Introspection

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Why is instrospection, the quality of being able to hold a mirror up to one's own thoughts and emotions, a relatively rare human faculty, regardless of an individual's level of intelligence and culture? Why is it that some people can 'see' themselves lucidly - and others not at all?

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Who says it is "rare"?

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@centrox,

centrox wrote:

Who says it is "rare"?

I say it is rare. After all, it is very easy for me to judge the thoughts and emotions of other people... and most of them don't have the introspection I have.

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Yes, seeing oneself directly almost seems to be an impossibility. I call it the Medusa effect. To look directly at the Medusa is to turn into stone. That is, our defense mechanisms are so strong that we are frozen from self-analysis. However, we can see ourselves indirectly through the catharsis of drama and other arts as well as through clinical psychology. Perseus was only able to look at the Medusa indirectly through the reflection of Athena's shield.

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@Camus,

Camus wrote:

Why is instrospection, the quality of being able to hold a mirror up to one's own thoughts and emotions, a relatively rare human faculty, regardless of an individual's level of intelligence and culture? Why is it that some people can 'see' themselves lucidly - and others not at all?

I don't think that introspection necessarily leads to seeing lucidly. I believe that the thoughts we have about ourselves are colored by our emotions and that a realistic view of ourselves is often not possible.

I refer you to my signature line--a bit of wisdom from Robert Burns.

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God save us from j'ai dix-sept ans et je sais tout types who have just discovered existentialism. Who think they have an exceptional facility for introspection. Narcissism more like.

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

most of them don't have the introspection I have.

That's only what you think.

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@centrox,

I do.

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@centrox,

For myself, I don't equate introspection with narcissism. An introspective man can believe he is an idiot of little value. There is no implication of self-admiration at all.

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@Roberta,

You are right, of course, that it doesn't 'necessarily' lead to lucidity. Perhaps I expressed the question badly. Achieving a 'realistic' view is always a work in progress, a lot of work, but I actually believe that objectivity towards oneself is quite possible. Just in parenthesis: I actually have written a novel about this, published last week, but wanted the sentiment of others.

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@Camus,

Camus wrote:

Why is instrospection, the quality of being able to hold a mirror up to one's own thoughts and emotions, a relatively rare human faculty, regardless of an individual's level of intelligence and culture? Why is it that some people can 'see' themselves lucidly - and others not at all?

Not that I am reflecting some well done study, but I believe that introspection tends to correlate with introversion. Extroverts may just be very focussed in what is going on around them to spend much time in introspection.

Also, to be introspective does not just mean to see oneself as others see one, if that's part of your definition. That might require a degree of humility, a la Woody Allen.

Back in the 1970's there was a whole genre of self-help/self analysis books. Those who wanted to understand themselves tended to be the readers, I believe. Many must have thought that their powers of introspection was lacking something.

But, regardless of one's ability to be introspective, we are socialized at such an early age, our values that we utilize to judge ourselves, during times of introspection, are so much part of ourselves, we really can't often see another viewpoint. If the antonym to introspection is "close-mindedness" then many people excel at that quality, in my opinion, myself included. It has been said, it has been written (Yul Brynner's famous line, as the Pharoh in the movie The Ten Commandments).

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@maxdancona,

I think you're describing perception, not introspection.

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@Foofie,

Some one capable of introspection may be an introvert or an extrovert. The relation is only very tenuous. And in my observations, extroverts are the people the least focused on what's 'going on around them'. The introvert tends to be the one actually watching ... The introspective people I'm talking about are precisely those that do not 'see themselves as others see them'. They form their own judgements about themselves. This may indeed fill them with humility (or probably should!). My novel 'Homo Conscius' endeavours to illustrate such men.

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@Camus,

Camus wrote:

Some one capable of introspection may be an introvert or an extrovert. The relation is only very tenuous. And in my observations, extroverts are the people the least focused on what's 'going on around them'. The introvert tends to be the one actually watching ... The introspective people I'm talking about are precisely those that do not 'see themselves as others see them'. They form their own judgements about themselves. This may indeed fill them with humility (or probably should!). My novel 'Homo Conscius' endeavours to illustrate such men.

Introspection

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