Tested the validity of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS; C. Robitschek, 1998), and relations between the PGIS and (1) multiple ways of growing (eg, intentionality and unintentionality) across several potential growth domains, and (2) gender role socialization. Study participants were 93 female and 76 male college students (mean age 19.01 yrs). Results showed that people can distinguish among ways of growing that are in vs out of awareness, intentional vs unintentional, or a combination of these possibilities. Also, the data validated that the PGI construct is most similar to growth that is in awareness and intentional. The three possible ways of growing accounted for meaningful portions of the variance in PGIS scores for both sexes. Results support the theory that PGI is active, intentional involvement in the process of personal growth. The relations among PGIS, gender roles, and egalitarianism provided partial support for the PGI construct and the PGIS. Only instrumentality was significantly related to PGIS for both sexes. However, the relations among the ways of growing, gender roles, and egalitarianism provided some support for the construct of PGI, but no support for the PGIS.(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)