AND WHAT’S NECESSARY FOR REAL GROWTH

I’m a big fan of personal growth, whatever that means.
To me, it’s about expanding both my knowledge of the outer world and my inner world.
That’s why I often find myself reading books, newsletters, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, and taking online courses. Daily exposure to new ideas and concepts makes me feel like I’m enriching my mindset and worldview. At least, that’s the assumption.

I say “assumption” because every time I add new knowledge, I’m left with a question — or more like a fear: will I remember this? Did I truly understand and integrate this new idea? Will it really change the way I think and see the world? Or is it just an illusion?

When I read this article: Human Development 101: What are Horizontal and Vertical Development?, the answer became clear. My fear had a name: aboutism.

There is the problem that knowing about something has little relationship to being able to integrate that understanding into one’s living and being. A trend we call ‘aboutism.’ Yet such knowledge can remain espoused theory rather than theory-in-action. One can know all about the topic without ever integrating it into one’s own personal meaning-making. This is why we call it ‘aboutism.’

Knowing is not growing

So: learning something new doesn’t automatically mean changing one’s mindset.
They’re two separate concepts — and they too have a name.
Psychological knowledge (or horizontal development) and psychological growth (or vertical development).

Psychological knowledge is what we think / know.
Psychological growth is how we think / know.

Horizontal development comes from acquiring new skills and competencies, adding or transferring information from one area to another. It doesn’t necessarily shift our worldview, sensemaking, or belief system.

Vertical development, on the other hand, transforms how we see reality. It challenges the fundamental assumptions we hold about ourselves, others, and the world. It’s about evolving to a new psychological stage, where meaning-making and perspective-taking become more holistic than they were before.

Horizontal development frequently speaks to filling an individual’s ‘cup’ of knowledge, whereas vertical leadership development aims to expand that person’s ‘cup’ overall, so that they can better utilize their own skills and abilities.

THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT

When I discovered these theories, I started wondering about the connection between horizontal and vertical development and where I was investing my time and energy. While developing my psychological knowledge, was I also fostering psychological growth? Did I have control over which direction to lengthen? How could I avoid the ‘aboutism’ trap?

The answers came after some reflection, further reading, and a few sketches. Here’s what I realized.

Both concepts are important, but one can’t exist without the other. Horizontal development acts as an enabler for vertical development.

Horizontal development is intentional: we decide what to study, which concepts to learn, and what information to gather. It’s an individual process driven by our goals and intentions.

Vertical development doesn’t have a predefined purpose: we can’t plan it. It unfolds through self-reflection, time, and often through those serendipitous moments in life.

“Vertical development as a good outcome of healthy horizontal development”

Horizontal development alone is somewhat useless. Yet, it is necessary for vertical growth. Vertical development can’t truly happen without horizontal development.

Picture a ladder. Horizontal development is like collecting the rungs — the foundational components of the ladder. Vertical development is the act of climbing it.

Energy and time can be spent collecting bits of knowledge — the rungs of the ladder. But without a way to assemble them, we can’t truly climb or grow. Vertical development is the toolbox that lets us put the ladder together and climb it.

What’s in this toolbox? Life experiences shared with others.
What does climbing the ladder mean? Navigating reality, making meaning, and expanding our perspectives — leading to new stages of self-identity and growth.

MOTIVATION VS DEVOTION

When I realized this, I felt a sense of relief: my strong drive for horizontal development doesn’t just increase the risk of aboutism; it actually gives me many rungs to climb, which means I have the potential to grow a lot. And all of this is fueled by intrinsic motivation.

But if motivation only leads us to grow horizontally, what drives meaning-making in vertical development? I found the answer while listening to this podcast: Perché la ricerca del successo è da sfigati – Il Bazar Atomico Daniel Lumera Podcast.

The answer is an equally important counterforce: devotion.

Motivation arises from our desire to understand the world and fill the knowledge gaps within ourselves. Driven by curiosity, motivation leads us to invest time and resources to achieve our personal goals and satisfy our thirst for insightful information. It requires planning and listens to our ambition. It’s future-oriented and makes us focus on our individual journey. This is how we develop horizontally.

Devotion is something different. It doesn’t seek answers and doesn’t look to the future. It’s about pure contemplation of the present moment. It is not single-focused, but it makes us interact with others’ lives. The focus shifts from the individual to the collective. The ego is then emptied, creating space for anything that we can’t plan or envision — beauty, inspiration, awe, and wonder.

Devotion manifests as a genuine willingness to dedicate our time and resources to what’s beyond our personal scope. It’s about being fully present, actively listening, sharing vulnerabilities, and offering support.

This is how devotion drives our vertical development.

By connecting with others, we fully engage in the game of life: we bring into play what we’ve learned from our individual (horizontal) journeys, test it against the unknown, and enrich it with others’ new perspectives. It’s through this process that we experience serendipitous moments that shift our view of the world, give it new meaning, and reshape our sense of self.

This mindset enables us to fully embrace life’s experiences and truly climb the ladder of life.

CONCLUSION

I believe this distinction is crucial for understanding why motivation alone can’t bring us true happiness. Listening only to our ambition and desire to grow as individuals can certainly enrich our lives by aligning our actions with our future dreams. It helps us accept the small sacrifices we must make now to achieve something bigger later on.

Personal growth does help us grow, but focusing solely on ourselves and our future goals is limiting (development is only horizontal). It’s also essential to stay connected to our present purpose and engage with the people and the world around us — that is precisely what devotion means.

If we fail to make our presence felt by those we love, take moments of connection for granted, neglect to share life experiences and thoughts with others, or don’t offer our talents, attention, and support to those who benefit, we’ll never experience the true joy of being alive and discovering the incredible world around us.

The view from above is always more beautiful: devotion allows us to climb the ladder of life so we can admire that world from ever-new perspectives.

And it takes little to do it.

Ultimately, vertical development comes from spontaneously giving what we already have: time, attention, and care.