"INTROSPECTION IS THE FIRST STEP IN HEALING"

In psychology, the process of introspection relies exclusively on observation of one's mental state, while in a spiritual context it may refer to the examination of one's soul. Introspection is closely related to human self-reflection and is contrasted with external observation. Self Introspection is An inward focusing on mental experiences, such as sensations or feelings. - The conscious mental and purposive process relaying on thinking, reasoning, and examination of ones own thoughts and perceptions.

The term introspection is also used to describe a research technique that was first developed by psychologist Wilhelm Wundt. Also known as experimental self-observation, Wundt's technique involved training people to carefully and objectively as possible analyze the content of their own thoughts.

The term introspection can be used to describe both an informal reflection process and a more formalized experimental approach.

The first meaning is the one that most people are probably the most familiar with, which involves informally examining our own internal thoughts and feelings. When we reflect on our thoughts, emotions, and memories and examine what they mean, we are engaging in introspection.

The term introspection is also used to describe a research technique that was first developed by psychologist Wilhelm Wundt. Also known as experimental self-observation, Wundt's technique involved training people to carefully and objectively as possible analyze the content of their own thoughts.

"Introspection has been the word most frequently used to describe Wundt's method," explains author David Hothersall in his text History of Psychology. "The choice is unfortunate, for it may be taken to imply a type of armchair speculation, which was certainly not what Wundt meant… Wundt's introspection was a rigidly controlled, arduous experimental procedure."

How did this experimental process work?

In Wundt's lab, highly trained observers were presented with carefully controlled sensory events. These individuals were then asked to describe their mental experiences of these events. Wundt believed that the observers needed to be in a state of high attention to the stimulus and in control of the situation.

The observations were also repeated numerous times.

What was the purpose of these observations? Wundt believed that there were two key components that make up the contents of the human mind: sensations and feelings. In order to understand the mind, Wundt believed that researchers needed to do more than simply identify the structure or elements of the mind.

Instead, it was essential to look at the processes and activities that occur as people experience the world around them.

Edward Titchener, a student of Wundt's, also utilized this technique although he has been accused of misrepresenting many of Wundt's original ideas. While Wundt was interested in looking at the conscious experience as a whole, Titchener instead focused on breaking down mental experiences into individual components.

The use of introspection as an experimental technique was often criticized, particularly Titchener's use of the method. Schools of thought including functionalism and behaviorism believed that introspection lacked scientific reliability and objectivity.

Observations

"Experimental introspection made use of laboratory instruments to vary the conditions and hence make the results of internal perception more precise, as the psychophysical experiments initiated by Fechner or in the sense-perception experiments of Helmholtz. In most instances saying "yes" or "no" to an event was all that was needed, without any descriptions of inner events. Sometimes the subject responded by pressing a telegraph key. The ideal was to make introspection, in the form of internal perception, as precise as external perception." (Hilgard, 1987)

"As noted by Wundt and other scientists, introspection had significant limitations. First, introspection was an unreliable method of investigation. Different subjects often provided very different introspective reports about the same stimulus. Even subjects well trained in introspection varied in their responses to the same stimulus from trial to trial. Second, introspection could not be used to study children or animals. Third, complex topics, such as learning, development, mental disorders, and personality, could not be investigated using introspection." (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2006)

Human self- reflection is the capacity of humans to exercise introspection and the willingness to learn more about their fundamental nature, purpose and essence. The earliest historical records demonstrate the great interest which humanity has had in itself.

It is so easy to get caught up in the day-to day aspects of life and forget to pause, self reflect, and look at the bigger picture. Slowing down and taking time to think about your life is extremely helpful in creating a better sense of you are, who you want to be, and how you will get there.

Reasons it is beneficial to self-reflect:

• Self reflection helps to build emotional self-awareness. By taking the time to ask yourself the important questions, you gain a better understanding of your emotions, strengths, weaknesses and driving factors. Once you understand important aspects of the self, you become better able to adapt to changing situations and tough circumstances. 
• Integrity increases when you take time to reflect on core values. Having a clear understanding of what values you deem most important puts them at the forefront of your mind and strengthens your decisions. 
• Our lives often become a cycle of doing/producing where we try to maximize productivity and minimize time spent. When we are always acting and moving from one thing to the next we sometimes forget to stop and think. Taking time to think allows for new ideas to emerge and counters the risk of becoming stagnant. New ideas and continuous change, not matter what your situation, is necessary. 

The kinds of questions you ask of yourself and others determine the kind of life you lead. 

1.  Here are some questions to get you thinking:Who are you?
2. What are you most proud of?
3. What are you most grateful for? What is most important in your life? Is your allocation of time congruent with what you find most important?
4. Who are the 5 people you spend the most time with? Are these people enabling you or holding you back?
5. What are your biggest goals? What is stopping you from pursuing them?
6. Strength and support are all around us. Where is support available to you already? Who can you share your goals with, or ask for support?
7. What are the biggest things you have learned in the last year? How can you use your past experiences to help you in the future?
8. Where do you put your attention and energy when you are overwhelmed or stressed? Is this how you want to spend your resources?

Psychotherapy is also a great way to talk through different things in your life and begin to self reflect in a healthy and beneficial way. Sometimes having a guide in this process is extremely useful.

The power of self reflection

It's easy for busy ambitious people to get lost in the day, week and even the month. Heck, I know people who are so driven they blink and a whole year is gone. I have no issue with being driven and productive. I, myself, love to accomplish and engage in new activities and opportunities continuously. But I also like to feel very connected to who I am and the people I choose to include in my life.

To make sure I keep the connection I consciously set aside time for self-reflection. This is different than time I take for prayer or meditation. This time is specifically focused on questions about my goals, my behavior, and my general state of mind. It may sound narcissistic to some, but I can't be of any good to other people unless I am first good to myself. So I set aside time every week to unplug from everybody and everything. I use the time to ask myself the following questions. This helps me make sure I am in touch with the deep part of my soul so I can be whole for the people I care about.

1. Am I living up to my core values and personal mission?

Without structure you can end up anywhere. I keep my own set of rules and guidelines to guide me. Then, I can evaluate whether I am following them or how deviation has led me astray.

2. Am I being a person others can respect?

It may, at times, be useful to think your actions don't matter to others, but of course they do. I want to always be a righteous person who earns respect. I review behavior and ponder improvements regularly. This includes showing more gratitude and appreciation wherever possible.

3. Am I respecting my body the way I should?

The world gets busy and the body gets lower priority. At nearly 50, that approach is no longer an option. This is a time to adjust my schedule and priorities to make my body the best it can be.

4. Am I meeting the expectations I set for others around me?

It's not my job to make everyone around me happy all the time, but disappointment is well within my control. I review my behavior to make sure I haven't led people astray. I much prefer to under promise and over deliver whenever possible.

5. Am I using my talents fully?

There is no point in having gifts if you don't use them. I have been blessed with the ability to identify useful patterns and share them through my writing. I recently expanded that activity because I reflected on my highest and best use.

6. Am I performing at my peak capacity?

I don't believe that an energetic person should go all out all the time. Peak capacity includes getting an ample amount of downtime and rest so that you are delivering both in quantity and quality.

7. Am I giving my family and friends my most and my best?

I am very selective about the people with whom I spend time, regardless of whether or not they are blood relations. I want my relationships both at work and play to be deep, fun and meaningful. That means I have to contribute significantly to the party.

8. Am I engaging in worthy activity?

I believe that most people want to matter at the end of their lives. I can't say everything I do adds up to significance, but sometimes creating a laugh or simple nice memory for someone is worthy enough.

9. Am I making a positive impact on the world?

I don't need a rule in my life like Google to tell me to "Do no harm." I have a fairly centered moral view, I believe. But there are choices every day that can impact the world in small ways. So I vote, and learn and voice opinions with an open mind.

10. Am I on the path to my preferred future?

I strongly believe that I have a hand in my own destiny, even if I don't have total control. I would rather that it happened with some aspect of design rather than total default. Even just thinking through who I wish to be in 10 years is helpful for making decisions that lead me down a preferred path.

The Art of Self-Reflection – 5 Exercises to Find Peace in Your Life

What is it you want to do with your life? How do you think you’re going to make it happen? If you’re not sure, then self-reflection is in order.

Even if you have an idea where you want to go, you may want to consider doing self-reflection exercises to ensure that you remain on the path toward success. When you are on the right path, you can also find peace in your life.

Here are 5 self-reflection exercises that you can use to put things into perspective. These exercises can help you to clear your mind, relax, and find that peace you crave:

1. Compose affirmations. Write a list of at least 50 affirmations. These affirmations should embrace what you want to achieve and what you want to become in your life.

? Write them in present tense and be sure to use the word “I” throughout the list. For example, “I am always good at my job.”

? It is important to focus on the things that are occurring now that will lead to your future success.

You may hear words in your head such as, “But you messed this up the other day” or “You weren’t as productive a few days ago.” If you are hearing things like this, then banish those negative thoughts. It can take some time to get used to positive thinking, but it’ll be time well-spent.

? Repeating your affirmations aloud will enable you to reprogram your mind with positive thoughts.

2. Tap into your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is where your self-image is stored. All of your attitudes, experiences, beliefs, and values are here. Your subconscious mind is the core of who you are and it’s a very powerful force.

If you go inward and reflect upon what’s inside this storehouse within the mind, you can gain a better sense of self-awareness. Some may call this meditation. Regardless of what you call it, this process helps you to attain a higher level of consciousness.

? Better self-awareness can provide you with many answers about yourself and your true beliefs.

3. Visualize creatively. This is a fun way to self-reflect! Make yourself a box to show your hopes and dreams. Or you can create a vision board. Place pictures and words that represent you and your thoughts into your box or on your board. The more details you include, the better it works!

? Imagination is the key and the sky is the limit!

4. Ask yourself questions. Ask yourself questions about yourself. Write down your questions and your answers. Ask yourself questions about the present and the future and provide yourself with positive answers. You can be creative with your questions because only you know what’s inside of you.

Introspective Intelligence: How and When To Know Thyself

"Personal Intelligence" has become a hot topic of late, in large part through John Mayer’s book espousing the argument that we become our best selves when we "understand our own personality and the personalities of the people around us."

Fifteen years ago I coined a related but distinct term, “Introspective Intelligence” for skill at knowing how and when to use introspection, regardless of one’s personality.

Both since ancient times and at first blush, introspection sounds like a simple, good thing: “Know thyself” is the advice inscribed on the Temple of Delphi in Ancient Greece over 2,400 years ago.

But that advice has long been open to many interpretations. The most familiar and intuitive interpretation is akin to what Mayer advocates, know thy personality, but many others have argued that it originally meant know your place, your station in life, and still others argue that it means know yourself independently of what other people think of you, in other words, keep your own counsel, trust your intuitions about yourself, which is the opposite of doing careful skeptical self-examination.

We get that advice to trust our intuitions too. It's quite popular these days. For example in as the simple take-away from Malcolm Gladwell's hugely popular book Blink or from this country music video (link is external), which is strangely ambiguous about self-knowledge, an almost Freudian play suggesting that if you just be yourself you’ll be popular, with the otherwise maternal babes, and with large country music fan bases. If you be cool (be yourself) and don’t care about being popular, you’ll be popular.

I’d argue that we want nothing more than to be successful just being ourselves, as though your id alone would be enough to make us winsome to society at large. We throw lots of heroes up the pop charts like that, mavericks who succeed by acting naturally. But we also throw up over some of them, people who we think are appalling, unjustifiably popular because they claim to be mavericks when we think they’re just idiots. Tastes vary on this front, but for me, an example would be Sarah Palin. I wish she introspected more.

Though we think of introspection as a good thing, it’s actually a mixed bag even in popular accounts. We call it being “self-aware” when we like it, but we call it being self-conscious when we don't. We call it being mindful, a good thing, but we also navel-contemplation, a bad thing. 

Socrates famously said “The un examined life is not worth living,” to which we might reply “So is the constantly examined life.”

For me, introspective intelligence isn’t just an argument for introspecting more but for introspecting right, in other words knowing when to just be yourself and when to step outside yourself to examine your tendencies. Or to put it as a question, when does introspection help and hurt, when is it “self-awareness” and when is it “self-consciousness?” I’d also argue that introspection is not one thing but several. 

There are parallels and contrasts between my Introspective and Mayer's Personal Intelligence. They both can help you compensate for your personality traits. They both can help you read other people’s personalities better and to decide when your personality is in the way of good relationships and when other people’s are more the problem. Personal Intelligence is more likely to help you figure out the particular maneuvers to make to bring about better relationships. In this it's like being fluent in the Meyers Briggs or Big Five personality trait systems, knowing your personality type and how it meshes and clashes with other personality types. It’s even like being fluent in astrology this way, though with Meyers-Briggs and the Big Five there’s much more solid scientific grounding for the categorization of personality types.

In contrast to Personal Intelligence, my Introspective Intelligence system applies to all personalities and doesn’t actually distinguish between them. It’s not about the flavors people come in but the fundamental conditions of being a self-referential life form, one that, through language can tell stories about itself and then stories about the storyteller who told those stories. Here’s my original article about Introspective Intelligence, first printed elsewhere in 1999, but delivered in the PT blogs back in 2010.

"I'm tired of being controlled by other people. It's time for me to honor my true self."

The idea of getting in touch with one's true self has become a joke, mostly because people who pledged to do so back in the 1980s were too earnest, and, well, out of touch.

Still, the joke runs deeper than laughing at old fads. There's something fundamentally slapstick about even the most thoughtful search for a true self. No sooner do you pounce on the place where you think your true self's buck stops than you realize the buck must stop somewhere else.

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What would you find if you burrowed around inside your mind, looking for your true self? A soul? A little equipment operator who runs your body, perhaps? Does this equipment operator have a body, too? If not, how does it work? If so, what runs it? Does it have an operator's operator inside it? And, then, what runs the operator's operator? Where do the nested Russian dolls of your self end? And who wants to know? Who's the true self behind the part of you searching for your true self? Trying to get to the end of the queue is like trying to eat your mouth.

So, maybe your true self isn't inside at all. Scramble all the way back out and look up in the sky for your true self, a god controlling you like a marionette. But, then, who controls the god? Whether you look inside or out, the true self isn't there. The search is a great, mysterious shell game.

There's a new way of looking at the self that conforms more to what the scientific evidence suggests. We know we evolved, and that our fellow creatures, which also evolved, nevertheless don't seem to engage in searches for their true selves. Flies fly without every wondering why, without ever looking inside for the true source of their flight. Introspection, the ability to picture a true self, seems pretty much new with humans. Even with us, though, it doesn't consume our day. Watching TV, maintaining liver function, or simply breathing—we have plenty of self-perpetuating habits that don't depend on self-awareness. Still, there's no family of words that roll off our tongues as readily as first-person singulars. "I," "me," "my"—we speak of these things with great authority. In light of evolution, however, what do these words mean?

To answer this question, it's worth noticing that we humans evolved into word users, creatures with vocabularies so large that we can weave words into intricate mind's-eye pictures of our world, and even worlds beyond. On the slightest verbal suggestion, you can picture a pink rhino with a candy-cane horn even though you've never seen one. You can visit your childhood home, your current house, or a future abode; you can picture your past, present, and future. You can mix the real and the make-believe, picturing, for example, a pink rhino from your childhood, which means that what you envision can diverge more or less from what is real. You can combine pictures into stories—mental movies, in effect. From what science can tell, this capacity is by far at its most developed in humans, and it's due to our symbolic, or language, capacity. Moreover, you can picture and tell stories about yourself. The search for the self is less slapstick if regarded not as burrowing around for a master operator but as developing mind's-eye pictures of and stories about yourself from different vantage points. As such, there are four basic kinds of self-nesses—four I's that make up a mind:

I0 (I to the zeroth power): This is life's basic state, behavior without self-examination, self-awareness, self-consciousness, or self-reflection. It's the closest we get to how the rest of life lives. We call it acting instinctively or intuitively, or putting behavior on autopilot. In humans, I0 behavior can be either innate or learned. Sleeping, wound healing, breathing, and blood circulating are innate examples of operating in an I0 state. Walking, driving, using a spoon, and watching TV are learned activities that typically become second nature. In these states, the self is simply assumed. We lose ourselves into the activity at hand. We act like input-output devices. It is in this state that we become one with all of life. (Anything to the zeroth power equals one.)

I0 is very efficient, though it's dangerous when something bad for us becomes second nature. I0 is a state wonderfully devoid of self-consciousness, but it's also a state troublingly bereft of self-awareness. We're glad gentlefolk have made their habits second nature. We regret that evildoers have done so. 

I1 (I to the first power): This is basic introspection, the capacity to picture yourself behaving and to tell stories about that behavior: "I'm a plumber." "I'm a married woman." "I'm an up-and-coming author." "I'm a good Christian." “I meant to do that." The first-person pronoun emerges with this state. All sorts of descriptions and explanations of your self arise naturally and automatically with this capacity. I1 is, you could say, the uniquely human innate ability to construct unexamined narratives on demand about who we are, what we're for, and what we're against.

Why on demand? Most of the time, we just cruise along in an I0 state, our I1 narratives about who we are residing in the vague background, unconscious, simply assumed. They rise to our conscious attention only when we face demands—when we are confused, challenged, doubtful, or wondering. Then the stories about who we are might arise to consciousness as reminders or guides in our decision making. Whenever we get a little disoriented, we access our I1 descriptions to help us remember what to do and what we're for, but also what we're against. We are defined both by what we do and don't do: "I don't eat onions." "I don't do windows." "I don't fool around." We say what we need to hear in order to keep ourselves on track.

I1 is beneficial when it helps us persist against resistance worth overcoming. ("Darn it, I'm a good person. I can try harder!") It's dangerous when it makes us persist against resistance worth surrendering to. ("Darn it, I am a good Nazi soldier. I can try harder to defeat the enemy!") I1 stories keep us on track, either in a groove or in a rut, depending on which track we're on. We're glad Martin Luther King was so strongly in an I1 state. We're sorry Hitler was.

I2 (I squared): We behave (I0). We can tell stories about our behavior (I1), and we can tell stories about the storyteller (I2). Whereas in an I1 state I might say, "I'm a people person," in an I2 state I might say, "I like to think that I'm a people person," as if talking about that storytelling guy I am that likes to think certain things. Whereas in an I1 state I might say, "I'm going to be a success," in an I2 state I might say, "I keep telling myself I'm going to be a success." At I1 we tell unexamined stories. At I2 we are aware that we are telling stories.

Seeing ourselves telling stories generally increases the distance between us and the stories, thereby reducing the stories' credibility enough that we face a choice about whether the stories are useful, or should be changed for other stories. Noticing the storyteller enables us to see that we are storytellers interpreting reality, not simply reporting it. From I2 I might say, "I have a tendency to be overoptimistic," which is as if to call into question my optimistic interpretations of reality.

I2 is the source of whatever flexibility we have to jump track when we decide we're on the wrong track. However, it's not always enough flexibility to actually succeed in jumping. There are times when we see ourselves telling counterproductive stories about ourselves but can't stop telling those stories anyway. But I2 raises the possibility of jumping. It raises doubt, which can be a great thing if you're telling bad stories ("I'm a good Nazi soldier") or a bad thing if you're telling good stories ("I'm responsible for these children"). We're glad Martin Luther King Jr. didn't spend more time in an I2 state. We wish Hitler had spent more time in one.

I to the infinite power, or I-ins, as in, "I on and on and on and on"): For every story that can be told, another story can be told about the storyteller. Just as you can picture yourself picturing yourself behaving (I2), you can continue picturing yourself picturing yourself picturing yourself to the limits of your ability to keep track (which are mercifully low). I-ins is the state in which you recognize that there is no true self, that for every interpretation you make of who you are, another interpretation can be made of the interpreter of that interpretation. I-ins is simply the recognition that no matter how far out I go to get more perspective on myself, there is always another vantage point further out, which means there's no final certainty about who I am after all.

The I-ins state can bring on permanent disorientation, or it can resign you more comfortably to life's uncertainty. It would be lovely to find a true self, an omniscient gut or god that always knows the right thing to do, but since we can't, we can get with the program, choose our grooves, monitor them to make sure they don't become ruts, and then just cruise in them. We don't tend to spend much time in an I-ins state, because it's fairly disorienting, and we have things to do. We need to stay on track. Besides, more layers are simply more than a mind can handle.

Benefits of Introspection that Help You Guide Your Life From Within

Life is all about the learning experiences. Opportunities to enhance your knowledge and growth make life worth living. And a significant part of the growth process is introspection.

Taking the time to look inwards can help shape the person you become. How you respond to things and make choices are based on letting what’s inside come out.

Looking inward can help you take positive steps in life. At the very least, introspection can help you make morally appropriate decisions.

Consider these benefits of introspection:

Conscience-driven decisions. Being introspective allows you to maintain close contact with your conscience. Your conscience is what helps you distinguish right from wrong. When you focus on looking inwards, you get the opportunity to weigh your options.

? Conscience-driven decisions allow you to sleep better at night.

? Taking this approach helps you to be true to others, regardless of the outcome.

Character building.

Looking inwards forces you to confront the person you are. What makes you tick? What do you believe in? Taking an honest look at your character brings you self-knowledge, can help build your self-esteem, and enables you to make changes if you want to.

? Have you done or said things that offend others? Put yourself in their shoes and think about how you’d feel.

? Look back at your experiences. Which outcome has left you feeling the most satisfied?

Fair thinking.

Fair thinking is tied in with the conscience. But introspection allows you to lock out the noise around you. It’s very easy to sway your thoughts based on what is presented to you on the outside. But listen to yourself first!

? It’s easy to want to give in to a particular way of thinking based on influence. Your close friends and even family encourage you to see things their way. But what about your way?

? Remember that you alone are responsible for your life.

Defined happiness.

By taking a look at what you’re made up of inside, you can actually define happiness. What are the things that you enjoy doing? How do you measure relationships with others? Answering questions like these can lead to true happiness, defined just for you.

? Life is best lived when you make yourself happy first. The well-being of others will follow naturally.

Confrontation of fear.

It’s easy to live in the pretense of fearlessness. But the truth is that every person has at least one fear. What’s yours? The best way to determine your fears is through introspection. Once you own your fears, you can move towards managing the feelings they bring.

? Is it failure or success that you’re afraid of? Consider the worst thing that could happen.

? Build the skill sets you need to confront your fear and take it down!

Acknowledgement of choices. As a human being, you have more choices than you think!

As the only reasoning beings on the planet, we all have a myriad of options available. Take a good look inside and identify your real choices.

? Ultimately, you want your choices to reflect your true character. Avoid making “popular” decisions just because that is how others feel about a topic.

The growth and development you seek is truly possible through introspection.

Take the time each day to close your eyes and contemplate. You’ll realize in time how much easier it is to lead a truly happy life through this approach. When we continuously go through our lives the same way, we inevitably block the chance of changing things for the better.

By becoming more self-aware, we are able to have a better understanding of what we truly want in life. Naturally, this involves making changes, whether they're significant or menial.

Of course, nobody likes change. It’s uncomfortable and scary, and we seek comfort in what we know.

However, this is why it is critical to ask ourselves, is it worth it take as little as five minutes out of our day for introspection in exchange for an increased chance of happiness? ..Most of the time, it’s safe to say you already know the answer....VERY IMPORTANT TO POST your INTROSPECTIVE REFLECTIONS HERE...