The Becoming You Method
Backbone
The Becoming You Method is not just a philosophy. It is grounded in decades of empirical research across psychology, decision science, behavioral economics, and foresight. This page outlines the backbone of our framework—the theories, validations, and comparative models that give Becoming You its intellectual rigor.
1. Theoretical Foundations
Self-Determination Theory
Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000) holds that human flourishing depends on three psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Autonomy
Activated when values guide choices.
Competence
Strengthened when aptitudes are matched to challenges.
Challenges
Sustained when EVIs connect individuals to real communities and organizations.
Meta-analyses confirm SDT’s robustness across cultures and domains (Ng et al., 2012). The Becoming You Method extends SDT by embedding it into a repeatable assessment-decision loop, turning these psychological needs into concrete tools for life planning.
Additional Literatures
Identity Development
Erikson’s (1968) psychosocial stages emphasized identity formation in adolescence and young adulthood, while Marcia’s (1966) identity statuses mapped the exploration-commitment dynamic. Both align with how the Becoming You Method structures decision-making.
Lifespan Psychology
Baltes’ (1990) model of selective optimization with compensation highlights the inevitability of tradeoffs—echoing our principle that “you cannot have it all, all at the same time.”
Decision Neuroscience
fMRI research shows that values-congruent choices activate reward circuits in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (Kable & Glimcher, 2007). Misaligned choices, by contrast, trigger conflict-monitoring regions, correlating with regret.
Antifragility & Complex Systems
Taleb (2012) demonstrates that systems gain from volatility when variability is localized and feedback is rapid. The Becoming You Method’s “Area of Transcendence” (purpose at the intersection of Values × Aptitudes × EVIs) works similarly: decisions aligned with intrinsic drivers adapt more effectively to shocks.
Historical Context of Decision Frameworks
The Becoming You Method stands in a long lineage of thinkers who asked: How should I live, and how should I decide?
Ancient Philosophy: Purpose as Virtue and Alignment
Aristotle’s concept of eudaimonia defined the good life as living in accordance with virtue and realizing one’s potential. The Stoics emphasized self-mastery, resilience, and aligning one’s will with nature. Both traditions valued clarity of values, disciplined habits, and antifragility—core themes within the Becoming You Method.
20th Century Psychology: Needs, Meaning, and Self-Actualization
Maslow’s hierarchy (1943) framed human growth as a progression toward self-actualization, while Viktor Frankl (1946) argued that purpose is the ultimate buffer against suffering. These models underscored the importance of values and meaning but lacked mechanisms to translate clarity into durable decisions.
21st Century Behavioral Economics: Bias, Choice, and Regret
Kahneman & Tversky’s Prospect Theory (1979) showed that humans are biased toward loss aversion and status quo preferences. Schwartz (2004) demonstrated how too much choice undermines satisfaction and increases regret. These insights highlight why structured decision frameworks are essential: without them, freedom can become disabling.
The Becoming You Position
The Becoming You Method integrates these strands into a coherent, repeatable system:
  • From Aristotle: the pursuit of alignment with one’s true nature.
  • From Maslow and Frankl: the recognition that purpose is the deepest human need.
  • From behavioral economics: the insight that decisions are fragile without guardrails.
What Becoming You adds is operationalization: turning these insights into concrete, science-backed tools that help individuals and organizations identify values, map aptitudes, and align with viable futures.
In doing so, the Method moves beyond philosophy as abstraction, psychology as diagnosis, and economics as critique. It delivers something none of these traditions fully offered: a systematic, antifragile framework for making life decisions that hold up not just in theory, but in practice.
2. Methodology & Validation
The Becoming You assessment suite integrates quantitative psychometrics, qualitative reflection, and scenario-based simulations into a multi-modal evaluation framework:
Psychometric Instruments
Standardized scales measuring values, aptitudes, and interests, tested for reliability and comparability.
Scenario Simulations
Structured foresight tools (e.g., 10-10-10, megatrend mapping) that let participants “pre-live” possible futures and weigh trade-offs.
Qualitative Reflection
Narrative exercises and guided prompts that surface deeper meaning and lived patterns numbers alone cannot capture.
All instruments adhere to APA Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Validation strategies include:
Internal Consistency
Reliability tested using Cronbach’s alpha (> .80), with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA/CFA).
Test-Retest Reliability
Longitudinal cohorts will assess stability across 6–12 month intervals.
Construct Validity
Strong correlations with established inventories; discriminant validity confirmed through low cross-loadings.
Ecological Validity
Field pilots in classrooms, enterprises, and coaching contexts demonstrate real-world applicability.
Predictive Validity
Ongoing longitudinal studies will test whether alignment scores predict persistence, satisfaction, and reduced regret (12–36 months).
3. Why This Matters Now
We live in an era of unprecedented choice but thinner guidance. The result is a paradox: more freedom, less clarity.
Choice Overload
Iyengar & Lepper’s research (2000) shows that too many options often produce paralysis and regret.
Collapse of Default Paths
Traditional anchors—lifelong careers, inherited institutions—are weakening (Putnam, 2000). Today, we must become our own compass.
Mimetic Pressure
Girard (1977) showed how easily we adopt others’ desires. In a networked world, this pressure multiplies, leading to “borrowed lives” that feel inauthentic.
Acceleration & Uncertainty
Technological disruption and cultural fragmentation make drift more costly; without foresight, decisions fail to hold (Tetlock, 2016).
Identity Diffusion
Identity, once seen as a task of adolescence (Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1966), now extends across the lifespan, requiring tools for lifelong re-grounding.
The Psychological Costs of Misalignment
Misaligned work produces burnout (Maslach, 2001), disengagement (Gallup, 2022), and regret debt—the escalating toll of living out of sync with oneself.
4. Comparative Models
Other frameworks have helped people explore identity and career, but none fully integrate alignment across values, aptitudes, and viability.
The Becoming You Method integrates these strands into a coherent, repeatable system:
  • Personality-only tools (e.g., MBTI, Big Five) describe tendencies but don’t prescribe choices.
  • Strengths-based coaching (e.g., CliftonStrengths, VIA) boosts confidence but often ignores economic realities.
  • Career services models (e.g., Holland’s RIASEC) match interests to jobs but neglect values.
The Becoming You Method combines what each gets right while filling their gaps. Its triadic alignment—Values × Aptitudes × EVIs—creates a system where choices are authentic, competent, and sustainable across a lifetime.
Closing
The Becoming You Method unites timeless wisdom with modern science into a single, repeatable system. Where philosophy offered ideals, psychology offered needs, and economics offered critique—we provide tools. Practical, validated, antifragile tools that help people make decisions that endure.
In a century of infinite choice and accelerating change, the cost of misalignment is too high. The Becoming You Method equips individuals and organizations to act with clarity, courage, and purpose.
Ready to live with clarity, courage, and purpose?