The aim of this article is to compare different conceptions of psychological development in which the development is managed by an individual itself. It is a collection of views on the development of the life of a human being from the point of view of different psychological trends. Terms such as self-realization, self-actualization and self-creation are considered. On the basis of the conception of self-creation by Zbigniew Pietrasiński, a model of selected but crucial personal conditions for self-creation process is discussed. It includes such dimensions as: autonomy as self-determination, self-consciousness, transgression, long-term goals and lifetime creativity