What is self-awareness and what are the three existing types?

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

That's because knowing yourself is the first step in building good relationships and maximizing your own skills and abilities.

But, to do that, it's important, first of all, to understand what self-knowledge is, in order to learn about its construction.

And if that's exactly what you were looking for when you accessed this material, know that you've come to the right place!

So, to understand everything about self-knowledge, its development, and its advantages, just come along with us in this reading!

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 whole formed by each experience we have had with other people?

Hearing both statements can make it a little difficult to understand who we are; after all, are we unique or a reflection of others?

And the truth is, there's no single right answer to that question, since neither side is 100% right or wrong.

Understanding who we are is a complex process, and it consists, in principle, of not creating exact definitions, but opening our hearts and minds to a profound interpretation.

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

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

Ultimately, the idea is always the same: to get closer to oneself, and thus create a positive, close relationship. After all, how is it possible to admire who you are without deeply understanding your own personality, with its burdens, advantages, dreams, and purposes?

The biggest problem with self-knowledge is that it's not a simple process, since it requires a good deal of introspection and resilience in dealing with all aspects of oneself.

But for those who are willing, the benefits are numerous, and we will be able to learn more about them later!

What are the three types of self-knowledge?

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

That's because nobody gets to know themselves overnight, and especially when a lot of time passes without prioritizing oneself, the resulting distance can create greater difficulties.

For this reason, anyone wishing 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 that reason, we will now look at the three types, or phases, of self-knowledge.

Thought 

Each person thinks in their own way, and no matter how hard we try, it's impossible to know someone completely, since thoughts are private.

But, on the other hand, knowing oneself requires a complete and in-depth interpretation of one's own thoughts.

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

For this to happen, some questions need to be asked, such as:

• What are my thoughts on 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 

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

This is because it's not uncommon for a person to think deeply about things, have excellent ideas and plans, but then struggle when it comes to expressing them.

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 different situations? How do you present yourself to others?

Some believe that happiness is only possible when you like who you are, but it's important to understand that we won't always like everything about ourselves.

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

But liking someone becomes irrelevant when respect becomes the priority.

When you stand by who you are, it becomes easier to acknowledge your own difficulties and needs, and thus overcome challenges or deal with situations in the best possible way.

When we talk about implementation, we are referring 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's certainly worth it.

That's because, as we've already seen, acceptance and affection for who we are can only exist when we carefully look inward.

This allows us to discover our professional skills, passions, tastes, feelings, and emotions that most affect our lives, as well as what needs attention within ourselves.

Especially in professional life, self-knowledge is essential for growth, as it allows for the interpretation of one's own abilities, goals, 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;
• Preserving one's own identity;
• The possibility of respecting one's own limits;
• Achieving a better quality of life;
• Ease in making decisions;
• A clear interpretation of one's own desires and aptitudes;
• Reducing emotional dependence on others;
• 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.

However, it's worth mentioning that self-knowledge is a daily exercise, since we change a little bit every day, and each experience we live through affects us superficially or deeply.

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

Roberta

I am a member of the O Administrador team and I produce content about career, personal finance, financial education, productivity, and professional development. My goal is to share clear and practical information to help readers with their day-to-day decisions.

August 29, 2023