Do we know ourselves as well as we think we do?

Self-knowledge is not as simple a process as some suppose.

Self-knowledge is one of the capacities of the human being that is defined by the ability to determine all those aspects that make up the essence of the individual, shaping his or her identity, needs and concerns, as well as explaining the type of reasoning and reactions that the person sets in motion in a given situation.

The ability to self-observe allows the possibility of predicting one's own behavior in a general way and brings the individual closer to forming an idea of his or her own behavior. approaches the individual to form an overall idea of "who he is" and "what he is like".. However, knowing oneself is not as simple as it may seem.

Why do we find it difficult to develop self-knowledge?

Contrary to a widely held idea that it is easy for human beings to define themselves in an objective way, the latest scientific findings seem to indicate the opposite, the latest scientific findings seem to indicate the opposite..

The following are the various explanations that research on the subject has used to help us understand why it is difficult for us to know ourselves.

1. Alteration of perspective in the face of discrepancy

Several studies seem to conclude that human beings tend to confuse the degree of tends to confuse the degree of objectivity with which they make judgments about their own behavior.. In order to preserve a positive self-image, people tend to be benevolent about what we think about ourselves and, moreover, we are not aware of the subjectivity and bias with which we interpret our attitudes or behaviors.

Thus, we observe more easily a given error if it is made by a third party than if the same error is made by us. In short, it seems that the capacity for introspection is an illusion, since it is distorted by unconscious processes. it is distorted by 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 others' behavior in different tasks: in the experimental situation, the probands still described themselves as unbiased even when they had to make judgments and criticisms about 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-evaluation.

According to the "self-affirmation theory", people with low self-esteem try to offer others a damaging image of themselves in order to make it coherent and reaffirm their own self-image. with the aim of making it coherent and reaffirming the self-image they have of themselves. This is related to the contributions proposed by Festinger (1957) on "cognitive dissonance", whereby 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 strategies, either by changing his behavior or by modifying the beliefs on which his attitude is based.

On the other hand, the studies by Dunning and Kruger in 2000 gave rise to a theoretical approach that they called the "Dunning-Kruger effect", based on which the greater the The greater a person's incompetence, the lower his or her ability to realize it. According to this research, among the subjects who participated in the experimental situation, only a 29% correspondence was achieved between the correct self-perception of intellectual capacity and the real value obtained in the individual IQ (IQ).

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 issue, another team of researchers has more recently found that people who have a moderate positive self-image (and not exaggerated, as indicated above) tend to have 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 rationale for this type of test lies in its unreflective or rationalized nature, as it seems to be more revealing of the personality traits of a person.It seems to be more revealing about the subject himself those traits or characteristics expressed in a reflexive or automatic way where there is no room for a possible alteration influenced by the more reflexive 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 in an implicit manner, but rather seem to be the facets measuring extroversion or sociability and neuroticism the aspects that are best measured by such techniques. This is explained by Mitja Back's team at the University of Münster, because these two traits relate more to automatic impulse or desire responses.

In contrast, the traits of responsibility and openness to experience are usually measured more reliably through self-reports and more explicit tests, since the latter traits are in the intellectual or cognitive domain, and not in the emotional domain as in the previous case.

3. Search for stability in a changing environment

As has been explained above, human beings tend to be self-absorbed, human beings tend to self-deception in order to achieve a state of coherence with respect to their own identity. with respect to one's own identity. One explanation of the motivations that lead individuals to adopt this type of functioning is related to maintaining a nucleus of stability (self-identity) in the face of the highly variable and changing environment that surrounds them.

Thus, an adaptive resource as a species resides in maintaining self-perception in such 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 functioning is often associated with a low capacity to tolerate uncertainty and frustration, which is generated when the reality of the outside world is not always clear.which is generated when reality differs from personal expectations, leading to increased emotional discomfort. In short, under the pretext of providing oneself with a greater degree of security and well-being, today's human beings are achieving precisely the opposite effect: an increase in their own worries and level of anxiety.

As a final note, the above-mentioned brings a nuance to the so-called "Self-fulfilling Prophecy, according to which people are inclined to behave according to the image they present of 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, as found by Carol Dweck (2017) in a study conducted 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 occurs with one's weaknesses).

The Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness

Erika Carlson studied the relationship between the regular practice of mindfulness meditation training and the ability to be objective in self-evaluation, finding a positive correlation between the two.

Apparently, this type of practice allows one to distance oneself and one's own cognitions and one's own cognitions in order to be able to analyze more rationally the characteristics and features that make up the "I" of an individual, since they enable the subject to detach from such thoughts and messages, assuming that he or she can let them pass without identifying with them and simply observe them without judging them.

Conclusion

The preceding lines have shown that human beings tend to alter their self-image as a defense or "survival" mechanism with respect to the demands of the environment in which they interact. Las aportaciones de las teorías de la disonancia cognitiva, la Profecía Autocumplida, el Efecto Dunning-Kruger, etc., son solo algunos fenómenos que ponen de manifiesto la escasa objetividad con la que los individuos elaboran la definición de la propia identidad.

Referencias bibliográficas:

• Ayan, S. La esencia del yo. En Mente y Cerebro. Vol 92 (2018), pp. 31-39.
• Brookings, J. B., & Serratelli, A. J. (2006). Positive illusions: Positively correlated with subjective well-being, negatively correlated with a measure of personal growth. En Psychological Reports, 98(2), 407-413.
• Hansen K., Gerbasi M., Todorov A., Kruse E., and Pronin E. People Claim Objectivity After Knowingly Using Biased Strategies Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Vol 40, Issue 6, pp. 691 – 699. First Published February 21, 2014.
• Pronin, E. (2009). The introspection illusion. En Advances in experimental social psychology, 41, 1-67.