What is self-knowledge and what are the 3 types?

Self-knowledge is a skill that few possess, but it is certainly very powerful.

What is self-knowledge?

Have you ever heard that each person is unique? And, on the other hand, have you ever heard that we are a set formed by each experience we have had with other people?

When we hear both statements it can be a little difficult to understand who we are, after all, are we unique or a reflection of others?

And the truth is, there is no right answer to this question, as neither side is 100% right or wrong.

Understanding who we are is a complex process, and consists, at first, of not creating exact definitions, and opening the heart and mind to a deep interpretation.

And we call this process self-knowledge, which means understanding who we are, what we like and our own values and priorities.

In simple terms, we can say that it is a journey made with yourself, where at every moment there is the chance to discover the positive and negative aspects of your own personality.

In the end, the idea is always the same: to get closer to yourself, and thus create a relationship of positive proximity. After all, how is it possible to admire who you are without knowing your own personality in depth, with its burdens, bonuses, dreams and purposes?

The big problem with self-knowledge is that it is not a simple process, since it requires a good dose of introspection and resilience when dealing with all aspects of yourself.

But, for those who are willing, the benefits are countless, and we will be able to discover them later!

What are the 3 types of self-knowledge?

When we talk about self-knowledge, the first word that should come to mind is process.

This is because no one gets to know themselves overnight, and especially when you spend a lot of time without prioritizing yourself, the distance can create greater difficulties.

For this reason, anyone who wants to achieve self-knowledge must be willing to have patience and resilience to deal with each step of this journey.

But, everything can become simpler through knowledge, and for this reason, we will now see the three types, or phases, of self-knowledge.

Thought

Each person thinks in their own way, and no matter how hard we try, we cannot know someone completely, since thoughts are private.

But on the other hand, knowing yourself requires a complete and in-depth interpretation of your own thoughts.

Therefore, the first phase of self-knowledge consists of understanding and mapping one’s own thoughts;

To do this, some questions must exist, such as:

What do I think about certain subjects?
How do I organize my thoughts?
Do I tend towards pessimism, optimism or realism?
How much do my thoughts interfere with my well-being and my relationships?

Understanding your thought patterns can help you understand your personality and principles in general.

Expression

In addition to thinking, another important point to differentiate someone is the way in which that person expresses themselves.

This is because it is not uncommon for people to think a lot about things, have excellent ideas and plans, but when it comes to expression, things get difficult.

The way we express ourselves says a lot about our self-esteem, and self-esteem is a direct reflection of self-knowledge.

Therefore, interpreting your forms of expression is an important step towards achieving self-knowledge.

Implementation

How do you position yourself in situations? How do you present yourself to others?

There are those who believe that it is only possible to be happy if you like who you are, but it is important to understand that we do not always like everything about ourselves.

Again we come back to the point about our weaknesses: who admires their own declines or is happy to have blockages? Probably no one.

But liking becomes irrelevant when respect becomes a priority.

When you embrace who you are, it becomes easier to admit your own difficulties and demands, and thus overcome challenges or deal with situations in the best way possible.

When we talk about implementation, we refer to a phase of self-knowledge where you have the ability to accept who you are, and from there make the necessary improvements and acceptances.

What are the benefits of self-knowledge?

Throughout the definition of the self-knowledge process, it became clear that this is not a simple process, as it requires a series of in-depth assessments.

But the benefits of this adventure are proportional to its difficulties, so it is certainly worth it.

This is because, as we have already seen, acceptance and affection for who we are can only exist when we look carefully at our inner self.

This way we can find our professional skills, passions, tastes, feelings and emotions that most affect our lives and also what needs attention within us.

Especially in professional life, self-knowledge is essential for growth, as it allows the interpretation of one's own capabilities, objectives and future aspirations.

But, going far beyond the professional field, self-knowledge still produces benefits for all areas of life.

See below the main benefits of this process:

Improved self-esteem;
Preservation of one's own identity;
Possibility of respecting one’s own limits;
Achievement of quality of life;
Ease of decision making;
Clear interpretation of one's own desires and abilities;
Decreased emotional dependence on third parties;
Self-confidence;
Between others.

So, emotionally speaking, we can understand that self-knowledge can be a real remedy for many difficulties with others, and with oneself.

But, it is worth saying that self-knowledge is a daily exercise, since we change a little every day, and each experience we live affects us superficially or deeply.

That said, now that you understand what self-knowledge is, you can start practicing and begin your personal evolution!

Roberta August 29, 2023

Development