Self-knowledge (psychology)

Self-knowledge is a philosophical concept of a self-aware person understanding themself.

Self-Knowledge and Social Psychology

William James (1842-1910) described a duality of our self-perception. The self is composed of our thoughts and beliefs about our selves and is referred to as the “known”, the “me”, the “knower”, or the “I”.

We also refer to our self-perception as the self-concept and self-awareness, which contributes to two factors that help create our sense of identity.

Knowing the Self through Introspection

Introspection is the process by which someone forms beliefs about their own mental states. We might form the belief that someone else is happy on the basis of perception, for example, by perceiving their behavior. But a person typically does not have to observe their own behavior in order to determine whether they are happy. Rather, one makes this determination by introspecting. Though the term “introspection” literally means “looking within” (from the Latin “spicere” meaning “to look” and “intra” meaning “within”), whether introspecting should be treated analogously to looking – that is, whether introspection is a form of inner perception – is debatable. Philosophers have offered both observational and non-observational accounts of introspection.

Using Other People to Know Ourselves

The self-concept is not solely created by our own knowledge, but also how the self is molded by social contact. When interacting with others around us, we compare our own abilities and attitudes—illustrating the social comparison theory.

See also

• Introspection
• Know thyself
• Self-realization
• Self-perception
• Self-awareness
• Self-concept
• Social Psychology (psychology)

References

• Aronson, E., Wilson, T. & Akert, R., Social Psychology (6th edition). 2005.

External links

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Self-Knowledge
• Self Knowledge Symposium
• Self-knowledge and Nature of Reality by Susmita Barua
• Self-Knowledge Vocabulary in Classic Literature