How To See Yourself Clearly

[Artemis Windsong]

A very interesting article.  The  4 self aware archetypes defined and explained.


medium.com/personal-growth/how-to-see-yourself-clearly-skip-the-introspection-mode-c66bfb05c061

[billisonboard]

Thank you for sharing that. Very timely for me.

[Virgil Showlion]

Nnnnng.

Mr. Razzetti is weaving back and forth through at least four distinct issues: 1) whether introspection for the purposes of self-improvement is necessary, 2) which "introspection" (and I use the term loosely) behaviours are productive vs. unproductive, 3) the schism between self-perception and others' perception of us, 4) what the goal(s) of introspection should be.

The wisdom and advice (of the non-fortune-cookie variety) seems hit-or-miss. All excerpts ibid.:

Self-doubt erodes confidence. And you start feeling sorry for yourself. Self-pity is an exaggerated sense of sorrow when you become a victim of your inner-critic. The quest for finding who you are can turn you upside down.

Agreed. However, i) self-pity is a potential hazard of introspection, not an inherent consequence of it, ii) there are other routes to self-pity aside from introspection, and iii) introspection can just as easily lead away from self-pity; for example, when one considers the futility of self-pity, or gains perspective on the diminutive scale of one's troubles relative to one's blessings.

Rehashing memories is like watching the same movie over and over. You know the storyline by hard, pretending a different ending is useless. Spinning a story will get you stuck without providing any insights.

Assuming "rehashing memories" refers to "rehashing memories beyond where one is gaining new insights", agreed.

I understand what he's driving at here. We've all witnessed somebody slowly killing themselves by clinging to a past mistake, a past wrong committed against them, a past trauma. I wouldn't call this "introspection", but in the sense that it's an internal mental process of reflection, it's not an egregious reach.

Trying to find ‘the’ truth can blind us. You stop observing; no answer will ever be good enough. It’s better to be kind to yourself than to be right. Be compassionate with yourself. What seems right today might not work for you tomorrow.

This statement and others smell of anomie and moral relativism.

If he means to say, "Forgive yourself for past wrongs; commit to doing rights in the future": certainly. If he means "Let your moral standards lapse so you're no longer as distraught by immoral behaviour; there is no right and wrong," which is what I think he's saying: that dog don't hunt, monseigneur.

Thinking about yourself isn’t necessarily correlated with knowing yourself. It can sometimes create the opposite effect: the more time you spend in introspective mode, the less self-aware you become.

This much is true. But again: a potential hazard to be avoided, not sufficient reason to eschew introspection.

Developing self-awareness is not a goal; it’s the purpose of your existence.

Uh huh. The same as a cow. Perfectly self-aware according to every criterion you list. Moooooo.

Ask for feedback. What are you good at? What makes you a difficult person? Why people like you? Why some people feel uncomfortable with you? Write your answers. Ask several people to answer the question. Compare notes. Learn from how other people see you.

This much is good advice (bearing in mind not all feedback is created equal).


It's... interesting, Artemis. My apologies for raining on your parade if you didn't intend we critique it.

Who knows which of the four quadrants I actually fall in. A defensible assessment would require a great deal of thinking, reasoning, judging, and introspection, and according to Mr. Razzetti, that will probably just lead to anxiety and a negative self-image. Hence I choose to believe I fall in the "Aware" quadrant--clearly the best quadrant--and if you don't agree, you can take your thoughts, reasons, and judgments and stick 'em where the sun don't shine.

[Artemis Windsong]

There is no rain here.  I value your opinion, Virgil.  Each person takes from the article what will help them.  The enlightened care about the differences.  Too many people are fighting for their existence and don't take time to look at the self.

[countrygirl2]

Interesting article, lot of truth in that