Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, promote the development of personal skills and potentials, contribute to building human capital and facilitate employability, improve quality of life, and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations. The concept is not limited to self-help, but also includes formal and informal activities for the development of others in roles such as teacher, guide, administrator, guidance counselor or mentor.

When personal development is carried out in the context of institutions, it refers to the evaluation methods, programs, tools, techniques and systems that support human development at the individual level, both in organizations and in self-planned activities.