Personality self-analysis - what is it, examples, methods, techniques

November 15, 2020

Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. It is noteworthy that it is reflection that distinguishes people from other living organisms. This phenomenon lies in a person’s ability to know about himself , his feelings and experiences.

It is based on the understanding “I am.” The development of your personality depends on how familiar you are with your inner world. Self-knowledge occurs through introspection. Well, read below about what reflection is and how to develop it.

What it is

This term comes from the Latin word reflecto, which means turning back . The correct way to say “reflection” is to emphasize the letter E.

Reflection is the skill of concentrating attention and one’s own thoughts inward: evaluating one’s actions, making decisions, being aware of one’s feelings, emotions and sensations.

This is an understanding of one’s own “I”, constructive criticism of one’s actions, comparing oneself with others for compliance with established norms and rules. A reflective person becomes an outside observer of himself.

The ancestor of this term is considered to be the science of philosophy. She interprets reflection as a tool for thinking about human existence. Socrates wrote that this phenomenon is the only way for internal improvement and spiritual progress through liberation from obsessive thoughts, stereotypes and prejudices.

Pierre de Chardin wrote in his scientific works that reflection is not only knowledge, but also the ability to be aware of this knowledge . He also noted that this property is available only to humans (like consciousness), which is considered the most developed form of life of all existing on the planet.

Reflection has been studied by many philosophers: their views are similar, so there is no point in writing about them separately.

When to Use Self-Analysis

Self-analysis is resorted to in situations of psychological instability, when a person does not see the logic, the cause-and-effect relationship in what is happening in his life. For example, a person turns to self-awareness when:

• unexpectedly lashes out at someone close to him;
• from time to time he is refused a job, it seems to him that he is walking in circles;
• cannot break off a painful relationship, although he understands that it is harmful to him;
• becomes anxious for no apparent reason;
• refuses to make important decisions due to unreasonable fear, etc.

This is a list of probable reasons to start analyzing yourself.

In general, introspection should be carried out when you experience any mental discomfort or come into conflict with yourself. Whenever you feel like you are losing touch with yourself and the world, turn to introspection.

Reflection in psychology is the basis of self-analysis

In psychology, this is one of the basic concepts on which self-analysis is built, leading to expanded awareness. A simple example: if I am not able to understand that my mood is always bad for the reason that I always think about bad things, then it is unlikely that anyone or anything will help me get out of my own suffering.

Reflexive action consists of a volitional decision to stop the endless flow of automatic thoughts and begin to become aware of oneself in the moment here and now.

To reflect means to think, analyze, and engage in self-knowledge. Correct self-analysis will help you avoid making mistakes in the future and provides answers to many important questions, both psychological and everyday.

As a result, the individual (who is this?) learns to think rationally (reflect correctly), not guided by fantasies and guesses, and also:

1. control and analyze mental flow;
2. evaluate your own thinking;
3. frees oneself from unnecessary, destructive thought forms;
4. gains the ability to make informed choices;
5. reveals his hidden abilities and resources.

A person with a low level of reflection commits the same erroneous actions every day and suffers from this.

On the other hand, the term “reflect” is often applied to people who are acutely experiencing something, begin to engage in soul-searching, worry, and get nervous (breaking their fingers).

Let's say he was told that everyone around him is an idiot and he begins to try it on, not himself, gets offended, becomes constrained, reflects, i.e. looking for the bad in himself. This is an extreme that should be avoided. In everything (and especially in self-examination) moderation is needed.

If you want to change yourself and your life, but at the same time you live “automatically,” then this is the path to disappointment and suffering. You need to learn to reflect correctly (without fanaticism and humiliation, soberly, objectively).

Constructive reflection is useful. This is when you draw the right conclusions from your self-analysis and use this knowledge in the future so as not to step on the same rake.

Destructive reflection is extremely harmful. Focusing on the problem, on your wrong (from your point of view) behavior does not help you, but on the contrary, exhausts you. You begin to feel guilty and cannot get rid of this feeling. Sometimes only Gestalt therapy helps to get out of this state.

By the way, it is the bourgeoisie who want to force us to reflect, plunging our faces into the dark spots of our history (Stalinism, repressions). It is precisely the formation of feelings of guilt that they want to achieve. Everyone has dark spots, but it is beneficial that only we, and not the residents of their countries, focus on this.

Reflective man

Within the framework of many philosophical concepts, reflection is considered as one of the more essential properties of consciousness. In accordance with this statement, only those beings who are aware of the states of their psyche can be considered conscious and thinking. Simply put, a person who is unable to analyze his mental states cannot be called thinking. Emotional, creative, but not thinking.

The reflexivity of a newborn is zero - he perceives the world around him as a given, his parents as an unconditional component of this world. In the process of maturation and increasing autonomy from parental care, the growing individual begins to see and comprehend contradictions. This causes him to accept or not accept parental authority, and to critically comprehend the actions of loved ones. The mechanism of reflection has been launched, and from now on a person can only improve and grow spiritually and morally.

Reflection cannot be the same for individual people. Its level also varies depending on the age of the person. Reflection has the greatest activity and amplitude at the very beginning of the development of the human personality - at the stage of childhood and adolescence, adolescence. By the middle of life's journey, reflection noticeably slows down its rhythm, and by the end of life it stops altogether.

There are different ways to reflect

To date, 7 types of reflection have been identified:

1. Communicative – allows you to solve problems that arise when interacting with society.
2. Personal – used when there is a need for one’s own cognition and correction of consciousness.
3. Intellectual – necessary for finding different solutions to the same problem. This is the ability to think variably.
4. Philosophical reflection is a tool for thinking about the meaning of life.
5. Social – reflections on the topic “what other people think of me.” The ability to see yourself through someone else's eyes.
6. Scientific – aimed at researching scientific methods, methods, theoretical justifications.
7. In the psychology of communication, reflection is the knowledge and analysis of the interaction of individuals in society.

Tasks and goals

What is the main purpose of regular self-examination? The purpose of self-analysis is to alleviate the condition and understand current psychological problems. Simply put, a person needs introspection to understand himself and his life. Any psychological discomfort is associated with the fact that a person goes against himself, his essence and suppresses personal potential, his true self.

Problems that a person solves in the process of self-analysis:

• express yourself honestly and openly, as fully as possible;
• understand hidden cause-and-effect relationships and the true motives of your actions;
• identify destructive attitudes and patterns of behavior, abandon them, and replace them with productive models.

Forms of reflection

There are also three forms of reflection, which depend on their focus:

1. situational - analysis of what is happening in the present time (right now I am sitting on the couch and writing this text);
2. retrospective – assessment of past experience. This form is useful in that we can draw useful conclusions for ourselves based on inferences about past events (yesterday I was writing a text on the same couch and the TV was on, disturbing me. That’s why today I’m working in silence);
3. perspective – thinking, planning for the future. Preparing myself for future events (perhaps tomorrow I’ll give myself a day off and just lie on this couch).

How to self-examine yourself

Gradually, you will learn to conduct introspection at any time and anywhere, quickly abstracting from external conditions. However, at the beginning of the journey to mastering this skill, I recommend sticking to the following plan.

How to self-examine yourself:

• Find a convenient time and place. Set aside an hour or a couple of hours for this. Turn off your phone, turn off your computer and TV. No one and nothing should distract you.
• Prepare a pen and notebook. Recording your thoughts and sketching diagrams is useful at any stage of mastering self-analysis.
• Determine what specifically worries you and make a list of questions.

We'll talk more about questions a little later. For now, let’s briefly outline the plan for drawing up appeals to yourself. Start with the question “How do I feel?” Then, for each answer, ask the question “Why?” and gradually unravel it like a ball of thread.

An example from my life

Self-analysis has helped and continues to help me regularly and in many ways. Every time I experience inner anxiety, negative emotions, I turn to this method. As an example, I’ll tell you how at one time (years ago) self-analysis helped me cope with self-harmful behavior - intentional injury to the body.

Self-harm comes in different forms. Often we are talking about cuts on the body. In my case, there was another form, but also a common one - peeling the cuticles with nails. Refers to dermatillomania. At first it was of an unconscious nature (as often happens), that is, I noticed already torn fingers and bleeding wounds. At the same time, I could not say when and why I did it (again, everything goes according to the classic scenario).

Types of self-analysis

We can distinguish between systematic and unsystematic self-analysis. The first is designed to solve complex problems that prevent a person from living, and situations that repeat themselves over and over again. For example, when a man struggles with the fear of meeting the opposite sex, he does exercises, keeps a diary and tracks dynamics.

Non-systematic self-analysis is used when a person wants to explain something one-time to himself. For example, he did not understand why his friend was offended by him and now does not talk to him. In addition to trying to talk with a friend, the subject also turns inward, analyzes his words and actions.

In addition to the types of self-analysis, it is customary to distinguish other types, or rather techniques. For example, you can use the following techniques and methods, methods of self-analysis:

• A letter to yourself on different sheets of paper. Take 5 sheets: white, brown, green, yellow and blue. Or you can take regular white sheets and use pencils of different colors. On the first sheet, objectively describe the problem: what happened and when (like a news report). On the second sheet, describe all your negative emotions and feelings associated with this situation. On the third sheet, write down the positive emotions and feelings that this situation evokes in you. On the fourth sheet, describe the problem creatively. For example, sketch it. On the last sheet, conduct an analysis, draw conclusions and write yourself a couple of recommendations. Thus, the solution to the problem should appear on the last sheet. The remaining sheets are designed to help you see the problem from different angles, from different points of view.
• Dream analysis. Dreams are a reflection of our subconscious, experiences, thoughts and feelings. If you regularly analyze your dreams, you can find a solution to your current problem. Dream analysis can be carried out in diary format. If you lack knowledge, then turn to the works of Freud (he wrote a lot about dreams and their meaning).
• Personal diary. The goal is to do something every day to form new, healthy habits and change destructive thinking. That is, you identify a problem and develop a plan to work on it. In your diary, you describe situations in which the problem manifests itself, your feelings, thoughts and reactions. There you also record what should replace these elements. That is, you note what you would like to feel and think, how you would like to react. And if the reactions suit you, then you mark progress and simply reinforce the behavior.

Note! Diaries can be of different directions: goals, gratitude, personal development, working on past mistakes, etc.

For self-analysis, you can use any isolated techniques. For example, any tests to determine the level of anxiety, self-esteem, stress resistance, abilities, temperament, personality type, etc. Using isolated diagnostic methods, it is possible to conduct narrowly focused self-analysis. For example, introspection of experience and skills, abilities, strengths and weaknesses, lifestyle, oneself as an individual.

Separately, it is worth examining critical self-analysis. In this case, a person evaluates his actions, thoughts and desires from the point of view of morality and the norms of society. During such an analysis, the person solves the dilemma “To be or to appear.” People turn to such self-analysis in situations of difficult choice.