Personal Growth Initiative in the Therapeutic Process: An Exploratory Study ψ

Ingrid K. Weigold, Rebecca A. Boyle, Arne Weigold, Stephen Z. Antonucci, Heike B. Mitchell, Caitlin A. Martin-Wagar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

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

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)481-504
Number of pages24
JournalCounseling Psychologist
Volume46
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2018

Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported in part by a Faculty Research Grant from The University of Akron (FRG #1805).

FundersFunder number
University of AkronFRG #1805

    Keywords

    • Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II
    • clients
    • counseling
    • personal growth initiative
    • therapy

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