I ntentional G rowth T raining: Developing an Intervention to Increase Personal Growth Initiative

Background: A one‐week intervention ( I ntentional G rowth T raining; IGT ) to increase personal growth initiative ( PGI ) was created and tested in a series of studies to determine its effect on PGI level. Because PGI predicts psychological well‐being and depression, IGT has potential to have considerable benefit on a person's mental health. Methods: Study 1 was the initial assessment of whether IGT increased PGI greater than various control conditions. Study 2 employed an enhanced version of IGT and utilised the singular components of IGT determining which components were most impactful at increasing PGI . Study 3 was a narrative analysis of writing samples from Study 2 determining whether participant language varied by condition in use of negative or positive emotion, or personal growth‐related words. Results: In Study 1, PGI increased significantly across conditions. In Study 2, the growth activity only condition, and PGI education coupled with the growth activity, produced significant increases in PGI . In Study 3, those receiving only PGI education used more growth‐related words than control conditions. Conclusion: The most effective IGT format appears to include both education about PGI and a growth activity. The benefits of utilising IGT are discussed.