Self-awareness

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A Venn diagram showing the relationship between self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem.

Self-awareness is conscious knowledge of one's own character, personality, feelings, motives, and desires. Know thyself is an ancient and well-accepted philosophical maxim which was inscribed upon the Temple of Apollo in the ancient Greek precinct of Delphi.

Self-awareness is vital as it allows for: better decision-making; improved emotional intelligence; enhanced self-confidence; and fosters greater empathy and compassion. This ultimately leads to personal development and stronger relationships.[1]

95% of individuals believe they are self-aware, but according to tests, only 15% of individuals are genuinely aware of themselves.[2] [3]

Self-reflection done honestly (without engaging in rationalization), increases self-awareness. Self-reflection is the ability of people to analyze their thoughts, feelings, an behaviors over time.[4]

Resources on the importance of self-awareness:

Increasing self-awareness

See also: Journaling and Mentor and Friendship and Accountability partner and Performance goal and Results orientation and Mindfulness (Psychology) and Evidence-based thinking and Values and Virtue and Observation skills

To increase self-awareness, you can practice mindfulness meditation (See also: Christian meditative prayer), regularly journal your thoughts and feelings, actively seek feedback from trusted individuals (See: Accountability partner), reflect on your experiences, identify your core values, and pay close attention to your emotions and reactions in different situations. In summary, make a conscious effort to observe yourself objectively and understand your internal processes better.[5]

Articles:

Psychology oriented websites:

Business-oriented websites and other websites:

Videos:

Journaling and improvement of self-awareness

See also: Diary

Journaling improves self-distancing, self-awareness and mindfulness.[6][7][8][9] Self-distancing is one's ability to reflect on past events/emotions as an objective observer.[10] This improves one's ability to break away from a nonstop cycle of obsessive thinking and brooding.[11]

Ladder of inference

See also: Ladder of inference

The ladder of inference is a "model that describes how people move from observable facts to their own conclusions and actions, often unconsciously. It represents a series of mental steps: starting with selecting some data, then adding meaning and assumptions, drawing conclusions, and finally taking action based on those beliefs. Understanding this process allows for reflection and can help in avoiding cognitive biases and making more reasoned decisions.[12]

The ladder of inference "increases self-awareness by making people conscious of their own thought processes, allowing them to examine their assumptions and biases before acting. By intentionally moving down the ladder, you can trace your conclusions back to the raw data, leading to more intentional and less reflexive decisions and a deeper understanding of how you arrive at your beliefs."[13]

Self-awareness tools

See also: The Decision Book: Fifty Models for Strategic Thinking

Journal articles

Books

  • The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer. New Harbinger Publications/ Noetic Books. October 3, 2007
  • The Secret of Awareness by Jordan Williams. Independently published. October 25, 2023
  • The Self-Awareness Advantage by Lawrence Pfaff, Ed.D. LPC. Learn more. April 1, 2025

Quotes

  • "It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle." - Sun Tzu
  • “Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” - Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

See also

Other related concepts:

Notes

  1. ↑ Why is self-wareness important?
  2. ↑ Only 15% Of People Are Self-Aware -- Here's How To Change, Forbes magazine, 2016
  3. ↑ 47 Emotional Intelligence Statistics & Facts
  4. ↑ Lindsay C. Gibson (2015). "3", Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents. New Harbinger Publications. 
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ The Benefits of Creating a Journaling Routine By Sarah Bence, OTR/L, VeryWellHealth.com
  7. ↑ Ready, Set, Journal! 64 Journaling Prompts for Self-Discovery, PsychCentral
  8. ↑ 12 Journal Prompts for Emotional Health and Awareness, PsychCentral.com
  9. ↑ What’s All This About Journaling?, New York Times, 2018
  10. ↑ The Benefits of Creating a Journaling Routine By Sarah Bence, OTR/L, VeryWellHealth.com
  11. ↑ 5 Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health, PositivePsychology.com
  12. ↑ What is the ladder of inference?
  13. ↑ How can the ladder of inference increase self-awareness?
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