Whoever has once found himself cannot lose anything in this world. And whoever once understands the person in himself understands all people. S. Zweig
Amocognition begins from the moment you become aware of yourself. This process is embodied very early, even in childhood, and reaches its peak in the years of adolescence, when the thirst for knowledge is great, the mind is insatiable, demands new discoveries and impressions, and the soul strives for high goals and it seems that it is possible to embrace the immensity.
All this is exactly so, but with the burden of responsibility that imposes social status, new responsibilities, and just the daily whirlpool of events carries you away with its speed, a person forgets about the purity of impulses that once filled his life with meaning. And now, realizing the vanity of existence, he looks back, sees himself in the past and understands that there is something in him real life missing. Is this why she began to seem ordinary to him, so predictable?
Yes, there is stability in it: he has achieved recognition of his merits, he is valued by colleagues and respected by friends, there is stability in the family and support in life. However, this vague feeling inside does not cease to excite us and the fact that all this surroundings, the external component of being, does not exhaust the diversity that life can offer us.
No matter how unique and beautiful the experience of living in society may be, constantly encouraging us to serve our egregor, nevertheless, the material component of life could not exist if there were no inner life, the one that happens inside, is manifested by the work of consciousness and mind. It is the most important thing in a person, what is hidden from view, but from where we draw strength to implement projects; she is a source of inspiration and creativity; the place where consciousness and soul live; a reflection of all that is purest in every person.
In moments of misunderstanding by others, it is this source that you will turn to in order to regain self-confidence. This is the inner pulse that connects us with the Absolute. It contains the entrance to the countless kingdom of knowledge and virtues. You need to be able to use it, find the key to it. The inner world of a person is huge. What we habitually call the inner world are just approaches to it. To recognize the entire Universe hidden behind the inscription “inner world,” we resort to a technique called self-knowledge.
The path of self-discovery
The path of self-knowledge is so close, and at the same time its horizons are boundless, that a person sometimes does not know where to begin his journey on the path to himself. But you just need to start, awaken the desire for self-recognition, internal growth of yourself as a person, and at the same time a passion for self-improvement will appear. They are like twins: they are similar to each other, the development of one implies the inclusion of the other in the work. Self-knowledge cannot live without self-improvement.
Self-improvement - the desire to achieve the Absolute, getting closer to the ideal
The process of self-improvement is immanent to human nature to the same extent as self-knowledge. The pursuit of ideality is what we live for. Perhaps this is said loudly, and yet every person has a thirst for self-realization, we cannot underestimate this. Due to the desire to realize oneself through various aspects life activity, a person constantly strives to improve his knowledge and skills. On this road, he also reconsiders his goals, which are based on values.
Changing value categories leads to transformation of the personality itself. Often the process of transition, finding oneself, is accompanied by changes in external life person: his environment, friends, place of residence, occupation change. Only one thing remains unchanged - the desire for self-improvement through self-knowledge.
Types of self-knowledge. Ways of self-knowledge
Types of self-knowledge may be different. Here everything depends on the position from which the evaluator looks. The main types are presented as follows:
- analytical - associated with the work of the mind, the mental plane;
- creative - the sphere of feelings, the etheric and astral plane;
- spiritual - sacred sphere, causal, buddhial and atmic plane.
Each of these 3 types consists of subtypes that manifest themselves through a specific function.
Analytical self-knowledge of personality
This type of self-knowledge occurs through both introspection and introspection. When self-observing, written analysis in the form of diaries, passing tests, and automatic writing can be used - it is quite rare, but it gives excellent results, providing an opportunity to look deeper into your psyche. You can even talk about your first encounters with the subconscious.
Another way is self-confession. Being honest with yourself is not as easy as it might seem. Internal, uncontrollable fears usually constrain a person, which makes self-confession almost impossible. In order to cross the barrier of fears, you need, as always in such situations, to simply start acting - to start telling yourself about yourself.
Reflection differs from confession in that you do not report to yourself, but simply reflect on what is happening, trying to give less judgment. Although the role of evaluation is great in using this type of self-analysis, you should not exaggerate it, otherwise the role of a judge can lead you to excessive self-criticism, and this, in turn, will negatively affect your self-esteem.
Human creative self-knowledge
Creative self-knowledge refers to its types when we begin to know ourselves through relationships with others, in interaction, including using the techniques of games, theater, joint activities and events.
One example is participation in dramatic productions. Having chosen a role in a play, a person “tryes on” the character and habits of the character, he forgets himself at the time of the play, and this is the decisive factor. Reincarnation helps a person get rid of many complexes, since through the game one experiences certain situations and states that real life cause discomfort. As a result, the role makes it possible to be transported to another, “unreal” space and make decisions in it. psychological problem, and as naturally as possible. After all, playing by all the rules of the “game”, a person must become different, that is, he does not work with his complex, instead he lives it through this character.
This technique has a beneficial effect on the psyche, because fear and rejection of internal blocks disappear by themselves - here is the theater, and you are an actor in it, portraying a specific character. It turns out that in addition to the effect of deep self-understanding, which completes the process of transformation, this method also has a psychotherapeutic effect, makes a person more liberated and allows him to accept himself.
To the extent that acting in a stage production contributes to self-discovery, other joint activities, such as singing in a choir, participating in retreats, and group yoga classes, give a person the opportunity to look at himself from the outside, enrich his experience of life in society, and provide rich material for analysis and comparison.
After this type of activity, you can end the day by using one of the techniques of analytical self-knowledge, recording and analyzing events in a diary. It should be noted that any type of self-knowledge, whichever you choose, has a beneficial effect on the development of your creativity. Therefore, you can safely combine the types and methods you use for self-knowledge, because they will allow your individuality to reveal itself even more, penetrate into your true nature, and help you find out who you really are.
Spiritual self-discovery
Spiritual self-discovery- This is a separate species, standing a little further away, since it is different in its methods. By choosing a spiritual tradition for oneself as an example and model for practice, a person determines his entire future path of development and self-improvement. Those laws and concepts on which the practice is built will allow a person to best understand himself, penetrate into the deepest layers of consciousness and change himself in a radical way.
So, having chosen the yogic tradition, with each lesson you will begin to delve deeper into the essence of the positions on which the teaching is built. Studying the history of its origin, reading texts related to the practice, and shastras commenting on the original ancient works will allow you to find answers to long-standing questions not only of an internal nature concerning you as an individual, but also about the general structure of existence.
Improving the thought process through understanding the sastras
Information from primary sources is reliable. It has not undergone many modifications. All you receive is concentrated knowledge that has been preserved through the centuries, and now your task is to understand it, pass it through yourself, get used to the presentation style and be sure to begin to put it into practice through personal experience- sadhu.
The theory, knowledge gained from books and seminars must be put to the test through practice in real life, only then you will truly realize the whole truth and the value that they contain.
IN spiritual form Self-knowledge has two more components: shabda and sadhu. Shabda is a sound, but a sound that comes from a teacher, someone you trust completely on a particular topic. This person can show you how you can rise on the path of self-development, through which practices, reading which texts will help you achieve the desired result and understand yourself.
Guru guiding personal search
The teacher, your siksha guru, or at more advanced levels - diksha guru - guides you and your consciousness along the path of knowing the true essence of things through the study of scriptural texts - shastras, and you, through your personal experience - sadhu - apply and test the knowledge gained in life. Nothing exists separately, abstracted from one another - everything is connected both in the world and within you.
I am not upset if people do not understand me, but Confucius is upset if I do not understand people.
Concept of self-knowledge
External experience and internal life interact, their influence on each other is equal. By knowing yourself, you come to know everyone else. Each person will become more understandable to you, you will find logic in the world order and the order of things. Then Goethe’s words that “man knows himself only to the extent that he knows the world” will be filled with new meaning for you. Think about it. External and internal are one. You are part of the universe, and at the same time you are a microcosm.
Values in self-knowledge through yoga practice
Through the spiritual practices of yoga and meditation, a person comes to know the basic values, what to strive for and what to profess. The first stage of yoga - yama - represents a set of value rules that must be followed:
- Ahimsa is the principle of non-violence, also practiced through the vegetarian diet;
- Satya – truthfulness and veracity;
- Asteya - non-stealing;
- Brahmacharya - chastity and non-promiscuity;
- Aparigraha - detachment from worldly goods, renunciation of hoarding.
Through the practice of the 2nd stage of Ashtanga yoga, a person lives according to the principles of niyama, where the following must be observed:
- Shauchya - the principle of internal and external purity;
- - practice modesty;
- Tapas - performing austerities on the spiritual path;
- Svadhyaya - development of thinking through reading primary sources;
- Ishvara-pranidhana - Following the ideal - the highest Reason.
So, having a formed list of spiritual life values, a person understands what to strive for and what criteria for the correctness of actions he needs to be guided by as he walks through life.
Need for self-knowledge
Why do we even question truth? life path, the meaning of life, eternal values? How to understand yourself and others? These questions are generated by the need for self-knowledge, and it is inherent in a person, a seeker, someone who is not able to simply be satisfied with the material benefits of the world around him. He is constantly in search, so the concept of the meaning of life comes to the fore, because it cannot be found without understanding oneself.
The practice of yoga and meditation opens the way to new discoveries on the road of self-discovery. First of all, these classes allow you to increase your spiritual level, since initially these were exclusively practices of spiritual comprehension of the world. With the advent of the modern era, the understanding of these disciplines has changed somewhat, and the physical aspect has come to the fore, strengthening not only the spirit, but also the body.
However, by correctly understanding the goals of yoga and meditation as its integral part, you can continue to practice yogic asanas, strengthening your health and improving spiritually. One complements the other. Although the world is dual, its two parts - physical and spiritual - can be harmoniously reunited using yoga techniques, implementing the laws prescribed in the first 2 steps of the eightfold system.
Inner peace and self-knowledge
In fact, the very meaning of life is not external. It is just inside - in the inner world of a person. Once we are able to realize this, life and our understanding of it change completely. Therefore, monks appear who sell their Ferraris, and we see sadhus who have parted with past life, in order to fully follow the spiritual impulses that they felt within themselves. But it's not that simple.
For such people, following the path of spirituality is not just a fleeting, emotionally charged hobby, it is, first of all, a conscious decision dictated by rare spiritual needs. Their lives are no longer determined by laws modern society built on consumption, they chose for themselves a beacon of needs inner world, and now their whole life is directed from within. They are watching what is happening in outside world, but now life for them has turned into meditation, where the consciousness contemplates actions, but does not participate in them.
The result of self-knowledge. The process of self-discovery
In the process of self-knowledge, any person becomes a sadhu to a certain extent, because he learns through personal experience. Knowledge gleaned from various sources, applicable in practice, as a result of acquiring new experience through spiritual self-improvement, a person reaches a higher level of self-awareness. He not only better understands the laws of the world and interaction with people, but he himself increasingly feels like a part of this world, inextricably linked with all living beings and nature.
It is not without reason that one of the goals of the meditation method is merging with the Absolute, dissolving in it. A person understands that there is no loneliness in life, everything is interconnected. Each part of the universe depends on the whole, everything is in everything. The process of self-knowledge logically leads to this conclusion. You can understand this through logical reasoning, supplemented by spiritual insights gained through the experience of meditation.
,The most difficult thing is to know yourself, the easiest thing is to give advice to others Thales
Let us now turn to the process of self-knowledge itself as a consistent change of actions that allows us to achieve the goals of self-knowledge. Let's try to answer the question: what means can be used in the process of organizing self-knowledge?
The most common methods of self-knowledge include the following: introspection, introspection, comparing oneself with some “standard”, modeling one’s own personality, awareness of opposites in each quality, behavioral characteristic.
Introspection. This is a way of self-knowledge by observing oneself, one’s behavior, actions, and events in the inner world. Humanity has long been familiar with introspection, which at one time acted as the main method of psychology and was called “introspection” (looking inside), and psychology itself was called “introspective”. Subsequently, this method was abandoned as the main one, since it is very subjective and does not give an accurate picture of the human psyche, but as a method of self-knowledge it is of great importance.
Self-observation can be incidental, little-conscious and purposeful. As an incidental little-conscious self-observation, it is carried out constantly and is identical to the functioning of our consciousness. We do something, communicate, relax and, as it were, at the same time observe ourselves, exercise self-control. As soon as behavior goes beyond the norm established by others or ourselves, we make adjustments to it. In the course of non-targeted introspection, nevertheless, the process of accumulation of facts takes place, some of them, due to their significance or repetition, become the object of our consciousness, i.e. are detected, recorded, and analyzed.
Purposeful self-observation occurs when we set a goal to detect and record in ourselves the manifestation of a particular quality, personality trait, or behavioral characteristic. To do this, a person often deliberately puts himself in appropriate situations or even creates them himself, conducting a kind of experiment on himself. Good opportunities For such experimentation, specially organized psychological trainings, allowing you to discover and record certain properties and qualities in yourself.
From what has been said, it is clear that both incidental and targeted self-observation make it possible to discover and record personality traits, character traits, communication characteristics, and much more.
Introspection. What is discovered through introspection is subjected to analysis (dismemberment, splitting), during which a personality trait or behavioral characteristic is divided into its component parts, cause-and-effect relationships are established, and the process of thinking about oneself, about this particular quality, takes place.
Example. You have established or discovered through introspection and recording of unpleasant emotions that you are shy. Through self-analysis we clarify whether this is really the case, i.e. what are the signs of shyness. You can say to yourself: “I’m shy, I’m blushing (or pale), I can’t clearly answer the questions asked.” But if you stop only at this, then you may be overwhelmed by unpleasant feelings and experiences, and an inferiority complex may arise. However, this is only initial introspection. Further, thinking about this, we can ask questions: does this always manifest itself? Am I shy when communicating with friends and family? - No. Am I being shy when answering the lesson? - No. And in communication with strangers? - Yes. Is it with everyone? - No, only with representatives of the opposite sex. Thus, it turns out that you are shy, but not in general, but with members of the opposite sex. What causes this? You can think that this is either a desire to please, or ignorance of how to behave in different situations, or uncertainty that manifests itself in communicating with strangers of the opposite sex, which arose in childhood as a result of ridicule and irony about you. Here we come to the hypothetical truth in our hypothetical example. It turns out that the cause of shyness in an adult can be a hidden resentment experienced in childhood, as a result of ridicule at him.
As you can see, the self-analysis algorithm presented here is quite simple, it only requires attention to yourself, some time and the ability to ask yourself questions correctly and, using life facts, answer them correctly.
Comparing yourself with some “standard”. The words “measurement” and “scale” are conventional concepts, but they allow us to quite accurately convey the essence this method. We constantly compare ourselves with other people, or with ideals, or with accepted standards. The technique of comparison makes it possible to build self-esteem as an important component of self-knowledge. This comparison is carried out using a scale polar poles which are opposites, for example: smart - stupid, kind - evil, fair - unfair, attentive - inattentive, hardworking - lazy. And we will definitely find a place for ourselves in this scale.
Example. You say: “I am quite smart, but not very obliging, a very kind person, but sometimes insecure.” Such standards are formed in you throughout your life, often unconsciously, based on constant comparison of yourself with other people or with generally accepted standards. There are different measures: in the form of a scale, as in this case, or in the form of ranks, when you rank people according to the degree of expression of one or another quality, finding a place for yourself in this series, for example: you can highlight strong qualities in yourself that give you have the strength to live, work, interact with other people, and weak personality traits that, on the contrary, make life difficult, introduce disharmony, and generate negative emotions.
However, in any case, comparing ourselves with some “standard”, we give ourselves self-esteem both in general and in terms of individual qualities and behavioral characteristics. This ultimately brings us closer to the knowledge and construction of the self-concept.
Modeling your own personality is already a rather special method of self-knowledge, and it is best to use it, relying, for example, on the help of a psychologist. But, unfortunately, communication with a psychologist is not available to everyone, so elements of self-modeling can be used independently. Modeling is the display of individual properties and characteristics in symbols, signs, objects of real processes (in this case, one’s personality, one’s relationships with others).
The simplest modeling technique is, for example, drawing yourself: “I am in the present”, “I am in the future”, “I am like a friend”, “I am like a student” and much more. The drawing facilitates self-analysis: what am I, what are my features, qualities, what do I want, what can I do, etc. Another effective technique is when symbols (for example, circles) indicate I and others significant people, connections between oneself and others are written down and understood: likes, dislikes, dominance, subordination, conflicts, etc. This is how you can designate the qualities of your own personality: some of them should be placed in the center, some - on the periphery, grouping them according to the degree of proximity to each other (some help to live, build relationships with the environment, others - interfere, make the personality weak ). After this, an analysis is carried out in a similar way, the process of reflecting on oneself, one’s behavior and actions begins. Practice shows that such techniques greatly facilitate the process of self-knowledge, as they make it possible to take your inner world outside, to look at it as if from the outside.
More complex ways of modeling both the structure of one’s personality and one’s relationships are also possible, for example, using role playing games and psychodrama, but these methods require the inclusion of other people and can only be implemented under the guidance of an experienced psychologist.
Awareness of opposites refers to methods that are used at later stages of the process of self-knowledge, when one or another personal characteristic has already been identified, analyzed, evaluated and makes it possible to painlessly carry out acts of self-acceptance. The bottom line is that our personality as a whole, its individual qualities, simultaneously have positive and negative sides. Therefore, self-knowledge will be incomplete if we fixate on only one side, perceiving it either as unconditionally positive or as unconditionally negative.
Example. Responsibility is a strong quality. We often talk about the need to instill responsibility and want people to show this quality. But a high level of responsibility or over-responsibility interferes with a person and causes negative experiences, since it is impossible to be responsible everywhere and in all situations. Let's take another property that people usually attribute to negative characteristics - aggressiveness. In many cultures and societies, aggressiveness is not encouraged due to its destructiveness and is seen as an indicator of the weakness of the individual, its immaturity, as an inability to control oneself, as a lack of endurance and self-control. But aggressiveness is at the same time the ability to “let off steam”, to discharge, to free oneself from accumulated negative energy, a way of catharsis, cleansing. Therefore, in terms of education and self-education, we will not talk about preventing a person from showing aggression at all, but about mastering acceptable ways of expressing it, for example, it is important to learn how to transform destructive aggression into constructive one, master substitute actions that do not harm other people, animals, things , as well as methods of restraint, self-control, patience, tolerance, etc.
Usually, a person, having discovered and even analyzed this or that quality, experiences a feeling of satisfaction if it is positive and meets his need to be at the level of his aspirations, or dissatisfaction if this quality belongs to the category of negative, weak. This approach is one-sided. It is important to find in a positive (positive) strong quality weaknesses, and in the negative - positive and strengths. It is precisely this kind of internal work that often allows for reformulation and replacement of qualities, as a result of which the property is accepted as one’s own property, and its negative consequences are reduced to a minimum. Let us examine this situation using the example of shyness.
Example. Some perceive shyness in themselves as a negative quality that interferes with communication with other people, and can worry about this fact very much. Experiences, in turn, increase suspicion towards others. Suspicion increases shyness. The circle closes. Shyness is not accepted, they begin to fight it. The struggle really only comes down to intensifying experiences. However, it is enough to highlight a strong positive side in shyness, and it can be painlessly accepted. Such a strength may be, for example, sensitivity to people’s attitudes, which is an indicator of a subtle mental organization and inner world. It is easier to accept sensitivity and a subtle mental organization than shyness, although by and large (except for nuances) they are one and the same thing.
In general, it should be noted that self-acceptance is important point the final part of self-knowledge, it is also the starting point for self-improvement, self-development, acting simultaneously as a stage of self-knowledge, and as a way to achieve unity and harmony of the individual, and as a mechanism of self-development.
The widest and in an accessible way self-knowledge is the knowledge of other people. Giving characteristics to our loved ones and friends, understanding the motives of their behavior, we transfer these characteristics, often unconsciously, to ourselves, comparing ourselves with others. Such a comparison makes it possible to highlight the general and the special, to understand one’s difference from others and what exactly it is.
Let's turn to the means of self-knowledge.
One of the common means of self-knowledge is self-report, which can be carried out in different forms. Oral self-report can be carried out at the end of the week, month, etc. Here it is important to reproduce the events of the day or week: analyze your behavior in different situations; note all the positives and negatives; the reasons that prompted you to act one way or another; play out models of more effective behavior; highlight the qualities and personality traits that emerged in the “reporting” period.
Another form of self-reporting is journaling. The advantages of this form are undoubted, although it requires time and willpower. Firstly, when a person writes down events, intense work of the mind occurs, especially in those cases when it is necessary to express various experiences in verbal form, as a result of which a process of awareness of both events and experiences occurs. Secondly, journaling allows us to record in writing the most unique thing we have - our life experiences, which act as an important result of our life and teaching. Thirdly, in a diary you can describe your past, thereby understanding it more deeply and discovering the dynamics of your personality development. Fourthly, the diary allows you to give yourself self-characterization, where description is combined with analysis.
The next means of self-knowledge are watching films, plays, and reading fiction. It is known that writers, especially classic writers, are unsurpassed psychologists; moreover, they often raise questions that scientific psychology is just beginning to approach. Reading fiction, paying attention to the psychological portraits and characteristics of the heroes, their actions, relationships with other people, you involuntarily compare yourself with these heroes. Having watched a film, a play, read work of art, try to ask yourself a series of questions: what are the actions of the main characters? What factors played a leading role in shaping the character of the main character? What prompted a person to become this way? Could he have done anything differently? How would I behave in this situation? What does this hero need to do, from my point of view, to be different, to change? Etc. It is a well-known truth that the more well-read a person is, the more erudite he is, including in matters of self-knowledge.
And, perhaps, the greatest opportunities for self-knowledge are provided by the study of psychology, in particular such sections as the psychology of personality and groups; social psychology; psychology cognitive activity. Currently, in many middle and higher educational institutions Psychology has become a compulsory subject, which is undoubtedly a positive factor. In this regard, the volume of popular psychological literature has increased significantly, where you can glean a lot of useful information, increase your psychological literacy, and expand the scope of self-knowledge.
It is useful to use psychological testing, but one must keep in mind that it is better to use serious, proven tests, carefully reading the instructions and methods of interpretation. If possible, it is better to carry out the interpretation together with a psychologist. Entertainment tests should be treated accordingly, without taking them seriously.
Special means of self-knowledge include various modern forms work of a psychologist. During individual counseling, the psychologist builds work with the patient in such a way that he opens up as much as possible, understands his problems, finds internal resources to resolve them, and carries out acts of self-knowledge. Working in a socio-psychological training group also gives good results. Here, contact is built in such a way that the group, being a kind of mirror in which each of its participants is reflected, intensifies the processes of learning about others and oneself. An indispensable condition for interaction between the group and the psychologist is the atmosphere of trust and mutual acceptance created by the leader. In psychology there is large number various kinds of psychotherapeutic methods and techniques that allow the individual not only to understand himself more deeply, but also to develop directions for self-development, his own solutions various life problems and difficulties.
Man, unlike animals, is a being who knows and is conscious of himself, capable of correcting and improving himself.
Self-knowledge – a person’s study of his own mental and physical characteristics.
Self-knowledge can be indirect(done by analyzing one’s own activities) and direct(acts in the form of introspection).
In fact, a person is engaged in self-knowledge all his life, but is not always aware that he is carrying out this type of activity. Self-knowledge begins in infancy and often ends with the last breath. It is formed gradually as it reflects both the outside world and self-knowledge.
Knowing yourself by knowing others. At first, the child does not distinguish himself from the world around him. But at the age of 3–8 months, he gradually begins to distinguish himself, his organs and the body as a whole from the objects around him. This process is called self-recognition. This is where self-knowledge begins. The adult is the main source of the child’s knowledge about himself - he gives him a name, teaches him to respond to it, etc.
The well-known words of a child: “I myself ...” mean his transition to an important stage of self-knowledge - a person learns to use words to designate the signs of his “I”, to characterize himself.
Cognition of the properties of one’s own personality occurs in the process of activity and communication.
In communication, people get to know and evaluate each other. These assessments affect the individual's self-esteem.
Self-esteem – emotional attitude to your own image.
Self-esteem is always subjective, but it is based not only on one’s own judgments, but also on the opinions of others about a given person.
The formation of self-esteem is influenced by the following factors:
– comparison of the image of the real “I” with the image of the ideal that the person would like to be;
– assessment of other people;
– the individual’s attitude towards his own successes and failures.
According to psychologists, there are three motives for a person to turn to self-esteem:
1. Understanding yourself (searching for accurate knowledge about yourself).
2. Increasing one’s own importance (searching for favorable knowledge about oneself).
3. Self-test (correlating one’s own knowledge about oneself with others’ assessments of one’s personality).
Most often, people are guided by the second motive: most want to increase their self-esteem.
The level of self-esteem is associated with a person’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with himself and his activities.
Self-esteem
Realistic(for success-oriented people).
Unrealistic: overestimated (in people focused on avoiding failures) and underestimated (in people focused on avoiding failures).
Self-knowledge through analysis of one’s own activities and behavior. By analyzing and evaluating achievements in a certain area, taking into account the time and effort spent on work, you can determine the level of your own abilities. By assessing his behavior in society, a person learns the moral and psychological characteristics of his own personality.
A wider circle of communication with other people provides a greater opportunity to compare and learn the positive and negative properties of one’s own personality.
Self-knowledge through introspection. Based on sensations and perceptions, the image of “I” begins to form. For young people, this image is formed primarily from ideas about their own appearance.
Image of “I” (“I”-concept) – a relatively stable, more or less conscious and recorded in verbal form, a person’s idea of himself.
An important means of cognition is self-confession- a person’s complete internal report to himself about what is happening to him and in him. A person’s confession to himself helps him evaluate his own qualities, establish himself or change the assessment of his behavior, and gain experience for the future.
Basic forms of self-observation: personal diaries with records of thoughts, experiences, impressions; questionnaires; tests.
Self-knowledge is closely related to such a phenomenon as reflection (Latin reflexio - turning back), reflecting the process of an individual thinking about what is happening in his mind. Reflection includes not only a person’s own view of himself, but also takes into account how those around him, especially individuals and groups that are significant to him, see him.
To understand your own “I” it is not necessary to conduct psychological experiments. Self-knowledge can be carried out through introspection, introspection and in the process of communication, play, work, cognitive activity, etc.
Sample assignment
A1. Choose the correct answer. The process of self-knowledge is not characterized
1) self-esteem
2) the formation of an attitude towards one’s appearance
3) knowledge of social norms and values
4) determining your abilities
Answer: 3.
Self-knowledge- This is the process of a person’s comprehension of himself. Through self-knowledge, a person understands himself as a person, gets to know his “I,” and studies his psychological and physical abilities. Self-knowledge is mental process, which ensures integrity, unity and personal development. This process begins in infancy and is implemented throughout life.
To understand what self-knowledge is, one should trace the main aspects of its formation. The process of self-knowledge is formed in stages as the external world is reflected and the gradual knowledge of oneself as a unique person.
Personal self-knowledge includes three levels that correspond to three areas of the individual’s organization. At the biological level, knowledge of oneself is accomplished as a separate, autonomous organism. The social level expresses the ability to study, master skills and master the norms of behavior in society. The personal level represents the ability to make choices, make decisions, coordinate one’s behavior, and organize one’s life.
Self-knowledge and personality development
Self-knowledge and personality development are categories that ensure the success and effectiveness of a person’s self-realization.
Personal self-knowledge is a person’s assessment of himself, the ability to look at himself objectively and the ability to treat himself as an object of knowledge.
Development means the ability to improve one's potential capabilities. on our own to achieve highest level development.
In psychology, there is a scientific concept according to which the process of self-knowledge has some semantic characteristics, represented by certain aspects: human health (psychological and mental); personal potential (optimal realization of potential); harmony (inner peace and psychological maturity). All these aspects interact and work holistically, determining the high efficiency of self-knowledge of the individual.
Self-knowledge, like personal self-development, is a fairly long-term process. They are carried out throughout the entire conscious life.
Self-knowledge begins with early age. Children develop, learn what they are capable of, learn to distinguish themselves from other objects in the outside world, and become familiar with the world around them through imitation mechanisms. The psyche of a young child is so receptive that he, like a sponge, absorbs literally everything that happens around him, all information about objects and processes, without making any distinction in content (does he need this kind of information, what is bad, what is good and what exactly he needs). The child begins to understand the meaning of objects and share the perceived information when the self-development of the individual becomes even more formed, after approximately three years of age.
There are many different theoretical approaches and concepts of human self-development. For example, self-concept, it presupposes a person’s ability and readiness for the process of self-development.
In the process of age-related formation, a person creates a number of his own beliefs about himself and finds a personal motive that becomes the main incentive for self-development and determines a person’s behavior. With respect to this motive, a certain content of a person’s thoughts and feelings is created, the specifics of his behavior, personal attitude towards the world around him and his worldview are developed. From this theory it follows that each individual creates his own life scenario and can improve it through a change in consciousness and way of thinking.
The theory of self-concept lays down the structure of personality, which consists in the trinity of the image of the human “I”.
The “I”—the ideal—is a person’s clear idea of his uniqueness, his personal characteristics, dreams, ideals and hopes. “I” - the ideal is an integrated image of an ideal person for a specific individual. This ideal combines the most best qualities, desired character traits, optimal behavioral patterns and life values.
“I” - the real - is a person’s own image, how he sees himself, how he really is in reality. This is a kind of internal mirror that reflects the real personality, her behavior, worldview, etc.
How a person evaluates himself, reflects his level, makes himself feel attractive or expresses dissatisfaction with himself. Depending on the level of self-esteem, it either supports individuality or drives a person into a framework, which causes great personal discomfort.
Self-development of a person in the presented concept occurs as a process of interaction and integration of all components of the “I”.
The initial stage involves creating your own ideal image of a perfect person according to certain characteristics, which makes it possible to see the tasks of self-development as accurately as possible and select the necessary optimal methods for this. The thinking of a self-developing person is aimed at analyzing his own opinion at least within 15 minutes every day. Thus, an idea of the ways by which you can get closer to the desired ideal (how to behave, with whom to communicate, what to do) gradually develops. If a person follows all these rules and tasks, then he gets closer and closer to his ideal, and the distance between the “I” - ideal and the “I” - real gradually decreases. The “I, how I evaluate myself” component will help you see whether a person is moving in the right direction.
Self-knowledge and human development are two inseparable processes occurring in the individual. When a person does not understand and perceive himself as a unique person, he will not be able to develop himself in a constructive way, he will not know in which direction to move and he will not have a corresponding one either.
Self-knowledge arises and develops as a person matures and matures, also under the influence of how mental functions develop and contacts with the outside world expand.
Self-knowledge and self-esteem also have a close connection and together influence the process of self-development. There are three main motives through which a person accesses self-esteem: understanding oneself; growth of self-importance; . The level of self-esteem also has a connection with the degree of satisfaction a person has with himself and what he does.
Adequate self-esteem corresponds to actual capabilities and contributes to better self-development of a person; distorted self-esteem prevents this.
Self-esteem increases if a person achieves success in some business or as a result of lowering the requirements for the ideal. If self-knowledge is realized and the individual’s self-esteem is adequate, a person will develop a positive image of himself than if the person had low self-esteem and gave almost all of his qualities a negative assessment.
To understand what self-knowledge is, you need to consider this process in stages.
The process of self-knowledge has several stages. At the stage of primary self-knowledge, a person’s self-knowledge occurs with the help of other people. Such self-knowledge is receptive and constructive. Here a person trustingly perceives the opinions of others, his “I-concept” is created, which is formed under the influence of the assessments and judgments of others. At this stage, problems of inconsistency between the views of people around and the person himself may occur.
After primary self-knowledge, the second stage is the crisis of primary self-knowledge. At this stage, inconsistent judgments about the personality appear that come from people around him, internal changes arise that do not fit into the usual image of the personal “I” - all this causes the emergence of cognitive dissonance, which also requires resolution. Perhaps self-knowledge, as knowledge of oneself, and not of others, arises precisely from an encounter with experience that is not part of the usual “I-concept”. The crisis also leads to a change in the role of the opinions of others in self-knowledge. The personality is no longer guided by the judgments of others and the person moves to self-determination.
The third stage of self-knowledge is secondary self-knowledge. This stage is represented by a change in the individual’s ideas about himself. Here the process of self-knowledge is quite active, since a person has learned to fully define himself. The opinions of others now play a passive role, since a person gives preference to his own ideas. Such cognition is reconstructive, since the “I-concept” is redefined on the basis of an existing idea, and a person questions the truth of the usual construction, he remakes himself according to his own plan.
Types of self-knowledge
The process of self-knowledge can be represented as a sequence next steps: identifying some personal quality in oneself, fixing this quality in consciousness, analyzing, evaluating and accepting the quality. If a person is characterized by high emotionality and lack of self-acceptance, he may develop complexes, and the process itself will turn into “soul-searching.” Therefore, it is important that in self-knowledge, as well as in other processes, certain limits are observed.
The processes of self-knowledge and self-development become even more effective if a person has knowledge of the basics of personality psychology and the psychology of feelings.
There are such ways of self-knowledge of a person: self-observation (observation of one’s behavior and thoughts, internal processes); self-analysis (those things that were discovered as a result of introspection are analyzed, cause-and-effect relationships are determined, the person analyzes those characteristics that were revealed to him); comparison (comparing oneself with other people, with ideals, models); personality modeling (a person models his own personality through displaying his individual characteristics and relationships with others, using signs and symbols); awareness of opposites (a person is aware of the presence of opposites of some quality or behavioral characteristic).
The last method (awareness of opposites) is used in the later stages of self-knowledge, when personal characteristics are isolated and analyzed. Individual personal qualities of a person can simultaneously have positive and negative sides. If a person has learned to find positive side characteristics that were previously seen only as negative, then the pain of accepting it will be less, and the person will feel stronger. This last point is very important because self-acceptance has a very great value in self-knowledge, self-development, etc.
Methods of self-knowledge contribute not only to a person’s better understanding of himself, but also to get to know other people. If a person is aware of himself as a person and endows himself with certain characteristics, he will also be able to compare himself with others in order to understand well what makes him different from others.
The following means of human self-knowledge are distinguished: self-report (for example, in the form of a diary); watching films, reading literature, paying attention to the psychological images of the characters, comparing oneself with these characters; study of personality psychology, social psychology; passing psychological tests.
There are also special means of self-knowledge that make up various forms of psychologist activity: individual counseling, where the psychologist competently draws up an individual plan for working with the client, as a result of which the client is able to open up as much as possible, understand problems and find internal resources to resolve these problems; group work within the framework of socio-psychological training, in which relationships are built in such a way that the processes of self-knowledge and knowledge of others are intensified in the group.
Having reached in material world certain heights, a person often remains dissatisfied, because achieved goals do not bring peace of mind. There comes a time in the life of any person when he asks himself questions regarding self-knowledge, self-determination and awareness of his destiny. At first, the search for answers, through the process of self-knowledge, occurs in the outside world. A person can re-read a huge number of books, try out a bunch of different practices, and become involved in religion. At some moments it may seem that the truth has finally been reached. But one concept is replaced by another, and the process can continue indefinitely.
What is self-knowledge?
Self-knowledge is the process of realizing oneself: one’s deep essence, the meaning of life, one’s physical and mental capabilities. This need is inherent in humans, unlike animals. In all religions, especially Eastern ones, self-knowledge is considered a means of achieving unity with God; it makes it possible to find inexhaustible potential within oneself and successfully apply it in life.
A person does everything basic in life himself: he chooses a goal, makes and corrects mistakes, builds relationships with other people. Having come to understand the meaning and realize his abilities, he becomes interesting not only to others, but also to himself, personal self-esteem, quality and fullness of life increases.
Self-concept and stages of its evolution
Self-concept is a person’s idea of himself and his role in the world around him. It may not correspond to the real state of affairs and lead to conflicts with reality. If it is adequate to reality, then the person successfully adapts to the world and achieves certain successes in it. In its development, self-awareness goes through several stages:
Primary self-knowledge – it involves trusting perception of other people’s opinions about oneself.
Crisis of primary self-knowledge - at a certain moment a person understands that opinions different people are different and may be opposite. A person begins to form his own opinion.
Secondary self-knowledge – a change occurs in a person’s habitual ideas about himself and active self-knowledge begins. The old self-concept is rejected or significantly revised, the person comes to the need to remake himself. What happens is what Dale Carnegie called “I am not what you think I am.”
Methods of self-knowledge
Self-knowledge begins at the moment when a person discovers certain traits or characteristic features behavior, it occurs using the following methods:
- Introspection. This process in psychology is called introspection and its goal is to observe one’s internal feelings and behavior.
- Comparison. A person begins to relate himself to other people, to his ideals and norms of behavior in society.
- Personality modeling. This method determines personal likes and dislikes, explores the causes of conflicts, and based on the findings obtained, builds new relationships with people.
- Method of unity of opposites. A person begins to understand that certain of his qualities, depending on the situation, can be both positive and negative. Here decisive role Acceptance of oneself as is (with all its advantages and disadvantages) plays a role.
- Getting to know other people from the perspective of new knowledge. A person compares himself with others and evaluates their behavior.
Means of self-knowledge
Self-knowledge leads a person to a better understanding of himself, increasing his self-esteem. From time to time the need for self-test arises, for which the following means are used:
- Self-report. It can be in the form of a diary, a blog, articles on the topic of personal development, or perhaps in the form of simple reflection and comparison.
- Films, books, theater performances They give you the opportunity to put yourself in the shoes of the heroes and really evaluate your abilities.
- Study of Psychology It will help you more accurately navigate current events and evaluate your behavior from a scientific point of view.
- Passing various tests will provide an opportunity to evaluate the achieved level of personal growth.
- Psychologist consultations will help a person identify problems within himself and find ways to solve them.
- Social and psychological trainings– an excellent way to speed up and stimulate the further process of self-knowledge.
The person eventually realizes that main goal- This learn to live and enjoy life . This understanding may not come immediately, but only after suffering or a long life journey, which allowed one to gain the necessary experience. Or it can happen instantly, like an epiphany. If a person takes the path of self-knowledge, this will inevitably happen.
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