selfknowledge

Self-knowledge refers to an awareness of one’s own traits, thoughts, feelings, values, and goals. It involves both explicit beliefs about oneself and tacit, often unarticulated, understandings that guide behavior.

It encompasses knowledge of strengths and weaknesses, preferences, beliefs, and how one is perceived by others. A coherent sense of identity across situations is also part of self-knowledge.

Philosophical and psychological traditions study self-knowledge. Philosophers emphasize self-examination and authenticity, while psychology investigates self-concept, self-awareness, and metacognition. Some theories distinguish explicit self-knowledge from implicit, unconscious aspects.

People develop self-knowledge through introspection, feedback from others, social comparison, life experiences, and reflective practices such as journaling or therapy. Culture and development shape what is known and how it is valued.

Accurate self-knowledge supports effective decision making, goal setting, and adaptive behavior, while overconfidence or biases can distort self-understanding and hinder growth.

Assessment relies on self-report methods, structured interviews, and increasingly on objective and implicit measures. Research links self-processing to brain networks involved in reflection and social cognition, acknowledging that self-knowledge is dynamic and context-dependent.

See also: self-awareness, self-concept, metacognition, identity.