itsetutkiskelua

Itsetutkiskelua refers to the practice of examining one’s own thoughts, feelings, motivations and values. It is a form of introspection used in psychology, philosophy, education and personal development. The term is Finnish, combining elements meaning self and investigation or exploration to denote self-examination.

In philosophy, introspection has long been used as a method for accessing inner mental states. In psychology it contributes to self-awareness and metacognition, though its reliability is debated because introspective reports are subjective and prone to bias.

In education and professional practice itsetutkiskelua often takes the form of reflective exercises, journaling, guided prompts, after-action reviews and mindfulness techniques, aimed at deepening learning, improving decision making and supporting well-being.

Potential benefits include greater self-understanding, clearer values and better emotion regulation; risks include rumination, distorted self-perception or overly harsh self-judgment if reflection is unsupervised or biased. Cultural and contextual factors influence how introspection is taught and used in Finnish educational and therapeutic settings.

Related concepts include self-reflection, introspection, reflective practice and metacognition.