Self-development is an activity that is aimed at meeting human needs. But in order to better understand what it is, you need to understand what types, directions and methods of self-improvement exist. It can be divided into several directions:

Physical development - development of body, strength, muscles, endurance
Physiological development - improving health, expressed in a beneficial effect on various body systems (cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, reproductive, etc.)
Mental development - the development of abilities, competencies, skills, abilities through gaining new experience and sensations, working with perception, thinking, memory, feelings and imagination
Social development - the development of abilities and skills, skills and qualities that allow you to climb the career ladder, make the transition between social strata, improve interpersonal relationships, increase social status, authority
Spiritual development - cognition and awareness of oneself, the search for the meaning of life and one's purpose, taking responsibility for everything that happens, before oneself and other people, attempts to understand the nature of the universe and reveal one's hidden potential, constant striving for moral and moral self-improvement
Intellectual development - the development of thinking through obtaining new information, developing new skills and qualities, increasing literacy, studying new directions and areas of knowledge
Professional development - improving and developing professional skills, qualities and abilities, studying new technologies and areas of work, obtaining additional education
The need for self-development can be attributed to the area of ​​the spiritual (or ideal), but it can manifest itself at absolutely any level. It depends on the direction chosen by the person. It is no less interesting that, to a certain extent, each of us is engaged in self-development, and often without even thinking about it and without going into the details of what exactly he is doing.

On a subconscious level, a person chooses the direction that evokes a response in his inner world. And in some cases, the direction dictates the need to acquire some skills to satisfy certain needs. But the most effective (as well as laborious) is precisely the conscious choice of the path. And the movement along it will always (unless, of course, you want to act chaotically and anyhow) occur at certain stages and obey the plan of action.