Self-knowledge is one of the capabilities of the human being that is defined by the ability to determine all those aspects that make up the essence of the individual, configuring his or her identity, needs and concerns, as well as explaining the type of reasoning and of reactions that the person launches in a certain situation.
The ability to self-observe allows the possibility of predicting one’s own behavior in a general and brings the individual closer to forming a global idea of “who he is” and “what he is like.”. However, knowing yourself is not as simple as it may seem.
Why is it difficult for us to develop self-knowledge?
Contrary to a widely spread idea about the ease that human beings have in being able to define themselves in an objective way, The latest scientific findings seem to indicate the opposite.
Below we see the various explanations that research carried out in this regard has used to help us understand why it is difficult for us to know each other.
1. Alteration of perspective in the face of discrepancy
Various studies carried out seem to conclude that human beings tends to confuse the degree of objectivity with which one makes judgments about one’s own behavior. In order to preserve a positive self-image, people tend to be benevolent regarding what we think about ourselves and, furthermore, we are not aware of the subjectivity and partiality with which we interpret our attitudes or behaviors.
In this way, we more easily observe a given error if it is committed by a third party than if we have committed the same error. In short, it seems that the capacity for introspection is an illusion, since is distorted through unconscious processes.
This was demonstrated by Pronin and his team at Princeton University (2014) with various samples of experimental subjects in which they were asked to evaluate their own and other people’s behavior in different tasks: in the experimental situation, the probands continued to describe themselves as impartial even when they had to make judgments and criticize various aspects of the proposed task.
Likewise, this does not occur in subjects who have experienced an aversive event in childhood, which has led to the development of insecure functioning based on negative self-esteem.
According to the “self-affirmation theory”, People with low self-esteem try to offer others a harmful image of themselves with the aim that it is coherent and reaffirms the self-image that they have of themselves. This is related to the contributions proposed by Festinger (1957) on “cognitive dissonance”, by which the degree of discrepancy between one’s attitude and one’s behavior produces such discomfort that the individual tends to make an effort to minimize it through different measures. strategies, either by changing their behavior or by modifying the beliefs on which they base their attitude.
On the other hand, the studies by Dunning and Kruger in 2000 gave rise to a theoretical approach which they called the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” from which the greater the incompetence of a person, the lower their ability to realize it. According to this research, on the subjects who participated in the experimental situation, only 29% correspondence was achieved between the correct self-perception of intellectual capacity and the real value obtained in the individual IQ (Intelligence Quotient).
In other words, it seems that once again, in order to maintain a positive self-image, “negative” characteristics or traits tend to be significantly ignored. Related to this last question, another team of researchers has more recently found that people who have a moderate positive image (and not an exaggerated one, as indicated above) tend to present a higher level of well-being and high cognitive performance in specific tasks.
2. Tests to assess personality traits
Traditionally, in some areas of psychology, so-called implicit or covert techniques have been used to define personality traits, such as projective tests or implicit association tests such as the TAT (Thematic Appreciation Test).
The basis of this type of evidence lies in its little reflective or rationed nature since it seems to be more revealing about the subject himself those traits or characteristics expressed in a reflex or automatic way where there is no room for a possible alteration influenced by the more reflective or rational analysis that other self-report or questionnaire type tests can provide.
Science has recently found a nuance in this regard, arguing that not all personality traits are objectively reflected implicitly, but rather appear to be the facets that measure extroversion or sociability and neuroticism the aspects that are best measured by this type of techniques. This is explained by Mitja Back’s team from the University of Münster, because these two traits are more related to automatic impulses or desire responses.
On the contrary, the traits of responsibility and openness to experience tend to be measured more reliably through self-reports and more explicit tests, since the latter traits are found within the area of the intellectual or cognitive, and not the emotional as in the previous case.
3. Search for stability in a changing environment
As stated above, Human beings tend to deceive themselves to achieve a state of coherence regarding one’s own identity. An explanation of the motivations that lead the individual to adopt this type of functioning is related to maintaining a core of stability (one’s own identity) in the face of the highly variable and changing environment that surrounds him or her.
Thus, an adaptive resource as a species lies in maintaining self-perception in these social contexts so that the external image offered coincides with the internal one. Apparently, experts conclude that the perception of one’s own character as a rigid, immutable and static phenomenon provides security to the individual and facilitates the ability to orient oneself with a minimum of order within an uncertain context such as the outside world.
However, rigid operation It is frequently associated with a low ability to tolerate uncertainty and frustration, which is generated when reality differs from personal expectations, leading to an increase in emotional discomfort. In short, with the pretext of providing oneself with a greater degree of security and well-being, today’s human being is achieving precisely the opposite effect: an increase in one’s own worries and level of anxiety.
As a last note, what is indicated above provides a nuance to the so-called “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, according to which people are inclined to behave in accordance with the image they present about themselves. The nuance lies in considering that the application of this theoretical principle takes place when the trait is variable, but not when it is static.
Thus, according to what was found by Carol Dweck (2017) in a study carried out by Stanford University in California, when faced with innate personal characteristics (such as willpower or intelligence) the motivation invested to reinforce it is lower than when faced with changing traits (for example as usually happens with one’s own weaknesses).
The benefits of meditation and Mindfulness
Erika Carlson studied the relationship between the habitual practice of mindfulness meditation training and the ability to be objective in the assessment of one’s own person, finding a positive correlation between both elements.
Apparently, These types of practices allow you to distance yourself from yourself and of one’s own cognitions to be able to more rationally analyze the characteristics and traits that make up the “I” of an individual, since they enable the subject to detach themselves from said thoughts and messages, assuming that they can let them pass without identifying with them to simply observe them. without judging them.
Conclusion
The preceding lines have shown that human beings tend to alter the image they have of themselves as a defense or “survival” mechanism with respect to the demands of the environment in which they interact. The contributions of the theories of cognitive dissonance, the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, etc., are just some phenomena that reveal the lack of objectivity with which individuals develop the definition of their own identity.
