands stirring the pot with ancient precision (chastising my clumsy knife work with the potatoes).  It’s impossible to learn when the injera is ready – the exact moment you have to lift the lid of the mogogo. Do it too  early (or too late) and the flatbread becomes mangled and gross. It is a sixth sense passed through matriarchal  lineages.

There are no sources that catalogue the scent of incense that wafts through the sunlit porch on St. Michael’s; no  films that can capture the luminescence of hundreds of flaming bonfires that fluoresce the sidewalks on Kudus  Yohannes, as excited children chant Ge’ez proverbs whose origin has been lost to time.  You cannot learn the familiarity of walking beneath the towering Gothic figure of the Enda Mariam Cathedral, the  crowds undulating to the ringing of the archaic bells.  I have memorized the sound of the rains hounding the metal roof during kiremti , the heat of the sun pounding  against the Toyota’s window as we sped down towards Ghinda , the opulent brilliance of the stars twinkling in a  sky untainted by light pollution, the scent of warm rolls of bani wafting through the streets at precisely 6 o’clock each day…

I fill my flimsy sketchbook with pictures from my memory. My hand remembers the shapes of the hibiscus drifting  in the wind, the outline of my grandmother (affectionately nicknamed a’abaye ) leaning over the garden, the bizarre architecture of the Fiat Tagliero .  I dice the vegetables with movements handed down from generations. My nose remembers the scent of frying garlic, the sourness of the warm tayta , the sharpness of the mit’mt’a …

This knowledge is intrinsic.  “I am Eritrean,” I repeat. “I am proud.”  Within me is an encyclopedia of history, culture, and idealism.

Eritrea is the coffee made from scratch, the spices drying in the sun, the priests and nuns. Eritrea is wise, filled with ambition, and unseen potential.  Eritrea isn’t a place, it’s an identity.

This is an exceptional essay that provides a window into this student’s culture that really makes their love for their country and heritage leap off the page. The sheer level of details and sensory descriptors this student is able to fit in this space makes the essay stand out. From the smells, to the traditions, sounds, and sights, the author encapsulates all the glory of Eritrea for the reader. 

The vivid images this student is able to create for the reader, whether it is having the tedious conversation with every teacher or cooking in their grandmother’s kitchen, transports us into the story and makes us feel like we are there in the moment with the student. This is a prime example of an essay that shows , not tells.

Besides the amazing imagery, the use of shorter paragraphs also contributes to how engaging this essay is. Employing this tactic helps break up the text to make it more readable and it isolates ideas so they stick out more than if they were enveloped in a large paragraph.

Overall, this is a really strong essay that brings to life this student’s heritage through its use of vivid imagery. This essay exemplifies what it means to show not tell in your writing, and it is a great example of how you can write an intimate personal statement without making yourself the primary focus of your essay. 

There is very little this essay should improve upon, but one thing the student might consider would be to inject more personal reflection into their response. Although we can clearly take away their deep love and passion for their homeland and culture, the essay would be a bit more personal if they included the emotions and feelings they associate with the various aspects of Eritrea. For example, the way their heart swells with pride when their grandmother praises their ability to cook a flatbread or the feeling of serenity when they hear the bells ring out from the cathedral. Including personal details as well as sensory ones would create a wonderful balance of imagery and reflection.

Essay Example #10: Journaling

Flipping past dozens of colorful entries in my journal, I arrive at the final blank sheet. I press my pen lightly to the page, barely scratching its surface to create a series of loops stringing together into sentences. Emotions spill out, and with their release, I feel lightness in my chest. The stream of thoughts slows as I reach the bottom of the page, and I gently close the cover of the worn book: another journal finished.

I add the journal to the stack of eleven books on my nightstand. Struck by the bittersweet sensation of closing a chapter of my life, I grab the notebook at the bottom of the pile to reminisce.

“I want to make a flying mushen to fly in space and your in it” – October 2008

Pulling back the cover of my first Tinkerbell-themed diary, the prompt “My Hopes and Dreams” captures my attention. Though “machine” is misspelled in my scribbled response, I see the beginnings of my past obsession with outer space. At the age of five, I tore through novels about the solar system, experimented with rockets built from plastic straws, and rented Space Shuttle films from Blockbuster to satisfy my curiosities. While I chased down answers to questions as limitless as the universe, I fell in love with learning. Eight journals later, the same relentless curiosity brought me to an airplane descending on San Francisco Bay.

“I wish I had infinite sunsets” – July 2019

I reach for the charcoal notepad near the top of the pile and open to the first page: my flight to the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes. While I was excited to explore bioengineering, anxiety twisted in my stomach as I imagined my destination, unsure of whether I could overcome my shyness and connect with others.

With each new conversation, the sweat on my palms became less noticeable, and I met students from 23 different countries. Many of the moments where I challenged myself socially revolved around the third story deck of the Jerry house. A strange medley of English, Arabic, and Mandarin filled the summer air as my friends and I gathered there every evening, and dialogues at sunset soon became moments of bliss. In our conversations about cultural differences, the possibility of an afterlife, and the plausibility of far-fetched conspiracy theories, I learned to voice my opinion. As I was introduced to different viewpoints, these moments challenged my understanding of the world around me. In my final entries from California, I find excitement to learn from others and increased confidence, a tool that would later allow me to impact my community.

“The beauty in a tower of cans” – June 2020

Returning my gaze to the stack of journals, I stretch to take the floral-patterned book sitting on top. I flip through, eventually finding the beginnings of the organization I created during the outbreak of COVID-19. Since then, Door-to-Door Deliveries has woven its way through my entries and into reality, allowing me to aid high-risk populations through free grocery delivery.

With the confidence I gained the summer before, I took action when seeing others in need rather than letting my shyness hold me back. I reached out to local churches and senior centers to spread word of our services and interacted with customers through our website and social media pages. To further expand our impact, we held two food drives, and I mustered the courage to ask for donations door-to-door. In a tower of canned donations, I saw the value of reaching out to help others and realized my own potential to impact the world around me.

I delicately close the journal in my hands, smiling softly as the memories reappear, one after another. Reaching under my bed, I pull out a fresh notebook and open to its first sheet. I lightly press my pen to the page, “And so begins the next chapter…”

The structuring of this essay makes it easy and enjoyable to read. The student effectively organizes their various life experiences around their tower of journals, which centers the reader and makes the different stories easy to follow. Additionally, the student engages quotes from their journals—and unique formatting of the quotes—to signal that they are moving in time and show us which memory we should follow them to.

Thematically, the student uses the idea of shyness to connect the different memories they draw out of their journals. As the student describes their experiences overcoming shyness at the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes and Door-to-Door Deliveries, this essay can be read as an Overcoming Obstacles essay.

At the end of this essay, readers are fully convinced that this student is dedicated (they have committed to journaling every day), thoughtful (journaling is a thoughtful process and, in the essay, the student reflects thoughtfully on the past), and motivated (they flew across the country for a summer program and started a business). These are definitely qualities admissions officers are looking for in applicants!

Although this essay is already exceptionally strong as it’s written, the first journal entry feels out of place compared to the other two entries that discuss the author’s shyness and determination. It works well for the essay to have an entry from when the student was younger to add some humor (with misspelled words) and nostalgia, but if the student had either connected the quote they chose to the idea of overcoming a fear present in the other two anecdotes or if they had picked a different quote all together related to their shyness, it would have made the entire essay feel more cohesive.

Where to Get Your Personal Statement Edited

Do you want feedback on your personal statement? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Next Step: Supplemental Essays

Essay Guides for Each School

How to Write a Stellar Extracurricular Activity College Essay

4 Tips for Writing a Diversity College Essay

How to Write the “Why This College” Essay

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

personal essay about maturity

  • Admission Essay
  • Statement of Purpose Editing
  • Personal Statement Editing
  • Recommendation Letter
  • Motivation Letter
  • Cover Letter
  • Supplemental Essay
  • Letter of Continued Interest
  • Scholarship Essay
  • Role Model Essay
  • Our Editors
  • College Admission Essay Examples
  • College Cover Letter Examples
  • College Personal Statement Examples
  • Graduate Personal Statement Examples
  • Graduate Statement of Purpose Examples
  • MBA Essay Examples
  • MBA Personal Statement Examples
  • MBA Resume Examples
  • MBA Recommendation Letter Examples
  • Medical School Personal Statement Examples
  • Medical School Recommendation Letter Examples
  • Pricing Plans
  • Public Health
  • Dissertation
  • Research Paper
  • Thesis Editing
  • Academic Editing
  • Motivation letter
  • Letter of Recommendation
  • Personal Statement
  • Statement of Purpose

Personal Growth Essay | A Winning Essay Writing Strategy

EssayEdge > Blog > Personal Growth Essay | A Winning Essay Writing Strategy

Personal Growth. Perhaps this topic is the most popular one since it delves into the heart of what the admissions essay is all about: helping the college gain better insight into an applicant’s personality and character. Some schools ask targeted questions — “What was the most challenging event you have ever faced, and how have you grown from it?” — while others leave the topic open: “Describe an event that has had great meaning for you. Explain why and how it has affected you.”

One of the most successful strategies is to use a past event as a lens through which you can assess who you were and the person you became, how you have grown and changed, your transformation. Most children are curious, but were you the one who asked your teacher what caused the change of seasons of the year and then created a solar system model and explained the concept to your classmates? Though you may think that your topic needs to be more grandiose, that is not necessary for an essay to be effective. Instead, success lies in painting an accurate and vivid picture of yourself — one that will show admissions officers that you have much to offer their school.

Anastasia M.

The most important advice we can give is to be honest, refrain from using clichés, and show maturity. College represents a radical change from high school, so you want your reader to realize that you are more than ready to take the next major step in your life.

Sample Essays And Comments

  • Well Done Personal Growth Essay
  • Poorly Done Personal Growth Essay

Next:   Accomplishments

Need help? Check out EssayEdge editing services:

Robin W. - professional essay editor and proofreader

Popular Posts

June 2, 2022 How To Start a Scholarship Essay: Catch Reader’s Attention Fast

May 16, 2022 My Role Model Essay: A Few Ways to Elaborate on The Subject

May 3, 2022 How To Start a Personal Statement? | Writing Tips and Samples

Related Posts

July 14, 2021 Personal Statement Sample: How Can It Help You With Writing?

June 3, 2021 Clichés in College Essay Examples: How To Recognize Them?

October 26, 2020 Alternative Medicine Application Essay Sample – Edited

©2024 Student Media LLC. All rights reserved.

EssayEdge: Essay Editing & Proofreading Service.

Our mission is to prepare you for academic and career success.

  •   Log In  
  •   Sign Up  
  • Forgot password

Unable to log in? Please clear your browser's cache and then refresh this page and try again

Reset password Please enter your email address to request a password reset.

check you email

Check your email We’ve just sent a password reset link to your email.

This information is used to create your account

48 Personal Growth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best personal growth topic ideas & essay examples, 📝 most interesting personal growth topics to write about, 👍 simple & easy personal growth essay titles.

  • Growth and Motivation Theories: Application in Personal Behavior, Professional Goal Setting, Social Policy Formulation Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory of Growth Maslow’s hierarchy of needs growth theory states that, an individual has needs that need to be fulfilled at various levels for the individual to achieve personal and professional […]
  • Effective Leadership: Character and Personal Growth In turn, this will ensure that the leader has an open mind and is accommodating to the different personalities of the followers. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
  • Personal Growth and Development From a personal perspective, the strategy I intend to use to address the issue of diversity in the workplace is to be open-minded and willing to listen to others before making judgments.
  • Student’s Personal Growth: University Experiences The chosen data collection method was the semi-structured interview, as this method enables the researcher to elicit a lot of information and encourage the participants to share their views freely.
  • Stress Impact on Self-Esteam and Personal Growth The causes of stress in Jennifer’s life and its possible effect on her health number of factors can be regarded as causing stress in Jennifer’s life.
  • My Greatest Passion and How It Has Contributed to My Personal Growth Within no time I realized that I needed to pursue the career of a social worker to fulfil my passion for the poor and downtrodden section of the society.
  • Multispecies Ethnography and Personality Growth Politics became the determinant element to the determination of biodiversity protection, but the majority of the leaders focused on the essence of power.
  • The Role of Music in Personal Growth I believed that someday I would graduate from school, then I would do my best to have a degree in the field that interests me the most and pursue the career that will make me […]
  • Achieving Personal and Professional Development
  • Relations Between Accept and Personal Growth
  • Personal Growth in the Book “Great Expectations”
  • Importance of Personal Development and Self-Assessment Exercises
  • Blueprint for Professional and Personal Growth
  • The Usefulness of Self-Assessment Tools for Personal Growth
  • Coping With Childbirth: Brain Structural Associations of Personal Growth Initiative
  • Grief After Suicide: A Health Perspective on Needs, Effective Help, and Personal Growth
  • The Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence and Personal Growth
  • Personal Growth and Happiness: Positive Psychology
  • Five-Year Personal Growth Plan Overview
  • From Childhood to Adulthood: Emotional and Physical Changes
  • The Attributes That Complement Professional and Personal Growth
  • Human Services Theory: Guidance for Personal Growth
  • The Relationships Between Journeys Involve New Experiences and Personal Growth
  • Learning and Personal Growth for Students of Poverty
  • Volunteering and Sacrificing as a Pathway to Personal Growth
  • Differences Between Nursing, Creativity, Self Care, and Personal Growth
  • Importance of the Personal Growth in Career Development of Managers and Employees
  • Personal Growth and Development: Behavioral Therapy
  • Achieving Personal Growth From Teaching Practice
  • Overview of Personal Growth and Preparation for Future Goals
  • Personal Growth Development and Multiple Intelligences Analysis
  • Importance of the Personal Growth for Women
  • Personal Growth Initiative and Social Support Overview
  • Analysis of the Plan for Professional and Personal Growth
  • Promoting Personal Growth Through Experiential Learning
  • What Children Can Teach Us About Risk, Failure, and Personal Growth
  • Achieving Human Potential Through Self-Actualization
  • Personal Growth, Self-Care, and Creativity in the Nursing Profession
  • Revisiting the Organismic Valuing Process Theory of Personal Growth
  • The Ladder of Sustainable Personal Growth and Its Steps
  • Personal and Professional Growth Requirements in Relation to the NMC Regulation
  • Supporting Personal Growth and Skill Development
  • What Can Time Management Bring to Your Personal Growth
  • Personal Growth Through Learning Overview
  • Working for Personal Growth and Development
  • The Importance of Personal Growth Within the Group
  • How Young People Use New Media for Community Action and Personal Growth
  • The Relationships Between Personal Growth and Development of Romanticism
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, September 27). 48 Personal Growth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/personal-growth-essay-topics/

"48 Personal Growth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 27 Sept. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/personal-growth-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '48 Personal Growth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 27 September.

IvyPanda . 2023. "48 Personal Growth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." September 27, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/personal-growth-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "48 Personal Growth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." September 27, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/personal-growth-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "48 Personal Growth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." September 27, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/personal-growth-essay-topics/.

  • Personality Development Ideas
  • Self-Awareness Research Topics
  • Self-Efficacy Essay Titles
  • Personal Identity Paper Topics
  • Professional Development Research Ideas
  • Leadership Essay Ideas
  • Leadership Concept Essay Titles
  • Self Esteem Research Ideas
  • Positive Psychology Titles
  • Cognitive Psychology Topics
  • Emotional Development Questions
  • Psychology Questions
  • Talent Management Questions
  • Leadership Development Essay Titles
  • Leadership Qualities Research Ideas
  • Affiliate Program

Wordvice

  • UNITED STATES
  • 台灣 (TAIWAN)
  • TÜRKIYE (TURKEY)
  • Academic Editing Services
  • - Research Paper
  • - Journal Manuscript
  • - Dissertation
  • - College & University Assignments
  • Admissions Editing Services
  • - Application Essay
  • - Personal Statement
  • - Recommendation Letter
  • - Cover Letter
  • - CV/Resume
  • Business Editing Services
  • - Business Documents
  • - Report & Brochure
  • - Website & Blog
  • Writer Editing Services
  • - Script & Screenplay
  • Our Editors
  • Client Reviews
  • Editing & Proofreading Prices
  • Wordvice Points
  • Partner Discount
  • Plagiarism Checker
  • APA Citation Generator
  • MLA Citation Generator
  • Chicago Citation Generator
  • Vancouver Citation Generator
  • - APA Style
  • - MLA Style
  • - Chicago Style
  • - Vancouver Style
  • Writing & Editing Guide
  • Academic Resources
  • Admissions Resources

How to Write Common App Prompt #5: Showing Personal Growth

personal essay about maturity

Your college admissions essay is a way to open a conversation with your admissions officers. In 650 words, you have the opportunity to share details about yourself as if you were fellow passengers on a long plane ride. A strong personal statement can quickly win over admissions officers because they find you likable, thoughtful, intelligent, and self-aware.

Among all the Common App Essay Prompts this year, the best one to highlight these qualities is Prompt #5, which focuses on personal growth and maturity. Through sharing a poignant moment in your life, you can show them how critically you assess your goals and character. Explain what you value and how you aim to develop yourself so that colleges and universities can gain a good sense of whether you have what it takes to thrive as an independent person in the challenging diverse environment they have to offer.

Common App Essay Prompt #5

PROMPT #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

In Common App Essay Prompt #5, the words “accomplishment” and “event” are somewhat open to interpretation. Therefore, an essay inspired by this question could address anything from a minor event to a major occurrence in your life. An event accomplishment might include birthdays or weddings, or perhaps big achievements like winning a competition or earning an esteemed award. 

Informal examples could include meeting a person in your life who ended up being special; taking a fateful bus or train ride; or participating in a meal or social event that opened up your mind to other realities you hadn’t considered. Events that are smaller or less formal can actually lead to more surprising and memorable essays, but these must also be written with originality and add a personal or unique twist. The art of storytelling is important in this essay prompt.

Some other things to consider:

  • How do periods of transition impact you in general? Are there actions or events that have inspired a change of heart or thought in your mind?
  • Have you ever had a “eureka” moment that has fundamentally shifted how you view the world in some way?
  • Did you ever learn a fact or hear a viewpoint that made you feel more capable or confident in voicing your own opinion and position?

Some example topics for this prompt:

  • Did your expansion of a lemonade stand into a successful small business motivate you into raising funds for a friend or relative’s illness or encourage you to pay off a debt?
  • Do you love sports playback video that forces you to examine your mistakes and take criticism that leads to self-improvement?
  • How did serving soup each week at a homeless shelter for half a year help ground your views of social opportunity and giving? How did this impact how you connect with and serve other people?

Keep in the front of your mind the central elements of growth, understanding, and transformation. The realization or activity you write about should be something that helped you mature in your understanding of the world and other people. And don’t forget to receive professional proofreading services , including essay editing services for your Common App essay, before submitting it to your target schools.

common app essay prompt 5 tips

  • Utility Menu

University Logo

GA4 tracking code

Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships

  • CARAT (Opportunities Database)
  • URAF Application Instructions
  • URAF Calendar

Writing Application Essays and Personal Statements

Some applications ask that you write an essay that draws on more personal reflections. These essays, sometimes called Personal Statements, are an opportunity to show the selection committee who you are as a person: your story, your values, your interests, and why you—and not your peer with a similar resume—are a perfect fit for this opportunity. These narrative essays allow you to really illustrate the person behind the resume, showcasing not only what you think but how you think.

Before you start writing, it’s helpful to really consider the goals of your personal statement:

  • To learn more about you as a person: What would you like the selection committee to know about you that can't be covered by other application materials (e.g. resume, transcript, letters of recommendation)? What have been the important moments/influences throughout your journey that have led to where (and who!) you are?
  • To learn how you think about the unsolved problems in your field of study/interest: What experiences demonstrate how you've been taught to think and how you tackle challenges?
  • To assess whether you fit with the personal qualities sought by the selection committee:  How can you show that you are thoughtful and mature with a good sense of self; that you embody the character, qualities, and experience to be personally ready to thrive in this experience (graduate school and otherwise)? Whatever opportunity you are seeking—going to graduate school, spending the year abroad, conducting public service—is going to be challenging intellectually, emotionally, and financially. This is your opportunity to show that you have the energy and perseverance to succeed.

In general, your job through your personal statement is to show, don’t tell the committee about your journey. If you choose to retell specific anecdotes from your life, focus on one or two relavant, formative experiences—academic, professional, extracurricular—that are emblematic of your development. The essay is where you should showcase the depth of your maturity, not the breadth—that's the resume's job!

Determining the theme of an essay

The personal statement is usually framed with an overarching theme. But how do you come up with a theme that is unique to you? Here are some questions to get you started:

  • Question your individuality:  What distinguishes you from your peers? What challenges have you overcome? What was one instance in your life where your values were called  into question?
  • Question your field of study:  What first interested you about your field of study? How has your interest in the field changed and developed? How has this discipline shaped you? What are you most passionate about relative to your field?
  • Question your non-academic experiences:  Why did you choose the internships, clubs, or activites you did? And what does that suggest about what you value?

Once you have done some reflection, you may notice a theme emerging (justice? innovation? creativity?)—great! Be careful to think beyond your first idea, too, though. Sometimes, the third or fourth theme to come to your mind is the one that will be most compelling to center your essay around.

Writing style

Certainly, your personal statement can have moments of humor or irony that reflect your personality, but the goal is not to show off your creative writing skills or present you as a sparkling conversationalist (that can be part of your interview!). Here, the aim is to present yourself as an interesting person, with a unique background and perspective, and a great future colleague. You should still use good academic writing—although this is not a research paper nor a cover letter—but the tone can be a bit less formal.

Communicating your values

Our work is often linked to our own values, identities, and personal experiences, both positive and negative. However, there can be a vulnerability to sharing these things with strangers. Know that you don't have to write about your most intimate thoughts or experiences, if you don't want to. If you do feel that it’s important that a selection committee knows this about you, reflect on why you would like for them to know that, and then be sure that it has an organic place in your statement. Your passion will come through in how you speak about these topics and their importance in forming you as an individual and budding scholar. 

  • Getting Started
  • Application Components
  • Interviews and Offers
  • Building On Your Experiences
  • Applying FAQs
  • PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
  • EDIT Edit this Article
  • EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
  • Browse Articles
  • Learn Something New
  • Quizzes Hot
  • This Or That Game New
  • Train Your Brain
  • Explore More
  • Support wikiHow
  • About wikiHow
  • Log in / Sign up
  • Education and Communications
  • College University and Postgraduate
  • Academic Writing

How to Write a Personal Essay

Last Updated: February 2, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 309,257 times.

A good personal essay can move and inspire readers. It can also leave the reader unsettled, uncertain, and full of more questions than answers. To write an effective personal essay, you will need to first understand the structure of a personal essay. You will then need to brainstorm ideas for the personal essay so you are ready when it is time to sit down and craft your essay.

Starting Your Personal Essay

Step 1 Find an angle for your essay.

  • For example, maybe you want to write about an experience where you learned about failure. You may think the time you failed a pop quiz in class. Though the quiz may have seemed insignificant to you at the time, you realized later that failing the pop quiz forced you to reassess your goals and motivated you to get a passing grade. Seen from a certain angle, your small failure became a gateway to perseverance and determination.

Jake Adams

  • This could be a seemingly small moment that ended up having a profound influence on you later, such the first time you experienced disgust as a child or the look on your mother’s face when you told her you were gay. Try to really dig into why you were hurt or compelled to overcome a challenge in this moment in your essay.
  • Remember that moments charged with strong emotion will often be more engaging to readers. Having a strong reaction to a specific moment will allow you to write passionately about it and keep your reader interested in your essay.

Step 3 Discuss a specific event that triggered an emotional response.

  • For example, you may focus on the day you found out your father cheated on your mother, or the week you mourned the death of a loved one. Think about a heavy experience in your life that shaped who you are today.
  • You may also decide to write about a seemingly light topic or event, such as your first ride on a roller coaster, or the first time you went on a cruise with your partner. No matter what event you choose, make sure it is an event that triggered a strong emotional response, ranging from anger to confusion to unabashed joy.

Step 4 Think of a person in your life that you have difficulty with in some way.

  • For example, you may think about why you and your mother stopped speaking years ago or why you are no longer close to a childhood friend. You may also look at past romantic relationships that failed and consider why they did not succeed or a relationship with a mentor that went sour.
  • This could also be about someone that you're close with. For example, you could write about a moment that tested your relationship with a close friend.

Step 5 Respond to a current event.

  • Ask yourself questions about the current event. For example, how does the current event intersect with your own experiences? How can you explore a current social issue or event using your personal thoughts, experiences, and emotions?
  • For example, you may have an interest in writing about Syrian refugee camps in Europe. You may then focus your personal essay on your own status as a refugee in America and how your experiences a refugee have shaped the person you are now. This will allow you to explore a current event from a personal perspective, rather than simply talk about the current event from a distant, journalistic perspective.

Step 6 Create an outline.

  • The introductory section should include “the hook”, opening lines where you catch the reader’s attention. It should also have some sort of narrative thesis, which is often the beginning of an important event in the piece or a theme that connects your experience to a universal idea.
  • The body sections should include supporting evidence for your narrative thesis and/or the key themes in your piece. Often, this is in the form of your experiences and your reflections on your experiences. You should also note the passage of time in your body sections so the reader is aware of when and how certain events occurred.
  • The concluding section should include a conclusion to the events and experiences discussed in the essay. You should also have a moral of the story moment, where you reflect on what you learned from your experiences or how your experiences changed your life.
  • In the past, it was advised to have five paragraphs total, one paragraph for the introductory section, three paragraphs for the body section, and one paragraph for the concluding section. But you can have more or less than five paragraphs for your personal essay as long as you have all three sections.

Writing the Personal Essay

Step 1 Begin with an engaging opening scene.

  • Don't begin with a line that explains exactly what is going to be discussed in, such as, “In this essay, I will be discussing my fraught relationship with my mother." Instead, draw your reader into your piece and still provide all the information needed in your opening line.
  • Start instead with a specific scene that contains the key characters of the essay and allows you discuss the central question or theme. Doing this will allow you to introduce the reader to the characters and the central conflict right away.
  • For example, if you are writing about your fraught relationship with your mother, you may focus on a specific memory where you both disagreed or clashed. This could be the time you and your mother fought over a seemingly insignificant item, or the time you argued about a family secret.
  • Try to use an active voice instead of a passive voice as much as possible when you're writing your essay.

Step 2 Write from your unique voice or perspective.

  • This writing voice may be conversational, much like how you might speak to a good friend or a family member. Or, the writing voice may be more reflective and internal, where you question your own assumptions and thoughts about the subject of the essay.
  • Many personal essays are written in the first person, using “I”. You may decide to write in the present tense to make the story feel immediate, or past tense, which will allow you to reflect more on specific events or moments.
  • Include vivid sensory descriptions in your essay to help the reader connect with your unique perspective. Describing touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound can help the reader invest in your story and feel like they're there with you.

Step 3 Develop the characters so they are well-rounded and detailed.

  • You can also include lines of dialogue spoken by your characters, based on your memory of the event. However, you should limit dialogue to only a few lines a page, as too much dialogue can start to veer away from personal essay and more toward fiction.

Step 4 Include plot in your essay.

  • You may use a plot outline to organize your essay. The plot points should act as supporting evidence for the central question or issue of the essay.

Step 5 Focus on uncovering a deeper truth.

  • It’s important to remember that though an experience may appear to have all the drama necessary to make a good personal essay, it may be a drama that is too familiar to the reader already. Be wary of experiences that are familiar and filled with pathos that a reader may have experienced before.
  • If you are writing about the sudden death of a loved one, for example, it may feel important and deep to you. But the reader will likely know what to expect of an essay about a dead loved one, and may not relate to your essay because they did not know the loved one like you did.
  • Instead, you may try to uncover a truth that is deeper than “I am sad my loved one died.” Think about what the loved one meant to you and how the loved one affected your life, in positive and negative ways. This could lead to the uncovering of a deeper truth and a stronger personal essay.

Polishing Your Essay

Step 1 Try out different literary techniques and forms.

  • For example, you may use metaphor to describe the experience of telling your mother you are gay. You may describe your mother’s face as “impenetrable, a sudden wall”. Or you may use a simile, such as “my mother’s reaction was silent and stunned, as if she had been struck by lightning.”

Step 2 Read the essay out loud.

  • As you read it out loud, you should highlight any sentences that are confusing or unclear as well as sentences that do not appear as strong as the rest of the draft. You should also make sure your characters are well developed and your essay follows some kind of structure or sense of plot. Consider if you are hitting a deeper truth in your draft and what you can do to get there if it is not yet on the page.Revising your essay will only make it that much stronger.

Step 3 Proofread and revise the essay.

  • When you are revising, you should consider if your content is really worth writing about, if you are writing about a topic or subject you are passionate about, and if your reader will understand your writing. You want to avoid confusing your reader, as this can turn her off from reading to the end of your essay.
  • You should also make sure the focus and themes of the essay are clear. Your experiences should center around a central question, issue, or theme. This will ensure your personal essay is well written and concise.
  • Avoid relying on spellcheck to catch all of the spelling and grammar errors in your essay.

Expert Q&A

Jake Adams

  • To get a better sense of the genre, you should read highly crafted examples of personal essay. There are several known personal essays that are often taught in academia, including "Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin, “The Death of a Moth” by Virginia Woolf, “Shipping Out” by David Foster Wallace, “The White Album” by Joan Didion, and “We Do Abortions Here” by Sallie Tisdale. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
  • Ask yourself several questions as you read the examples, such as: How does the writer introduce the subject of their essay? How does the writer explore the subject for a personal perspective? What are the key themes in the essay? How does the writer connect their personal experiences to a universal theme or idea? How does the writer use humor or wit in the essay? What is the concluding moral of the essay? Does the end of the essay leave you satisfied, unsettled, curious, or all of the above? Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Sample Essay and Template

personal essay about maturity

You Might Also Like

Write a Personal Narrative

  • ↑ https://owl.excelsior.edu/writing-process/thesis-sentence/thesis-sentence-angles/
  • ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
  • ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/englishcomp1/chapter/writing-a-narrative-or-personal-essay/
  • ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/personal-essay/
  • ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-a-personal-essay
  • ↑ https://stlcc.edu/student-support/academic-success-and-tutoring/writing-center/writing-resources/point-of-view-in-academic-writing.aspx
  • ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/story-plot/
  • ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/literary-devices/
  • ↑ http://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/vandybloggers/2013/09/how-to-write-your-personal-essay/
  • ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/revising-drafts/

About This Article

Jake Adams

To write a personal essay, start by deciding on an experience that affected your life in some way, such as how failing a pop quiz in class made you change your goals. Next, draft an outline containing the points you want to make, and including an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. When writing, start your essay with an engaging scene that introduces the characters and main theme, then develop the characters in the body section so they're well-rounded. Conclude by summing up what you learned from the experience. For tips on how to include a plot in your essay and how to proofread your work, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

  • Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Alvyn Chin

Mar 2, 2017

Did this article help you?

personal essay about maturity

Romel Saquing

Apr 21, 2017

Luciano Cusumano

Luciano Cusumano

Sep 21, 2020

Elsabeth Yermed

Elsabeth Yermed

Feb 1, 2017

E. L.

Oct 8, 2017

Am I a Narcissist or an Empath Quiz

Featured Articles

Enjoy Your Early Teen Years

Trending Articles

120 Heartwarming Messages to Send Your Bestie on Their Birthday

Watch Articles

Aerating Wine: Benefits, the Breakdown, & Which Wines You Can Skip

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Info
  • Not Selling Info

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

Logo

Essay on Personality Development

Students are often asked to write an essay on Personality Development in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Personality Development

Introduction.

Personality Development refers to enhancing one’s traits for a holistic growth. It’s about improving communication, leadership skills, and maintaining a positive attitude.

Importance of Personality Development

A strong personality helps in better interaction and boosts confidence. It helps us to face challenges and achieve success.

Factors Influencing Personality Development

Various factors like environment, education, and relationships shape our personality. These elements help us grow and evolve as individuals.

Personality Development is a continuous process. It helps us to be better versions of ourselves, making us more adaptable and successful in life.

Also check:

  • Speech on Personality Development

250 Words Essay on Personality Development

Personality development is a comprehensive term that encapsulates the improvement of an individual’s traits and attributes, which contribute to their overall character and image. It is an ongoing process that involves the growth and maturation of one’s personality, leading to self-awareness and personal enhancement.

Significance of Personality Development

Personality development is crucial as it enables individuals to enhance their interpersonal skills, which are vital in today’s highly competitive world. It aids in the development of traits such as confidence, optimism, and resilience, which are key to overcoming life’s challenges. Furthermore, it promotes effective communication skills, leadership qualities, and emotional intelligence, which are integral to personal and professional success.

Several factors influence personality development. The environment, including family, school, and community, plays a significant role in shaping one’s personality. The experiences, both positive and negative, that an individual encounters throughout their life also contribute to their personality development. Genetic factors, although not entirely controllable, also play a part in defining an individual’s temperament and behavior.

In conclusion, personality development is a lifelong process that involves the continuous growth and enhancement of an individual’s character and attributes. It is a critical aspect of human development that can significantly influence one’s personal, academic, and professional success. Therefore, it is essential for individuals to focus on their personality development and strive for continuous self-improvement.

500 Words Essay on Personality Development

Personality development is an enduring process of cultivating behaviors, attitudes, and communication patterns that make an individual distinctive. It involves both the improvement of personal traits and the development of a holistic persona that plays a crucial role in achieving success in life.

The Essence of Personality Development

Personality development is not confined to the improvement of a single aspect of an individual; instead, it is about improving an amalgamation of factors that would include the ability to communicate effectively, confidence building, and the overall personality. It can be considered as a tool that helps in enhancing one’s self-esteem and confidence, thereby making an individual more presentable and acceptable in the social context.

Several factors contribute to personality development, including genetic predisposition, upbringing, education, environment, and experiences. Genetic factors contribute to the fundamental aspects of personality, such as temperament. Upbringing and education, on the other hand, shape our values, beliefs, and attitudes.

Environment and experiences play a significant role in shaping our personality. The environment we are exposed to, the people we interact with, and the experiences we have all contribute to the development of our personality. Positive experiences contribute to a confident, well-adjusted personality, while negative experiences may lead to a lack of confidence and low self-esteem.

Role of Personality Development in Success

Personality development plays a vital role in our success, both personally and professionally. A well-developed personality is a key to success as it enhances our ability to communicate effectively, improves our confidence, and helps us in building relationships. It allows us to present ourselves effectively in various situations, thereby opening up opportunities for growth and success.

The Process of Personality Development

Personality development is a continuous process that starts from the time we are born and continues throughout our life. It involves a constant interaction between our innate characteristics and the environment. This process can be influenced by consciously deciding to improve ourselves by learning new skills, adopting healthy habits, and developing positive attitudes.

In conclusion, personality development is an essential aspect of our lives that influences our success and happiness. It is a continuous process that requires conscious effort and commitment. By understanding the factors that influence our personality and taking steps to develop our personality, we can enhance our potential, improve our relationships, and achieve success in life.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

  • Essay on My Favourite Personality
  • Essay on Himachal Pradesh
  • Essay on Success and Hard Work

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

One Comment

Personal development

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

site intro > course outline > Lesson 1 study guide or links , chat , search , or prior page > here   The Web address of this article is https://sfhelp.org/gwc/maturity.htm   Updated  01-13-2015       Clicking underlined links below will open a new window . Other links will open an informational popup, so please turn off your browser's popup blocker or allow popups from this nonprofit Web site . If your playback device doesn't support Javascript, the popups won't display. Finish this article before clicking underlined links to avoid getting sidetracked in prior pages.       This brief YouTube video hilights key ideas in this article:       This is one of a series of articles on how to reduce psychological wounds and free your true Self to guide you. This article offers perspective on personal growth and maturity, and proposes sample criteria to assess someone's developmental maturity. The article assumes you're familiar with... the intro to this nonprofit Web site and the premises underlying it   perspective on your unique personality typical kids' developmental needs Erik Erickson's stages of human development this brief inspiring YouTube video " The Dash " Status Check       To begin, meditate and rank how you feel about yourself now: __  I'm very im mature __  I'm appropriately mature for my age __  I'm very mature __  I'm gaining maturity (growing personally) __  I have most or all the requisites for "personal growth"  __  people who know me would agree with my answers above

Redo this status-check at the end of the article to see how well you know yourself..

      Pause, breathe, and think of all the adults you know. Who among them would you say is "really mature"? Have you ever thought or said someone was "really im mature"? Do you think of yourself as "very mature"? How do you judge that? Here, maturity refers to the level of [mental + emotional + moral + spiritual]  development, not of physical growth.       Personal maturity can be viewed on two levels: (1) as an absolute, relative to some universal ideal), and (2) as relative to a person's age and neurological functioning (normal or impaired). Be aware of which level you're using as you evaluate someone's status.        As a long-time student of human nature, my sense is that most people are only hazily aware of themselves now and over time. They don't spend much time mulling what "personal growth" and "maturity" are and how they're attained (or not). Imagine a 12 year-old asking you "What is maturity ?" Try answering that out loud now. Did you say something like "To be mature means being 'grown up,' or a true adult." If so, then how do you judge when someone is 'grown up "?       Are these just intellectual questions or can they be useful ? I propose at least two significant benefits: achieving "maturity" can clarify your personal identity " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="ident" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/id_prsnl.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="480" b-resizable="1" i-height="390" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="identity " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; ident_handle = window.open(page,"ident",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){ident_handle.window.focus();} } //--> identity ("I am a wholistically-mature person."), and bolster your self respect and healthy pride. " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="pride" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/pride.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="480" b-resizable="1" i-height="430" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="pride. " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; pride_handle = window.open(page,"pride",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){pride_handle.window.focus();} } //--> pride. Human Development 101       From cells to whales, all living things (like you) progress through a natural cycle of birth, growth, and death. At some point in this cycle, living things - like people - reach their "highest potential," and then their various abilities start to decline. The process of developing your potential can be called maturing .       Reflect on all the people you have known directly and by reputation. Can you think of several people who are or were extraordinarily able and productive in some ways? Do you feel they've reached their "highest potential"?  Now identify several people you feel "could have done a lot more with their lives" - i.e. who have not reached their highest potential in your opinion. How do you measure that?       Each of us has a range of natural interests, talents, and abilities which we may or may not develop and use. These abilities vary from person to person, providing a rich social tapestry and shaping our relationships, organizations, and  societies.       Questions that confront you and every other self-aware person: why do some people ''self actualize'' " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="maslow" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../pop/maslow.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="470" b-resizable="1" i-height="440" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="''self actualize'' " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; maslow_handle = window.open(page,"maslow",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){maslow_handle.window.focus();} } //--> ''self actualize'' (achieve their highest potential) and others don't? what am I interested in and passionate about? What are my special talents and abilities? How can I develop and use my talents? What can I achieve with my knowledge and talents? Am I living ''on purpose''? " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="lop" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/purpose.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="470" b-resizable="1" i-height="390" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="''on purpose''? " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; lop_handle = window.open(page,"lop",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){lop_handle.window.focus();} } //--> ''on purpose''? If I'm not - why ? What limits my personal growth and development, and how can I adapt to or overcome these limits?  Have you thoughts seriously about these questions? Can you answer them? If not - why not? Do you agree that effective parenting " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="parent" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../parent/pop/parent.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="450" b-resizable="1" i-height="340" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="effective parenting " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; parent_handle = window.open(page,"parent",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){parent_handle.window.focus();} } //--> effective parenting includes helping kids become aware of these questions and how to answer them over time?        A shallow view of personal maturity focuses on achievements and fame in some field. For example, it's tempting to label people like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Marie Curie, Walt Disney, Washington Carver, Joan of Arc, Helen Keller, Genghis Khan, George Washington, Edgar Cayce, Desmond Tutu, Herodotus, and Mother Theresa as "mature" - but were they really ?  How about  Adolph Hitler, Idi Amin, Muammar Khadafi, Joseph Stalin, and Nero? Do you see Mohammed, Buddha, Christ, and other renowned prophets as "mature" people? if so - why? What is "Personal Growth "?       Try answering this question out loud now. Did you say something general like "Well, it means 'getting better at things."? What things ? Compare your answer with this:       "Personal growth" means improving your... self-awareness, " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="xrcz" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/exercise.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="400" b-resizable="1" i-height="340" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="self-awareness, " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; xrcz_handle = window.open(page,"xrcz",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){xrcz_handle.window.focus();} } //--> self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-respect; and your ... attitudes about good > bad, and right > wrong; and your... abilities to think logically and clearly, and to comprehend complex, abstract ideas; and increasing your... knowledge about the world and people; and improving your abilities to... analyze and solve complex personal and social problems; and to relate harmoniously with all adults and kids; and improving your..... spiritual awareness " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="spirit" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../pop/spirituality.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="520" b-resizable="1" i-height="510" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="spiritual awareness " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; spirit_handle = window.open(page,"spirit",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){spirit_handle.window.focus();} } //--> spiritual awareness and sensitivity.       And "personal growth" also means learning how to... feel genuine compassion and = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; empathy_handle = window.open(page,"empathy",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){empathy_handle.window.focus();} } //--> empathy for yourself and other people; and to... identify and develop your unique abilities , and how to... use your talents and admit and adapt to your limitations ("I can sing an aria, but I can't play the banjo or cook a soufflé") and learning to improve your... ability to balance " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="balance" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../pop/balance_pic.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="150" b-resizable="1" i-height="220" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="balance " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; balance_handle = window.open(page,"balance",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){balance_handle.window.focus();} } //--> balance (a) work + play + rest, and (b) immediate vs. delayed  gratification; and "personal growth" means learning to... . (add your own criteria)         What are you aware of now? This summary suggests that "personal growth" has many dimensions : cognitive, psychological, spiritual, behavioral, and social. It also implies you can develop these dimensions intentionally or "by chance" (experience). I observe that the most mature people are... guided " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="traits" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/Selftraits.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="500" b-resizable="1" i-height="420" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="guided " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; traits_handle = window.open(page,"traits",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){traits_handle.window.focus();} } //--> guided by their true Self, " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="selves" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/selves.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="466" b-resizable="1" i-height="377" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="true Self," --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; selves_handle = window.open(page,"selves",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){selves_handle.window.focus();} } //--> true Self, aware " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="aware" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/aware.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="440" b-resizable="1" i-height="411" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="aware " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; aware_handle = window.open(page,"aware",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){aware_handle.window.focus();} } //--> aware of themselves and these growth options; and they... work proactively to grow over time. They seek a purpose " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="purpose" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/purpose.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="420" b-resizable="1" i-height="390" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="purpose " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; purpose_handle = window.open(page,"purpose",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){purpose_handle.window.focus();} } //--> purpose to their lives, rather than living mindlessly and reactively a day at a time .       Which of the factors above describe you recently?       Another important dimension is... Mental Health and Maturity       If an early teen asked you "What is mental health ?" , what would you say? It's as hard to define as maturity. One way to sharpen your definition is to think of examples in your life of people who you feel are "mentally healthy" and "mentally unhealthy." What criteria do you use?       I've studied this question professionally since 1979. In my opinion, "mental health" can be measured by five core variables: the person... has no organic brain dysfunction; and s/he can consistently... perceive sensory and environmental information accurately and process it "appropriately" according to local social norms; and... perceive her or his local and long-range needs " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="p_needs" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../pop/p_needs.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="530" b-resizable="1" i-height="430" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="needs " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; p_needs_handle = window.open(page,"p_needs",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){p_needs_handle.window.focus();} } //--> needs accurately and fill them (problem-solve) effectively; and s/he... is consistently self-nurturing (vs. self-neglectful), and... has no significant symptoms of these six widespread psychological wounds. " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="wounds" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/wounds.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="380" b-resizable="1" i-height="360" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="wounds." --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; wounds_handle = window.open(page,"wounds",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){wounds_handle.window.focus();} } //--> wounds.   This covers a wide range of traditional "mental health ('personality and mood') disorders" like Bipolar, Obsessions, Compulsions, Illusions, Borderline, Manic-Depression, Poor impulse control, Narcissism, Depression, Social Anxiety, etc.   How does this definition of mental health compare to your definition? Clarity on it  will help you answer this:       For perspective, read this view of " |mental illness " when you finish here. "Does maturity depend on 'mental health'?"

      Try answering this question out loud now. Who's answering - your .Self or "someone else"?

      Consider these related questions and see what you believe:

"Does personal maturity depend on knowledge ?"
"Does maturity depend on your 'IQ' (intelligence)" "Does maturity depend on life experience ?" "Does maturity depend on wisdom , or vice versa?"

      Reflect and answer this question out loud. Then compare your ideas with this premise: personal growth toward "full maturity" depends on many factors. Use this as a checklist to learn about yourself: 

__  early caregivers' attitudes and values - e.g. unaware, passive, pessimistic, and purposeless; to self-aware, goal-oriented, optimistic, focused, and purposeful;

__  open-mindedness and a steady motivation to learn;

__  one or more mentors and/or hero/ines (inspiring people);

      And the rate and extent of your personal growth depends on...

__  discomforts (needs). These minimize personal complacency and stagnation;

__  the ability to see opportunities for growth in all situations;

__  wanting to understand people (including yourself) and the world;

__  (add your own factors).

      How do you feel about these sample requisites for personal growth and maturity? Which do you feel are the most important? How many of these factors do you have now?

      Use what follows to clarify (a) how "well developed" you are and (b) ways you want to develop further. The less distracted you are, the more accurate your responses to this inventory will be. Option - print and store this where you can find and review it in the future to gauge your personal growth.

      This inventory is illustrative, not absolute or complete. Edit it any way you want to make it "fit you" better. The inventory is divided into several dimensions: your personality, attitudes, emotions, priorities, and abilities .

      Thoughtfully rank each of the following items from 1 (false, low, seldom. never) to 4 (true, high, often, always) If you're unsure, circle "?". Option - journal about your thoughts and emotions as you fill this out. Recall - underlined links below will open a new page, and other links will open an informational popup.

      These shape your goals, relationships, achievements, and satisfactions:

  My Priorities 1)  I want to ''self actualize'' " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="maslow" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../pop/maslow.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="470" b-resizable="1" i-height="440" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="''self actualize'' " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; maslow_handle = window.open(page,"maslow",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){maslow_handle.window.focus();} } //--> ''self actualize'' (become the best person I can be) 1 2 3 4 ? 2)  I steadily seek to improve my internal " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="aware" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/exercise.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="400" b-resizable="1" i-height="366" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="internal " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; aware_handle = window.open(page,"aware",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){aware_handle.window.focus();} } //--> internal and external " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="awareness" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/aware.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="440" b-resizable="1" i-height="430" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="external " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; awareness_handle = window.open(page,"awareness",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){awareness_handle.window.focus();} } //--> external awareness 1 2 3 4 ? 3)  I value balancing " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="balance" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../pop/balance_pic.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="150" b-resizable="1" i-height="220" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="balancing " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; balance_handle = window.open(page,"balance",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){balance_handle.window.focus();} } //--> balancing work, rest, meditation, and play daily and over time 1 2 3 4 ? 4)  I'm working steadily to identify and pursue my = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; lop_handle = window.open(page,"lop",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){lop_handle.window.focus();} } //--> life purpose. 1 2 3 4 ? 5)  I usually rank my wholistic health " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="wh" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/wholistic.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="370" b-resizable="1" i-height="300" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="wholistic health " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; wh_handle = window.open(page,"wh",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){wh_handle.window.focus();} } //--> wholistic health first, my primary relationship (if any) second, and the needs of any young people in my life third, except in emergencies. I feel no guilt, shame, or anxiety about this . 1 2 3 4 ? 6)  I'm steadily focused on improving my thinking " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="think" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../cx/pop/think.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="480" b-resizable="1" i-height="410" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="thinking " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; think_handle = window.open(page,"think",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){think_handle.window.focus();} } //--> thinking and communication " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="ecx" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../cx/pop/ecx.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="420" b-resizable="1" i-height="360" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="communication " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; ecx_handle = window.open(page,"ecx",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){ecx_handle.window.focus();} } //--> communication effectiveness and teaching young people how to do these. 1 2 3 4 ? 7)  I steadily value learning from study, experience, and reflection. 1 2 3 4 ? 8)  I value constructive participation in local, state, and national government 1 2 3 4 ? 9)  I value making a positive difference in the world more than acquiring money, fame, and power 1 2 3 4 ? 10)  I see little value in replaying and regretting past decisions and mistakes. I focus on the present and the future. 1 2 3 4 ? 11)  I invest time and energy protecting our natural environment 1 2 3 4 ? 12 )  I do what I can to alert people to the toxic [wounds + unawareness] cycle. " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="cycle" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../pop/course.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="460" b-resizable="1" i-height="540" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="cycle." --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; cycle_handle = window.open(page,"cycle",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){cycle_handle.window.focus();} } //--> cycle. 1 2 3 4 ? 13) 1 2 3 4 ? 14) 1 2 3 4 ?   My Abilities 1)  I love and respect myself as a unique, worthy person 1 2 3 4 ? 2)  I am able to form and maintain healthy (vs. toxic) relationships and bonds " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="bonds" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="pop/bond.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="480" b-resizable="1" i-height="420" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="bonds" --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; bonds_handle = window.open(page,"bonds",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){bonds_handle.window.focus();} } //--> bonds 1 2 3 4 ? 3)  I am able to empathize " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="emp" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../relate/pop/empathy.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="480" b-resizable="1" i-height="420" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="empathize " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; emp_handle = window.open(page,"emp",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){emp_handle.window.focus();} } //--> empathize with most other people 1 2 3 4 ? 4)  I can sleep well and wake refreshed without chemicals 1 2 3 4 ? 5)  I'm consistently able to _ breathe well and _ sense what my body is telling me 1 2 3 4 ? 6)  I can give, receive, and acknowledge praise without discomfort  1 2 3 4 ? 7)  I can identify and assert my boundaries " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="boundaries" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../relate/pop/boundaries.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="490" b-resizable="1" i-height="390" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="boundaries " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; boundaries_handle = window.open(page,"boundaries",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){boundaries_handle.window.focus();} } //--> boundaries without guilt or anxiety 1 2 3 4 ? 8)  I know how to compromise and problem-solve " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="ps" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../cx/pop/ps.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="440" b-resizable="1" i-height="344" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="problem-solve " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; ps_handle = window.open(page,"ps",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){ps_handle.window.focus();} } //--> problem-solve instead of fight, argue, or avoid 1 2 3 4 ? 9)  I know how to handle values " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="vc" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../relate/pop/vc_steps.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="560" b-resizable="1" i-height="500" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="values " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; vc_handle = window.open(page,"vc",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){vc_handle.window.focus();} } //--> values and loyalty " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="lc" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../fam/pop/lc.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="390" b-resizable="1" i-height="390" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="loyalty " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; lc_handle = window.open(page,"lc",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){lc_handle.window.focus();} } //--> loyalty conflicts effectively 1 2 3 4 ? 10)  I know how to set goals, make effective plans, and stay focused despite distractions 1 2 3 4 ? 11)  I can think clearly " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="think" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../cx/pop/think.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="480" b-resizable="1" i-height="410" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="think clearly " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; think_handle = window.open(page,"think",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){think_handle.window.focus();} } //--> think clearly in calm and stressful situations 1 2 3 4 ? 12)  I can identify my losses " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="loss" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../grief/pop/losses.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="490" b-resizable="1" i-height="444" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="losses " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; loss_handle = window.open(page,"loss",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){loss_handle.window.focus();} } //--> losses (broken bonds) and I'm able to grieve " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="grieve" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../grief/pop/grief.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="490" b-resizable="1" i-height="422" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="grieve " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; grieve_handle = window.open(page,"grieve",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){grieve_handle.window.focus();} } //--> grieve them effectively 1 2 3 4 ? 13)  I can consistently balance short-term and long-term satisfactions 1 2 3 4 ? 14)  I'm consistently able to tell who merits my trust and who doesn't 1 2 3 4 ? 15)  I'm comfortable with my body, appearance, and sexuality 1 2 3 4 ? 16)  I'm able to ask for help when I need it without significant guilt, shame, or anxiety 1 2 3 4 ? 17)  I can manage personal criticism, prejudice, stress, and rejection effectively 1 2 3 4 ? 18)  I can laugh at myself in private and public without self-criticism and shame 1 2 3 4 ? 19)  I can relate to and nurture young people effectively " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="parent" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../parent/pop/parent.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="450" b-resizable="1" i-height="350" i-left="0" s-hyperlink="effectively " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; parent_handle = window.open(page,"parent",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){parent_handle.window.focus();} } //--> effectively 1 2 3 4 ? 20)  I can maintain a positive outlook despite my problems 1 2 3 4 ? 21)  I can appreciate the beauty and wonder of Nature 1 2 3 4 ? 22)  I can make my own decisions, and I'm not overly influenced by other peoples' opinions and values 1 2 3 4 ? 23) 1 2 3 4 ? 24) 1 2 3 4 ? 25) 1 2 3 4 ?       Pause, breathe, and reflect: what are you aware of now? What did you just learn? Have you ever seen a "maturity-criteria" inventory like this? Recall - this inventory is not meant to be complete, absolute, or authoritarian. It's designed to stimulate your awareness about how you judge human "maturity."        Option - think of one or more people who are important to you, like each of the adults who raised you. When you're undistracted, re-scan the inventory and sense how mature they each were or are. Notice how that affects your respect and empathy for them. Status Check       See how you feel about yourself now, compared to when you began this article: __  I am very im mature __  I am appropriately mature for my age __  I am very mature __  I am gaining maturity (growing personally) __  I have most or all the requisites for personal growth  __  people who really know me would agree with my answers above

      What did you just learn?

      If you want to intentionally "become more mature"...

compare your environment to the "personal growth" factors above , and make any necessary changes. Then...

edit this inventory to fit you better, and hilight specific items you want to improve over time. 

      From seven decades of studying human development and behavior, this article offers perspective on "personal growth" and [mental + emotional + spiritual + moral] "maturity." It proposes (a) requisites for personal growth, and (b) a sample multi-dimensional inventory to help you assess someone's level of maturity. 

      Accurate awareness of your current level of maturity can clarify your personal identity and your self respect. It can also help you nurture younger people over time. Is there anyone you want to show this to and/or discuss it with?

      Pause, breathe, and reflect - why did you read this article? Did you get what you needed? If not, what = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; dig_handle = window.open(page,"dig",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){dig_handle.window.focus();} } //--> do you need? Who's = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; traits_handle = window.open(page,"traits",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){traits_handle.window.focus();} } //--> answering these questions - your = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; reg_pic_handle = window.open(page,"reg_pic",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){reg_pic_handle.window.focus();} } //--> true Self, or "someone else."? " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="inr_f" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="../gwc/pop/inr_f.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="500" b-resizable="1" b-scroll="1" i-height="410" i-left="0" s-hyperlink=""someone else."? " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; inr_f_handle = window.open(page,"inr_f",",,,,,scrollbars,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){inr_f_handle.window.focus();} } //--> "someone else."? " s-wudll="popup.dll" i-bordersize="0" s-windowname="inr_f" i-type="1" b-center="1" tag="p" i-rotate="0" s-class="floatwin" u-windowurl="https://sfhelp.org/gwc/pop/inr_f.htm" clientside i-top="0" i-width="500" b-resizable="1" b-scroll="1" i-height="410" i-left="0" s-hyperlink=""someone else."? " --> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; inr_f_handle = window.open(page,"inr_f",",,,,,scrollbars,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){inr_f_handle.window.focus();} } //--> = 4){ l = (screen.width - w) / 2; t = (screen.height - h) / 2; } var loc = 'width=' + w + ',height=' + h + ',top=' + t + ',left=' + l; inr_f_handle = window.open(page,"inr_f",",,,,,,resizable," + loc); if(parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4){inr_f_handle.window.focus();} } //--> ''someone else''?   For more perspective, see this personal-strengths inventory This article was very helpful  somewhat helpful  not helpful    

Share/Bookmark

  site intro   /    course outline   /  site search   /  glossary   /   chat   /  contact

Tchiki Davis, Ph.D.

Personal Development: 9 Skills, Tips, and Examples

Why personal development is so important and how to improve yourself..

Posted June 7, 2020 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

Pixabay

I am obsessed with personal development because it's helped me completely change my life. Only 10 years ago, I had no connections, no money, and worked a minimum wage retail job. Now, I have a Ph.D. from Berkeley, am the author of a book on how to generate happiness in the technology age , and have created a variety of well-being-boosting programs . And it's all because I worked on developing myself. So how do you make personal development work for you?

Personal development can include any skill that you build to improve yourself—your emotions, thoughts, or behaviors. It doesn't really matter which skills you want to improve; the key to personal development is taking the right steps—steps that help ensure that you reach whatever goal you are pursuing.

Learn more from the video below:

What are the most important personal development skills? It really depends on what you're trying to achieve. But here are 9 that I have found to be important to successful personal development.

1. Start by figuring out which personal development skills you need to build. The first step in any personal development strategy is to figure out how to best use your time. It makes little sense to learn how to code if you don't plan to be a coder or to bench press 400 pounds if you don't plan to be a weight lifter. These can be hobbies, but personal development is more about building skills to reach your personal goals . So it's good to take some time to self-reflect. (If well-being is a goal of yours, take this well-being quiz to see which skills you need to build.)

2. Develop entrepreneurial thinking. Everyone can benefit from learning how to think like an entrepreneur, regardless of whether or not you are one. Why? Because entrepreneurs are innovative, good at planning for all possible outcomes, and skilled at getting others to buy into their vision or dream. And perhaps more importantly for personal development, they tend to be adaptable to all sorts of situations.

By developing entrepreneurial thinking, you better adapt to whatever your circumstances are so you can more easily achieve your goals, whether those goals are to start a business that makes a positive impact in the world , to set yourself up for an early retirement , or climb Mount Everest.

3. Develop a growth mindset . If we have a “fixed mindset,” we may shy away from challenges that could help us grow. But this can be problematic because our fear of making mistakes can lead us to avoid challenges and new experiences—experiences which would help us grow, improve ourselves in important ways, and create the life we desire.

If we have a “ growth mindset ” we seek out challenges because we value learning and growth more than we value feeling smart or knowing what we’re doing. That's why those with a growth mindset often build new skills more easily: They believe they can and so they really work at it.

4. Develop your self-soothing mechanism. High levels of stress are not only bad for our health and well-being, they can prevent us from effectively pursuing and achieving our self-development goals. By learning effective, long-lasting relaxation techniques , your body and mind will be more equipped to handle the inevitable challenges that arise when you're trying to develop yourself.

5. Develop resilience . Resilience is that super-important skill that helps you bounce back quickly after being knocked down. This is one of the most important skills for success because none of us will achieve anything if we don't keep trying when we fail. We can build resilience by improving skills like emotion-regulation , mindfulness , and positivity.

6. Develop your value compass. It's not always easy to live by our core values . But when we go through life without following our personal values, we can easily get lost. We may suddenly "wake up" and realize that we are not who we want to be or where we want to be. This is why it's so important to stay in alignment with our personal values.

What are your values? Perhaps: kindness, curiosity, creativity , hard work, or personal relationships. Define your personal values so you know which actions are in alignment with those values.

7. Create a personal development plan. A good personal development plan takes all these factors into consideration—the WHAT, the HOW, the WHY, and the WHEN. And it focuses on long-term goals . So ask yourself:

personal essay about maturity

  • What skills will you build?
  • How will you build them?
  • Why will you build them?
  • And when will you build them?

It can be helpful to create a 10-year plan to map out how you'll reach these goals.

8. Record your progress towards personal development. Keeping track of our progress as we move toward our personal development goals is key to making sure we're on the right track. Then we can pause and take a different direction if we've gone off course. By maintaining self-awareness and frequently checking in with ourselves, we can identify things that we need to devote more attention to. As a result, we can make better progress toward our personal development.

9. Keep developing yourself in new ways. The science is clear: The more ways we develop ourselves, the broader our skillset, and the more success we tend to have. So try learning some new emotional skills or do some activities to build new skills. You just might learn something that changes your life.

Facebook /LinkedIn images: GaudiLab/Shutterstock

Tchiki Davis, Ph.D.

Tchiki Davis, Ph.D. , is a consultant, writer, and expert on well-being technology.

  • Find a Therapist
  • Find a Treatment Center
  • Find a Psychiatrist
  • Find a Support Group
  • Find Teletherapy
  • United States
  • Brooklyn, NY
  • Chicago, IL
  • Houston, TX
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • New York, NY
  • Portland, OR
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Seattle, WA
  • Washington, DC
  • Asperger's
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Chronic Pain
  • Eating Disorders
  • Passive Aggression
  • Personality
  • Goal Setting
  • Positive Psychology
  • Stopping Smoking
  • Low Sexual Desire
  • Relationships
  • Child Development
  • Therapy Center NEW
  • Diagnosis Dictionary
  • Types of Therapy

March 2024 magazine cover

Understanding what emotional intelligence looks like and the steps needed to improve it could light a path to a more emotionally adept world.

  • Coronavirus Disease 2019
  • Affective Forecasting
  • Neuroscience

Dr.Jeffrey (PhD)

2269 Chestnut Street, #477 San Francisco CA 94123

We hire a huge amount of professional essay writers to make sure that our essay service can deal with any subject, regardless of complexity. Place your order by filling in the form on our site, or contact our customer support agent requesting someone write my essay, and you'll get a quote.

personal essay about maturity

Finished Papers

personal essay about maturity

"The impact of cultural..."

We value every paper writer working for us, therefore we ask our clients to put funds on their balance as proof of having payment capability. Would be a pity for our writers not to get fair pay. We also want to reassure our clients of receiving a quality paper, thus the funds are released from your balance only when you're 100% satisfied.

Customer Reviews

IMAGES

  1. Maturity Stage and Decline Stage Free Essay Example

    personal essay about maturity

  2. Maturity

    personal essay about maturity

  3. (PDF) Fertility in the Age of Demographic Maturity: An Essay

    personal essay about maturity

  4. Changing Student Perceptions of Homework with Age and Maturity Free

    personal essay about maturity

  5. Maturity Essay

    personal essay about maturity

  6. 📌 The Maturity Dilemma

    personal essay about maturity

VIDEO

  1. Writing free session, The 5 types of essays 16 05 2021

  2. Unlocking Authentic Maturity

  3. Important tips for essay

  4. good personal essay writing 😉😉 @Charan_Karthi six

  5. Improve your ESSAYS📝🇬🇧

  6. Week 8: Writing from Personal Experience

COMMENTS

  1. How to Write a Personal Growth Essay

    Dive into the art of crafting a compelling narrative about personal growth. 1. Choose Your Story: The Heartbeat of Your Essay. The essence of your essay lies in the story you decide to narrate. Growth can sprout from myriad experiences, both grand and ordinary.

  2. Essay Examples on Personal Growth and Development

    The Importance of Goals for Personal Growth and Success. 2 pages / 722 words. Setting and achieving goals is essential for personal growth and success in various aspects of life. Goals help provide direction, focus, and motivation, and contribute to overall happiness and well-being. In this essay, we will explore the definition and importance ...

  3. What Is Maturity?

    Maturity is the behavioral expression of emotional health and wisdom. It is the capacity to know one's own emotional experience, to be oriented by this experience to some aspect of the truth, to ...

  4. Emotional Maturity and Emotional Stability: [Essay Example], 2215 words

    Maturity, a concept central to personal development, is a multifaceted construct that encompasses various emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions. ... Transitioning from adolescence to adulthood is a complex and transformative journey that marks a pivotal phase of personal development. This essay delves into the multifaceted process of ...

  5. Essay on Growing Towards Maturity

    Essay on Growing Towards Maturity. Topics: Maturity Personal Growth and Development. Words: 544. Page: 1. This essay sample was donated by a student to help the academic community. Papers provided by EduBirdie writers usually outdo students' samples.

  6. Essays About Personal Growth: Top 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

    Elaborate on how the pursuit of personal growth helps leaders deliver in their enormous role in organizations, companies, and communities. 6. Personal Growth at Work. If you firmly believe that growth at work translates to personal growth, it would be less hard for you to get by at work.

  7. 10 Personal Statement Essay Examples That Worked

    Personal Statement Examples. Essay 1: Summer Program. Essay 2: Being Bangladeshi-American. Essay 3: Why Medicine. Essay 4: Love of Writing. Essay 5: Starting a Fire. Essay 6: Dedicating a Track. Essay 7: Body Image and Eating Disorders. Essay 8: Becoming a Coach.

  8. The Days of My Life: Personal Development Essay

    Piaget's theory at its best. Perhaps, one of the best ways to demonstrate a child's development of cognitive and analytical skills, Piaget's theory can be easily applied to my childhood memories. As an infant, I played with a teddy bear. Being a single parent, my mother had to leave me in daycare, yet I protested against being alone.

  9. Personal Growth Essay

    Starting with an anecdote and or a personal experience often works well. - A well-organized structure, including at least 3-4 paragraphs, along with a clear introduction and conclusion. - A coherent argument that explores your key reasons for applying and interest. - Relevant detail about your strengths and accomplishments.

  10. 48 Personal Growth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    Five-Year Personal Growth Plan Overview. From Childhood to Adulthood: Emotional and Physical Changes. The Attributes That Complement Professional and Personal Growth. Human Services Theory: Guidance for Personal Growth. The Relationships Between Journeys Involve New Experiences and Personal Growth.

  11. The Marks of Maturity

    A healthy, mature student is one who has developed intellectually, volitionally, emotionally, and spiritually. Marks of maturity include keeping long-term commitments, being able to handle ...

  12. How to Write Common App Prompt #5: Showing Personal Growth

    Common App Essay Prompt #5. PROMPT #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. In Common App Essay Prompt #5, the words "accomplishment" and "event" are somewhat open to interpretation. Therefore, an essay inspired by this question could ...

  13. Writing Application Essays and Personal Statements

    These essays, sometimes called Personal Statements, are an opportunity to show the selection committee who you are as a person: your story, your values, your interests, and why you—and not your peer with a similar resume—are a perfect fit for this opportunity. ... The essay is where you should showcase the depth of your maturity, not the ...

  14. How to Write a Personal Essay

    5. Focus on uncovering a deeper truth. This means thinking about the deeper meanings that are at the core of your personal experiences. Try to discuss your experiences with honesty and curiosity, where you are trying to uncover a hidden truth or a truth you did not know was there at the time.

  15. PDF Personal Growth and Personality Development: Well-being and Ego Development

    of feelings of personal growth, well-being, and complexity. In other words, in these studies we examine the potential relation`nships between the phenomenological experience of personal growth and an objective measure of ego development. Recently, an approach to maturity has been suggested (King & Hicks, 2007) that incorporates two

  16. How To Write a Personal Essay in 8 Simple Steps (With Tips)

    8. Write the conclusion. The closing is generally one or two paragraphs long and repeats your main points in the body. Try not to share new information and focus on relaying your personal message. End your essay with a sentence that sums up the lesson in your story and links the entire essay together.

  17. Essay on Personality Development

    500 Words Essay on Personality Development Introduction. Personality development is an enduring process of cultivating behaviors, attitudes, and communication patterns that make an individual distinctive. It involves both the improvement of personal traits and the development of a holistic persona that plays a crucial role in achieving success ...

  18. Perspective on personal growth and maturity

    Here, maturity refers to the level of [mental + emotional + moral + spiritual] development, not of physical growth. Personal maturity can be viewed on two levels: (1) as an absolute, relative to some universal ideal), and (2) as relative to a person's age and neurological functioning (normal or impaired). Be aware of which level you're using as ...

  19. Personal Development: 9 Skills, Tips, and Examples

    But here are 9 that I have found to be important to successful personal development. 1. Start by figuring out which personal development skills you need to build. The first step in any personal ...

  20. Emotional Maturity: What It Looks Like

    Tips for development. Takeaway. An emotionally mature person manages their emotions well even in difficult situations, takes accountability, is okay with being vulnerable, and shows empathy to ...

  21. Signs of Maturity in Personal Growth and Development by ...

    We learn that maturity can be achieved through personal growth by Barbara Wexler and that it consists of heredity and environmental factors, or resilience by Harold M. Giznberg; the ability to adapt to stressful situations or disadvantages, and to conclude self-esteem; showing through your respect, pride, and responsibility by Barbara Wexler.

  22. Personal Essays On Maturity

    Personal Essays On Maturity. ID 27260. Discuss the details of your assignment and rest while your chosen writer works on your order. The experts well detail out the effect relationship between the two given subjects and underline the importance of such a relationship in your writing. Our cheap essay writer service is a lot helpful in making ...

  23. Personal Essay About Maturity

    Essay writing services are legal if the company has passed a number of necessary checks and is licensed. This area is well developed and regularly monitored by serious services. If a private person offers you his help for a monetary reward, then we would recommend you to refuse his offer. A reliable essay writing service will always include ...

  24. Development of personal comfort model and its use in the ...

    The accurate identification of the real-time thermal state of personnel working indoors has been the focus of researchers. In this study, a detailed examination of the entire process of developing a personal comfort model, from theory to practice, is conducted. In particular, the subject of this investigation is a smart air conditioner capable of predicting thermal sensation based on an ...