self awareness in critical thinking

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What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It)

• Tasha Eurich

Although most people believe that they are self-aware, true self-awareness is a rare quality. In this piece, the author describes a recent large-scale investigation that shed light on some of the biggest roadblocks, myths, and truths about what self-awareness really is — and what it takes to cultivate it. Specifically, the study found that there are actually two distinct types of self-awareness, that experience and power can hinder self-awareness, and that introspection doesn’t always make you more self-aware. Understanding these key points can help leaders learn to see themselves more clearly.

It’s not just about introspection.

Self-awareness seems to have become the latest management buzzword — and for good reason. Research suggests that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative . We make sounder decisions , build stronger relationships , and communicate more effectively . We’re less likely to lie, cheat, and steal . We are better workers who get more promotions . And we’re more-effective leaders with more-satisfied employees and more-profitable companies .

• TE Tasha Eurich , PhD, is an organizational psychologist, researcher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is the principal of The Eurich Group, a boutique executive development firm that helps companies — from startups to the Fortune 100 — succeed by improving the effectiveness of their leaders and teams. Her newest book, Insight , delves into the connection between self-awareness and success in the workplace.

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On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Critical Thinking

If you’re actively working on increasing your self-awareness then you’re familiar with critical thinking, the process by which you determine whether something is true or false. When you’re able to use facts to determine whether something is valid or not, you’re better equipped to deal with any situation that comes your way and live a happier life. Let’s look at the difference between an individual who doesn’t think critically and one who does:

Someone says something to this person that scares her. She can’t figure out what to do and doesn’t know how to assess what’s true or false about what she’s being told. Because she doesn’t understand the topic at hand, she draws conclusions based on visceral feelings, suppositions, or hunches rather than facts. Unable to ascertain what’s really going on, she remains uninformed and fearful.

This person has been told the same thing, initially feels scared, but has the presence of mind to evaluate the topic. She does some research to determine what is true or false about what she’s been told based on demonstrable and verifiable facts. She is able to view the issue in context and asses its likely impact on her life. She reacts appropriately based on the information she’s collected.

You’ll be much more likely to live a meaningful and balanced life if you take the time to determine what’s actually true or false about any given topic or situation. Some people leave things to emotion, chance, or superstition; you can choose to take a dispassionate look at the issue and deal with it based on demonstrable facts. How will you use your critical thinking skills?

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Article • 8 min read

Critical Thinking

Developing the right mindset and skills.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

We make hundreds of decisions every day and, whether we realize it or not, we're all critical thinkers.

We use critical thinking each time we weigh up our options, prioritize our responsibilities, or think about the likely effects of our actions. It's a crucial skill that helps us to cut out misinformation and make wise decisions. The trouble is, we're not always very good at it!

In this article, we'll explore the key skills that you need to develop your critical thinking skills, and how to adopt a critical thinking mindset, so that you can make well-informed decisions.

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the discipline of rigorously and skillfully using information, experience, observation, and reasoning to guide your decisions, actions, and beliefs. You'll need to actively question every step of your thinking process to do it well.

Collecting, analyzing and evaluating information is an important skill in life, and a highly valued asset in the workplace. People who score highly in critical thinking assessments are also rated by their managers as having good problem-solving skills, creativity, strong decision-making skills, and good overall performance. [1]

Key Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinkers possess a set of key characteristics which help them to question information and their own thinking. Focus on the following areas to develop your critical thinking skills:

Being willing and able to explore alternative approaches and experimental ideas is crucial. Can you think through "what if" scenarios, create plausible options, and test out your theories? If not, you'll tend to write off ideas and options too soon, so you may miss the best answer to your situation.

To nurture your curiosity, stay up to date with facts and trends. You'll overlook important information if you allow yourself to become "blinkered," so always be open to new information.

But don't stop there! Look for opposing views or evidence to challenge your information, and seek clarification when things are unclear. This will help you to reassess your beliefs and make a well-informed decision later. Read our article, Opening Closed Minds , for more ways to stay receptive.

Logical Thinking

You must be skilled at reasoning and extending logic to come up with plausible options or outcomes.

It's also important to emphasize logic over emotion. Emotion can be motivating but it can also lead you to take hasty and unwise action, so control your emotions and be cautious in your judgments. Know when a conclusion is "fact" and when it is not. "Could-be-true" conclusions are based on assumptions and must be tested further. Read our article, Logical Fallacies , for help with this.

Use creative problem solving to balance cold logic. By thinking outside of the box you can identify new possible outcomes by using pieces of information that you already have.

Self-Awareness

Many of the decisions we make in life are subtly informed by our values and beliefs. These influences are called cognitive biases and it can be difficult to identify them in ourselves because they're often subconscious.

Practicing self-awareness will allow you to reflect on the beliefs you have and the choices you make. You'll then be better equipped to challenge your own thinking and make improved, unbiased decisions.

One particularly useful tool for critical thinking is the Ladder of Inference . It allows you to test and validate your thinking process, rather than jumping to poorly supported conclusions.

Developing a Critical Thinking Mindset

Combine the above skills with the right mindset so that you can make better decisions and adopt more effective courses of action. You can develop your critical thinking mindset by following this process:

Gather Information

First, collect data, opinions and facts on the issue that you need to solve. Draw on what you already know, and turn to new sources of information to help inform your understanding. Consider what gaps there are in your knowledge and seek to fill them. And look for information that challenges your assumptions and beliefs.

Be sure to verify the authority and authenticity of your sources. Not everything you read is true! Use this checklist to ensure that your information is valid:

• Are your information sources trustworthy ? (For example, well-respected authors, trusted colleagues or peers, recognized industry publications, websites, blogs, etc.)
• Is the information you have gathered up to date ?
• Has the information received any direct criticism ?
• Does the information have any errors or inaccuracies ?
• Is there any evidence to support or corroborate the information you have gathered?
• Is the information you have gathered subjective or biased in any way? (For example, is it based on opinion, rather than fact? Is any of the information you have gathered designed to promote a particular service or organization?)

If any information appears to be irrelevant or invalid, don't include it in your decision making. But don't omit information just because you disagree with it, or your final decision will be flawed and bias.

Now observe the information you have gathered, and interpret it. What are the key findings and main takeaways? What does the evidence point to? Start to build one or two possible arguments based on what you have found.

You'll need to look for the details within the mass of information, so use your powers of observation to identify any patterns or similarities. You can then analyze and extend these trends to make sensible predictions about the future.

To help you to sift through the multiple ideas and theories, it can be useful to group and order items according to their characteristics. From here, you can compare and contrast the different items. And once you've determined how similar or different things are from one another, Paired Comparison Analysis can help you to analyze them.

The final step involves challenging the information and rationalizing its arguments.

Apply the laws of reason (induction, deduction, analogy) to judge an argument and determine its merits. To do this, it's essential that you can determine the significance and validity of an argument to put it in the correct perspective. Take a look at our article, Rational Thinking , for more information about how to do this.

Once you have considered all of the arguments and options rationally, you can finally make an informed decision.

Afterward, take time to reflect on what you have learned and what you found challenging. Step back from the detail of your decision or problem, and look at the bigger picture. Record what you've learned from your observations and experience.

Critical thinking involves rigorously and skilfully using information, experience, observation, and reasoning to guide your decisions, actions and beliefs. It's a useful skill in the workplace and in life.

You'll need to be curious and creative to explore alternative possibilities, but rational to apply logic, and self-aware to identify when your beliefs could affect your decisions or actions.

You can demonstrate a high level of critical thinking by validating your information, analyzing its meaning, and finally evaluating the argument.

Critical Thinking Infographic

See Critical Thinking represented in our infographic: An Elementary Guide to Critical Thinking .

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What Is Self-Awareness?

Development, Types, and How to Improve

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

• Development
• How to Improve

Self-Consciousness

Frequently asked questions.

Self-awareness is your ability to perceive and understand the things that make you who you are as an individual, including your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts. Essentially, it is a psychological state in which the self becomes the focus of  attention .

While self-awareness is central to who you are, it is not something you are acutely focused on at every moment of every day. Instead, self-awareness becomes woven into the fabric of who you are and emerges at different points depending on the situation and your personality .​

It is one of the first components of the  self-concept  to emerge. People are not born completely self-aware. Yet evidence suggests that infants do have a rudimentary sense of self-awareness.

Infants possess the awareness that they are separate beings from others, which is evidenced by behaviors such as the rooting reflex in which an infant searches for a nipple when something brushes against their face. Researchers have also found that even newborns are able to differentiate between self- and non-self touch.

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Self-Awareness Development

Studies have demonstrated that a more complex sense of self-awareness emerges around one year of age and becomes much more developed by approximately 18 months of age. Researchers Lewis and Brooks-Gunn performed studies looking at how self-awareness develops.

The researchers applied a red dot to an infant's nose and then held the child up to a mirror. Children who recognized themselves in the mirror would reach for their own noses rather than the reflection in the mirror, which indicated that they had at least some level of self-awareness.

Lewis and Brooks-Gunn found that almost no children under one year of age would reach for their own nose rather than the reflection in the mirror.

About 25% of the infants between 15 and 18 months reached for their own noses while about 70% of those between 21 and 24 months did so.

It is important to note that the Lewis and Brooks-Gunn study only indicates an infant's visual self-awareness; children might actually possess other forms of self-awareness even at this early point in life. For example, researchers Lewis, Sullivan, Stanger, and Weiss suggested that  expressing emotions  involves self-awareness as well as an ability to think about oneself in relation to other people.

Researchers have proposed that an area of the brain known as the anterior cingulate cortex located in the frontal lobe region plays an important role in developing self-awareness. Studies have also used brain imaging to show that this region becomes activated in adults who are self-aware.

The Lewis and Brooks-Gunn experiment suggests that self-awareness begins to emerge in children around the age of 18 months, an age that coincides with the rapid growth of spindle cells in the anterior cingulate cortex.

However, one study found that a patient retained self-awareness even with extensive damage to areas of the brain including the insula and the anterior cingulate cortex.

This suggests that these areas of the brain are not required for most aspects of self-awareness and that awareness may instead arise from interactions distributed among brain networks.

Levels of Self-Awareness

So how exactly do children become aware of themselves as separate beings? One major theory of self-awareness, introduced by developmental psychologist Philippe Rochat, suggests that there are five levels of self-awareness. Children progress through these stages between birth and approximately age 4 or 5:

• Differentiation : A baby begins to acknowledge their own reflection. They may detect there is something different or special about looking at their reflection.
• Situation : A baby begins to recognize their own reflection, being, and movements as separate from those around them.
• Identification : This is the stage during which a child fully knows that it is their own reflection in a mirror. They know, "This is me ."
• Permanence : They have a complete sense of themselves and can identify themselves in pictures or videos, even as their appearance changes.
• Self-consciousness : A child adapts a third-person point of view of themselves; they become aware of the idea that others perceive them in certain ways. This may result in feelings such as pride or shame.

Types of Self-Awareness

Psychologists often break self-awareness down into two different types, either public or private.

Public Self-Awareness

This type emerges when people are aware of how they appear to others. Public self-awareness typically emerges in situations when people are at the center of attention.

This type of self-awareness often compels people to adhere to social norms . When we are aware that we are being watched and evaluated, we often try to behave in ways that are socially acceptable and desirable.

Public self-awareness can also lead to evaluation anxiety in which people become distressed, anxious, or worried about how they are perceived by others.

Public Self-Awareness Examples

You may experience public self-awareness in the workplace, when you're giving a big presentation. Or, you may experience it when telling a story to a group of friends.

Private Self-Awareness

This type happens when people become aware of some aspects of themselves, but only in a private way. For example, seeing your face in the mirror is a type of private self-awareness.

Private Self-Awareness Examples

Feeling your stomach lurch when you realize you forgot to study for an important test or feeling your heart flutter when you see someone you are attracted to are also examples of private self-awareness.

How to Improve Your Self-Awareness

So how do you grow self-awareness? There are many ways you can practice being present with yourself and your emotions, which, in turn, can help improve your self-awareness.

Meditation can be an especially useful practice because you don't have to worry about changing anything—simply noticing what happens during a meditation can bring greater awareness of your thoughts and feelings.

Maybe you notice that you hold tension in your body by clenching your jaw, for instance, or that you tend to worry so much about the future that it's hard to be in the present moment. This is all valuable information that can help you get to know yourself and your tendencies.

Journaling is a practice in self-reflection that can help you notice the ways in which you tend to think and behave, and even which areas in your life you may wish to improve. It can be a therapeutic way to gain insight into your life events and relationships.

Talk Therapy

During therapy—such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—a therapist works with you to address negative thought patterns or behaviors.

By understanding the underlying cause of your negative thoughts, for instance, you're in a more advantageous position to change them and use healthy coping mechanisms instead.

Develop Your Emotional Intelligence

Self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ) go hand in hand. EQ refers to a person's ability to perceive their own emotions as well as the emotions of other people. Someone with a high EQ is able to effectively respond to emotions with empathy and compassion.

Of course, no one is perfect, and EQ is a skill like any other. But by learning to express your own emotions in a healthy way, and practicing active listening in your relationships, you're contributing to the expansion of your own self-awareness as well.

Try Our EQ Test

Our fast and free EQ test can help you determine whether or not your responses to certain situations in life indicate a high level of emotional intelligence:

Sometimes, people can become overly self-aware and veer into what is known as self-consciousness. Have you ever felt like everyone was watching you, judging your actions, and waiting to see what you will do next? This heightened state of self-awareness can leave you feeling awkward and nervous in some instances.

In a lot of cases, these feelings of self-consciousness are only temporary and arise in situations when we are "in the spotlight." For some people, however, excessive self-consciousness can reflect a chronic condition such as social anxiety disorder .

While self-awareness plays a critical role in how we understand ourselves and how we relate to others and the world, excessive self-consciousness can result in challenges such as anxiety and stress .

If you struggle with self-consciousness, discuss your symptoms with a doctor or mental health professional to learn more about what you can do to cope with these feelings.

Being self-aware is all about having an understanding of your own thoughts, feelings, values, beliefs, and actions. It means that you understand who you are, what you want, how you feel, and why you do the things that you do.

There are many different ways to think about self-awareness, but four keys that are often mentioned included mindfulness, self-compassion, reflection, and feedback.

Mindfulness allows people to become more aware of themselves in the present, while compassion allows them to do so without passing judgment on themselves. Reflection and feedback allow people to take what they have learned and improve themselves in order to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

The five elements of self-awarenesses are:

• Consciousness : This means being aware of your internal experiences, including your emotions and thoughts.
• Self-knowledge : This element is focused on your understanding of who you are, including your beliefs, values, and motivations.
• Emotional intelligence : This element is focused on the ability to understand and manage emotions.
• Self-acceptance : This aspect is centered on accepting who you are and showing yourself compassion and kindness.
• Self-reflection : This element of self-awareness involves being able to think deeply about your feelings, thoughts, and goals in order to gain an even better understanding of who you are and your place in the world.

Rochat, P. Five levels of self-awareness as they unfold early in life . Consciousness and Cognition . 2003;12(4):717-31. doi:10.1016/S1053-8100(03)00081-3

Brooks-Gunn J, Lewis M. The development of early visual self-recognition . Dev Review . 1984;4(3):215-39. doi:10.1016/S0273-2297(84)80006-4

Moeller SJ, Goldstein RZ. Impaired self-awareness in human addiction: deficient attribution of personal relevance . Trends Cogn Sci (Regul Ed). 2014;18(12):635-41. PMID: 25278368

Philippi CL, Feinstein JS, Khalsa SS, et al. Preserved self-awareness following extensive bilateral brain damage to the insula, anterior cingulate, and medial prefrontal cortices . PLoS ONE. 2012;7(8):e38413. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038413

Sutton A. Measuring the effects of self-awareness: Construction of the self-awareness outcomes questionnaire .  Eur J Psychol . 2016;12(4):645-658. doi:10.5964/ejop.v12i4.1178

Xiao Q, Yue C, He W, Yu JY. The mindful self: A mindfulness-enlightened self-view .  Front Psychol . 2017;8:1752. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01752

Snyder, M. Journaling. R. Lindquist, M. Snyder, & M. F. Tracy (Eds.). In:  Complementary and alternative therapies in nursing . Springer Publishing Company; 2014.

Nakao M, Shirotsuki K, Sugaya N. Cognitive–behavioral therapy for management of mental health and stress-related disorders: Recent advances in techniques and technologies . BioPsychoSocial Med. 2021;15(1). doi:10.1186/s13030-021-00219-w

Serrat O. Understanding and developing emotional intelligence . Knowledge Solutions. 2017:329-339. doi:10.1007/978-981-10-0983-9_37

Dasilveira A, Desouza ML, Gomes WB. Self-consciousness concept and assessment in self-report measures . Front Psychol . 2015;6:930. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00930

Stein DJ. Social anxiety disorder and the psychobiology of self-consciousness .  Front Hum Neurosci . 2015;9:489. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00489

• Crisp, R. J. & Turner, R. N. Essential social psychology. London: Sage Publications; 2010.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

What Is Self-Awareness? (+5 Ways to Be More Self-Aware)

While it may not be possible to attain total objectivity about oneself (that’s a debate that has continued to rage throughout the history of philosophy), there are certainly degrees of self-awareness. It exists on a spectrum.

Although everyone has a fundamental idea of what self-awareness is, we don’t know exactly where it comes from, what its precursors are, or why some of us seem to have more or less than others.

This is where the self-awareness theory comes in, offering some potential answers to questions like these.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students, or employees show more compassion to themselves.

This Article Contains:

What is self-awareness theory, research on the topic, 4 proven benefits of self-awareness, 3 examples of self-awareness skills, 5 ways to increase your self-awareness, importance in counseling and coaching, meditation, mindfulness, and self-awareness, self-awareness & emotional intelligence, 4 tips for improving self-awareness in relationships, role in the workplace and leadership, self-awareness in students and children, a take-home message.

Self-awareness theory is based on the idea that you are not your thoughts, but the entity observing your thoughts; you are the thinker, separate and apart from your thoughts (Duval & Wicklund, 1972).

We can go about our day without giving our inner self any extra thought, merely thinking and feeling and acting as we will; however, we also can focus our attention on that inner self, an ability that Duval and Wicklund (1972) termed “self-evaluation.”

When we engage in self-evaluation, we can give some thought to whether we are thinking and feeling and acting as we “should” or following our standards and values. This is referred to as comparing against our standards of correctness. We do this daily, using these standards as a way to judge the rightness of our thoughts and behaviors.

Using these standards is a major component of practicing self-control, as we evaluate and determine whether we are making the right choices to achieve our goals.

This theory has been around for several decades, giving researchers plenty of time to test its soundness. The depth of knowledge on self-awareness, its correlates, and its benefits can provide us with a healthy foundation for enhancing self-awareness in ourselves and others.

According to the theory, there are two primary outcomes of comparing ourselves against our standards of correctness:

• We “pass,” or find alignment between ourselves and our standards.
• We “fail,” or find a discrepancy between ourselves and our standards (Silvia & Duval, 2001).

When we find a discrepancy between the two, we find ourselves with two choices: to work toward reducing the discrepancy or avoid it entirely.

Self-awareness theory (and subsequent research) suggests that there are a couple of different factors that influence how we choose to respond. Basically, it comes down to how we think it will turn out. If we believe there’s little chance of actually changing this discrepancy, we tend to avoid it. If we believe it’s likely that we can improve our alignment with our standards of correctness, we take action.

Our actions will also depend on how much time and effort we believe that realignment will take; the slower progress will be, the less likely we are to take on the realignment efforts, especially if the perceived discrepancy between ourselves and our standards is large (Silvia & Duval, 2001).

Essentially, this means that when faced with a significant discrepancy that will take a lot of consistent and focused work, we often simply don’t bother and stick to avoiding self-evaluation on this particular discrepancy.

Further, our level of self-awareness interacts with the likelihood of success in realigning ourselves and our standards to determine how we think about the outcome. When we are self-aware and believe there is a high chance of success, we are generally quick to attribute that success or failure to our efforts.

Conversely, when we are self-aware but believe there is a low chance of success, we tend to think that the outcome is more influenced by external factors than our efforts (Silvia & Duval, 2001). Of course, sometimes our success in realignment with our standards is driven in part by external factors, but we always have a role to play in our successes and failures.

Interestingly, we also have some control over our standards, such that we may alter our standards if we find that we don’t measure up to them (Dana, Lalwani, & Duval, 1997).

This is more likely to happen if we’re focused more on the standards than on ourselves; if we fail when we are focused on the standards more than our performance, we are more likely to blame the standards and alter them to fit our performance (Dana et al., 1997).

Although it may sound like merely shifting the blame to standards and, therefore, letting yourself off the hook for a real discrepancy, there are many situations in which the standards are overly strict. Therapists’ offices are filled with people who hold themselves to impossibly high standards, effectively giving themselves no chance of success when comparing themselves to their internal standards.

It’s clear from the research on self-awareness that it is an important factor in how we think, feel, act, and react to our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Self Awareness – TalentSprout

Now, let’s shift our attention to research on the outcomes of being self-aware.

As you might imagine, there are many benefits to practicing self-awareness :

• It can make us more proactive, boost our acceptance, and encourage positive self-development (Sutton, 2016).
• Self-awareness allows us to see things from the perspective of others, practice self-control , work creatively and productively, and experience pride in ourselves and our work as well as general self-esteem (Silvia & O’Brien, 2004).
• It leads to better decision making (Ridley, Schutz, Glanz, & Weinstein, 1992).
• It can make us better at our jobs, better communicators in the workplace, and enhance our self-confidence and job-related wellbeing (Sutton, Williams, & Allinson, 2015).

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So we know that self-awareness is good, but what does it look like? How does one practice self-awareness?

Below are three examples of someone practicing self-awareness skills:

Bob at work

Bob struggles with creating a quarterly report at work, and he frequently produces subpar results. He notices the discrepancy between his standards and performance and engages in self-evaluation to determine where it comes from and how to improve.

He asks himself what makes the task so hard for him, and he realizes that he never seems to have trouble doing the work that goes into the report, but rather, writing it up cohesively and clearly.

Bob decides to fix the discrepancy by taking a course to improve his writing ability, having a colleague review his report before submitting it, and creating a reusable template for future reports so he is sure to include all relevant information.

Monique at home

Monique is having relationship problems with her boyfriend, Luis. She thinks Luis takes her for granted and doesn’t tell her he loves her or share affection enough. They fight about this frequently.

Suddenly, she realizes that she may be contributing to the problem. She looks inward and sees that she doesn’t show Luis appreciation very often, overlooking the nice things he does around the house for her and little physical touches that show his affection.

Monique considers her thought processes when Luis misses an opportunity to make her feel loved and notes that she assumes he purposely avoids doing things that she likes. She spends time thinking and talking with Luis about how they want to show and receive love, and they begin to work on improving their relationship.

Bridget on her own

Bridget struggles with low self-esteem , which causes depressive symptoms. She doesn’t feel good enough, and she doesn’t accept opportunities that come her way because of it. She begins working with a therapist to help her build self-awareness.

The next time an opportunity comes her way, she thinks she doesn’t want to do it and initially decides to turn it down. Later, with the help of some self-awareness techniques, Bridget realizes that she is only telling herself she doesn’t want to do it because of her fear that she won’t be good enough.

Bridget reminds herself that she is good enough and redirects her thoughts to “what if I succeed?” instead of “what if I fail?” She accepts the opportunity and continues to use self-awareness and self-love to improve her chances of success.

These three stories exemplify what self-awareness can look like and what it can do for you when you tap into it. Without self-awareness, Bob would have kept turning in bad reports, Monique would have continued in an unsatisfying relationship or broken things off, and Bridget would never have taken the opportunity that helped her grow.

If you look for them, you can find these stories everywhere.

There are many ways to build and practice self-awareness, but here are some of the most effective:

1. Practice mindfulness and meditation

Mindfulness refers to being present in the moment and paying attention to yourself and your surroundings rather than getting lost in thought or ruminating or daydreaming.

Meditation is the practice of focusing your attention on one thing, such as your breath, a mantra, or a feeling, and letting your thoughts drift by instead of holding on to them.

Both practices can help you become more aware of your internal state and your reactions to things. They can also help you identify your thoughts and feelings and keep from getting so caught up in them that you lose your hold on your “self.”

2. Practice yoga

Yoga is a physical practice, but it’s just as much a mental practice. While your body is stretching and bending and flexing, your mind is learning discipline, self-acceptance , and awareness. You become more aware of your body and all the feelings that manifest, and you become more aware of your mind and the thoughts that crop up.

You can even pair yoga with mindfulness or meditation to boost your self-awareness.

3. Make time to reflect

Reflecting can be done in multiple ways (including journaling; see the next tip) and is customizable to the person reflecting, but the important thing is to go over your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to see where you met your standards, where you failed them, and where you could improve.

You can also reflect on your standards themselves to see if they are good ones for you to hold yourself to. You can try writing in a journal, talking out loud, or simply sitting quietly and thinking, whatever helps you to reflect on yourself.

The benefit of journaling is that it allows you to identify, clarify, and accept your thoughts and feelings. It helps you discover what you want, what you value, and what works for you. It can also help you find out what you don’t want, what is not important to you, and what doesn’t work for you.

Both are equally important to learn. Whether you like to write free-flowing entries, bulleted lists, or poems, writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you to become more aware and intentional.

5. Ask the people you love

It’s vital to feel we know ourselves from the inside, but external feedback helps too. Ask your family and close friends about what they think about you. Have them describe you and see what rings true with you and what surprises you.

Carefully consider what they say and think about it when you journal or otherwise reflect. Of course, don’t take any one person’s word as gospel; you need to talk to a variety of people to get a comprehensive view of yourself.

And remember that at the end of the day, it’s your self-beliefs and feelings that matter the most to you!

Self-awareness is a powerful tool that, when practiced regularly, can do more good for coachees and clients than anything else a professional can share with them. To make real, impactful, and lasting change, people need to be able to look inward and become familiar with that internal environment.

Building self-awareness should be a top priority for virtually all clients, after which the more traditional coaching and counseling work can begin. For example, you can counsel someone on their bad habits and give 1,000 ways to break their habits.

Still, if they don’t understand why they tend toward these bad habits in the first place, it’s almost a guarantee that they will either never break those habits or will quit for a while and simply pick up where they left off when things get tough.

Self-awareness is not only vital for the coachee or client; it is also important for the coach or counselor. In fact, self-awareness is prioritized as a core standard in the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs Standards (2017) for the profession, as both a requirement for counselors and a necessary skill to build in clients.

It takes a good amount of self-awareness to give competent counsel and provide actionable advice. Plus, self-awareness will help the caring counselor from getting too wrapped up in their client’s problems or seeing the issues through their own skewed lens.

To truly help someone, it’s essential to see things from their perspective, and that requires being self-aware enough to put our thoughts and feelings aside sometimes.

The link between meditation, mindfulness, and self-awareness is clear, meaning it’s no surprise that practicing the first two will naturally lead to more of the third.

When we meditate or practice mindfulness, we are paying attention to the things that can often get ignored in our busy day-to-day: the present moment and our own internal experience. Those who get to know their thought processes and patterns are more able to adapt and improve them, both by simply being aware of their processes and patterns and by giving themselves a mechanism for practicing and improving.

Indeed, a program intended to enhance self-awareness (among other things) through yoga and meditation resulted in a range of improvements, including more positive affect, less stress, greater mindfulness, enhanced resilience, and even greater job satisfaction (Trent et al., 2019).

According to the most popular theory of emotional intelligence from psychologist and author Daniel Goleman (2001), self-awareness is not only crucial for emotional intelligence; it’s one of the five components.

These five components are:

• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Social skills

Other popular theories of emotional intelligence also include self-awareness as a core component, making it one of the factors that virtually all researchers and experts agree on (Goleman, 2001).

Self-awareness is a necessary building block of emotional intelligence; it is the building block upon which the rest of the components are built. One must have self-awareness to self-regulate, and social skills will be weak and of little use if you are not aware enough about when and how to use them.

If you’re looking to build your emotional intelligence, self-awareness is the first step. Make sure you have developed strong skills in self-awareness before giving the other elements your all.

Individuals do not want to be too similar or too dissimilar to others. They search for optimal distinctiveness (Brewer, 1991). Being too different and unaccepted can lead to stigmatization, prejudice, and isolation (Lynn & Snyder, 2002).

But being too similar can make you lose your sense of self. All humans have these competing needs to belong (Baumeister & Leary, 1995) yet stand out from others. People may vary in their need for uniqueness. Still, most people adjust their behaviors to set them apart when they feel too similar to others (Mengers, 2014).

In that respect, you can compare a person to an onion. Personal identities are at the core, with social identities building the different outward layers. Imagine, for example, you are traveling and asked where you are from. Answering the specific district you are from won’t relate to a person from a different continent, but telling your home country won’t differentiate you from others of the same nationality.

Other common social identities are race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or age. Given the context, people can call their social identity to action, depending on their need to belong to or differ from a group (Brewer, 1991).

Individuals can fulfill their needs simultaneously by activating social identities associated with distinct groups, resulting in greater levels of wellbeing (Mengers, 2014).

Apart from benefits for personal wellbeing and life satisfaction, societies can benefit from encouraging distinctiveness (Lynn & Snyder, 2002). Open and accepting environments allow people to assert their uniqueness, engage in their interests and pursuits and fear negative consequences less (Mengers, 2014).

To know who you are and live authentically, you must also understand what you are not. Distinctiveness is an essential tool to help differentiate you from others. Openness and approval must be encouraged to enable individuals, especially teenagers, to thrive.

If you want to be more like post-reflection Monique than pre-reflection Monique (referring to examples of self-awareness skills in action above), or if you’re going to help your clients with their relationship woes, here are some excellent tips for introducing more self-awareness within the context of a relationship:

1. Be mindful

Practice mindfulness, especially when interacting with your loved ones. Pay attention to the words they say, their tone, their body language, and their facial expressions. We often communicate far more information with the latter three than we do with our words alone. Give your loved ones your full attention.

Have regular discussions about the relationship. It’s important to keep things in perspective and ensure that nothing is falling between the cracks.

When you have regular conversations about your relationship with your loved ones, it’s much harder to avoid or ignore things that can turn into problems. It also helps you reflect on your part and come prepared to discuss your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with your loved ones.

3. Quality time

Spend quality time together and apart. This is especially important for romantic relationships, as we often find ourselves spending most or even all of our free time with our spouse or partner. However much you love and enjoy spending time with your partner, everyone needs some quality time alone.

Make sure you and your partner are both getting some quality “me” time to think about what you want, what you need, and what your goals are. This will help you keep yourself from merging too much into your partner and maintaining your independence and stability.

Then, since there will be two independent, stable, and healthy adults in the relationship, it will be even more fulfilling and satisfying to both partners when they spend quality time together.

4. Be considerate

Share your perspective and consider theirs. It’s easy to get too caught up in our own perspective on things; however, healthy relationships require that we consider others’ needs in addition to our own.

To know what our loved ones need and to deliver on those needs, we must first identify and understand them. We do this by practicing our self-awareness and sharing that awareness with our friends and family.

If you never check in with your loved ones on their views or feelings, it can cause you to drift apart and inhibit real, satisfying intimacy. Ask your loved ones for their perspective on things and share your perspective with them.

It’s easy to see how self-awareness can lead to these outcomes in the workplace, as better self-evaluation naturally leads to improving the alignment between our actions and our standards, resulting in better performance.

According to Tasha Eurich (2018), self-awareness can be divided into two categories or types: internal self-awareness and external self-awareness.

Internal self-awareness is about how well we see ourselves and our strengths, weaknesses, values, etc., while external self-awareness is understanding how others view us with those same factors (Eurich, 2018). Good managers and leaders need both to perform well in their roles.

Although you might think that more experience as a leader and greater power in one’s role lead to better self-awareness, that may not be the case. Experience can be positive or negative in terms of learning and improving the self. Even positive experiences can lead one to attribute success to themselves when it may have had more to do with the circumstances, leading to false confidence.

In fact, only 10–15% of those in Eurich’s (2018) study displayed self-awareness, although most of us believe we are self-aware.

To improve self-awareness, Eurich (2018) recommends introspection , but with a focus on asking oneself the right questions. She notes that asking “why” might not always be effective, as many of our internal processes remain shrouded in our subconscious or unconscious minds; instead, asking “what” may lead to better introspection.

For example, instead of asking, “ Why do I fail at this task so often? ” you might ask yourself, “ What are the circumstances in which I fail at this task, and what can I do to change them? ” It’s not a foolproof method, but it can aid you in improving your self-awareness and increasing your alignment with your standards on certain activities.

17 Exercises To Foster Self-Acceptance and Compassion

Help your clients develop a kinder, more accepting relationship with themselves using these 17 Self-Compassion Exercises [PDF] that promote self-care and self-compassion.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Self-awareness isn’t just for managers and employees; it can also substantially benefit students, children, and adolescents. The same benefits that make us more productive in the workplace can make students more productive in the classroom and at home: better communication with teachers and peers, more confidence, and more satisfaction with performance can all lead to happier, healthier students.

These benefits also apply to advanced students. Increased self-awareness leads to more self-care in medical students (Saunders et al., 2007) and a better understanding of one’s strengths and capabilities along with a boost to emotional intelligence in law students (James, 2011).

In short, a little extra self-awareness can be of great benefit to anyone with the will to improve. This piece includes a description of self-awareness, an exploration of the theory of self-awareness, examples, and tips and tools you can use to boost your self-awareness. We hope you find this information helpful in increasing your self-awareness or that of your clients.

What exercises do you use to help build self-awareness ? What are some other benefits you’ve noticed? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you liked this post, head on over to our post about self-awareness books to further help you increase reflection.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Self Compassion Exercises for free .

• Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.  Psychological Bulletin, 117(3) , 497–529.
• Brewer, M. B. (1991). The social self: On being the same and different at the same time.  Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17(5) , 475-482.
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2017). 2009 Standards. Retrieved from https://www.cacrep.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2009-Standards.pdf
• Dana, E. R., Lalwani, N., & Duval, S. (1997). Objective self-awareness and focus of attention following awareness of self-standard discrepancies: Changing self or changing standards of correctness. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology , 16 , 359–380.
• Duval, S., & Wicklund, R. A. (1972). A theory of objective self-awareness . Academic Press.
• Eurich, T. (2018, January 4). What self-awareness really is (and how to cultivate it). Harvard Business Review . Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it
• Goleman, D. (2001). Emotional intelligence: Issues in paradigm building. In C. Cherniss & D. Goleman (Eds.) The emotionally intelligent workplace. Jossey-Bass.
• James, C. (2011). Law student wellbeing: Benefits of promoting psychological literacy and self-awareness using mindfulness, strengths theory, and emotional intelligence. Legal Education Review , 21 (2).
• Lynn, M., & Snyder, C. R. (2002). Uniqueness seeking.  Handbook of Positive Psychology , 395-410.
• Mengers, A. A. (2014). The benefits of being yourself: An examination of authenticity, uniqueness, and well-being .
• Ridley, D. S., Schutz, P. A., Glanz, R. S., & Weinstein, C. E. (1992). Self-regulated learning: The interactive influence of metacognitive awareness and goal-setting. The Journal of Experimental Education , 60 , 293–306.
• Saunders, P. A., Tractenberg, R. E., Chaterji, R., Amri, H., Harazduk, N., Gordon, J. S., … Haramati, A. (2007). Promoting self-awareness and reflection through an experiential mind–body skills course for first-year medical students. Medical Teacher , 29 , 778–784.
• Silvia, P. J., & Duval, T. S. (2001). Objective Self-Awareness Theory: Recent progress and enduring problems. Personality and Social Psychology Review , 5 , 230–241.
• Silvia, P. J., & O’Brien, M. E. (2004). Self-awareness and constructive functioning: Revisiting “the Human Dilemma.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology , 23 , 475–489.
• Sutton, A. (2016). Measuring the effects of self-awareness: Construction of the Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire. Europe’s Journal of Psychology , 12 , 645–658.
• Sutton, A., Williams, H. M., & Allinson, C. W. (2015). A longitudinal, mixed-method evaluation of self-awareness training in the workplace. European Journal of Training and Development , 39 , 610–627.
• Trent, N. L., Borden, S., Miraglia, M., Pasalis, E., Dusek, J. A., & Khalsa, S. B. S. (2019). Improvements in psychological and occupational wellbeing in a pragmatic controlled trial of a yoga-based program for professionals. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine , 25 , 593–605.

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PEAK MENTAL

  performance  ,   coaching, llc, a clinical, educational, and sport psychology practice, the importance of self-awareness, critical thinking, and responsibility to being mentally tough.

At Peak Mental Performance Coaching LLC I work with clients with many different clinical needs, but whether they are a general client, student, or athlete our goals are the same – to increase mental toughness, build confidence, and learn the skills to succeed in life. Prior blogs have hit on many of these skills. Over the past few months with the pandemic and everything else going on in the world, we have noticed three skills that are so important to mental toughness, but that are neglected by so many people in society – Self Awareness, Critical Thinking, and Responsibility. Before you start to think this is a political article I want to be explicitly clear it is not, and you going there will actually prove this blog’s point. This blog is about how in order to protect the mental health of children, parents, and even ourselves. If as a society we do not learn these skills, teach them and expect them from others, and utilize them ourselves everyone loses. These three skills continually play off of each other which is why we spend a significant amount of time with all our clients teaching our clients these skills together so they can apply them every day to grow and succeed.

According to dictionary.com Self awareness is defined as: Realization of oneself as an individual entity or personality. This means that you are your own person with different strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Within that sphere we have relationships with others that impact and influence each of these areas, and the motives behind many of our choices. Given these facts it is imperative that clients learn to be as self-aware as soon as possible continually assessing themselves on how they present themselves to the world, but also how they want to present and be a person t themselves. In sessions we use self-awareness to continually apply to a growth mindset and improvement as a person. We put an emphasis on taking in constructive feedback, being open to learning not just from those who hold similar beliefs, but those with opposite. Sometimes those with the opposite can be our best teachers. We emphasize communication and a constant questioning, not disrespectfully, but in an inquisitive curious manner. For our general clients this self awareness may involve struggles with emotion management, reactivity, or conflict with others. Learning self-awareness skills helps with understanding why we put ourselves in emotionally damaging situations. For students, it can be learning why do they shut down, quit, and get negative. Even athletes need to learn self-awareness skills to understand how they mentally respond under pressure. These are only a few small examples, but ultimately this awareness aids in problem solving. Once we realize we can solve a problem we can take control, which ultimately improves mental health.

While problem solving is one of the keys to mental toughness, it cannot be done without learning critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is defined by dictionary.com as: disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open minded, and informed by evidence. Emotion management is key because when one is too emotional he or she loses the ability to use rational thought. I spend an exceptional amount of teaching all my clients the concepts of logic, statistics, assessing, and looking for alternative explanations, motives, or answers. It involves asking questions of ourselves and to those around us. This skill in society is starting to get away from us and the concept of dialogue and asking questions, even the ‘’experts’’, or propose alternative opinions is being seen increasingly as a bad thing. This is so damaging to a person’s mental health. Part of logic does involve using evidence, not cherry picked evidence to fit your argument, but all the evidence to make an informed decision. The evidence needs to be applied in a logical manner. This doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed to succeed as statistics allows for success and failure, but increases the probability of success. There are a limitless number of examples that could be used on applying critical thinking for all my clients regardless of why they meet with me. Perhaps my favorite is when I use a game of chess with my clients to learn to analyze the situation, try to think ahead of why am I doing what I am doing, and how are they going to respond to that, and then respond to my response. This is a never ending cycle, but so much fun, because it can be applied to infinite number of situations. Imagine how much a person’s confidence grows when they see success by applying their critical thinking skills.

The final of these three skills that are essential for the growth of mental toughness is Responsibility which is defined as the state or fact of being responsible , answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management. It is so easy for people these days to avoid responsibility or displace it onto someone or something else. This is done as a way of self protection of one’s emotional state, but relying on it over the long term as a behavioral response will inevitably hinder growth. Many people will key in on the concept of control and that there are forces or things against them that they just cannot control. Imagine hearing that on a regular basis, as you basically would start to believe why bother trying cause I can’t control the situation. The reality is you cannot control things outside of you at times, but you can always control how you respond to challenges. That is the essence of responsibility, realizing you have more control than you think. If you get angry, you can say your brother made you mad which is why you hit him. If you have a learning disability you can make the excuse that you failed as a result, or as an athlete you lost because of the weather. These are just a few examples, but in each the person is not taking responsibility for his or her role in their response, the decision to own their own response and control their emotions, or ultimately their choices. I emphasize all the time with my clients the concept of choice. Everyone has challenges in life, some may be fair, some may not seem fair, but ultimately your choice of how you respond and work through these challenges is your responsibility. By not emphasizing this leads to a sense of helplessness, negativity, maybe even depression or anxiety to set in. How is this supporting mental toughness? The answer is it is not. By not allowing or teaching a person or learning yourself to focus on responsibility, a person is held back from reaching his or her optimal self. Mental toughness and responsibility go hand in hand.

This blog is just a brief review of the mental skills of self-awareness, critical thinking, and responsibility and their connection to mental toughness. They are connected and each skill interacts and overlaps with the others. Obviously the work we do is much more complex and takes more time to learn than simply reading a blog. However, it appears that as a society we are starting to get away from these skills. It is a safe assumption that the negative consequences for everyone’s mental health would be significant if we continue down this road. Given that is incumbent on all of us to return to the basics, to seek everyday to teach these to children, to expect them from others, and to apply them to ourselves. Everyone will succeed and become stronger mentally when this is our shared goal.

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• What Is Critical Thinking? | Definition & Examples

What Is Critical Thinking? | Definition & Examples

Published on May 30, 2022 by Eoghan Ryan . Revised on May 31, 2023.

Critical thinking is the ability to effectively analyze information and form a judgment .

To think critically, you must be aware of your own biases and assumptions when encountering information, and apply consistent standards when evaluating sources .

Critical thinking skills help you to:

• Identify credible sources
• Evaluate and respond to arguments
• Assess alternative viewpoints
• Test hypotheses against relevant criteria

Table of contents

Why is critical thinking important, critical thinking examples, how to think critically, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about critical thinking.

Critical thinking is important for making judgments about sources of information and forming your own arguments. It emphasizes a rational, objective, and self-aware approach that can help you to identify credible sources and strengthen your conclusions.

Critical thinking is important in all disciplines and throughout all stages of the research process . The types of evidence used in the sciences and in the humanities may differ, but critical thinking skills are relevant to both.

In academic writing , critical thinking can help you to determine whether a source:

• Is free from research bias
• Provides evidence to support its research findings
• Considers alternative viewpoints

Outside of academia, critical thinking goes hand in hand with information literacy to help you form opinions rationally and engage independently and critically with popular media.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Critical thinking can help you to identify reliable sources of information that you can cite in your research paper . It can also guide your own research methods and inform your own arguments.

Outside of academia, critical thinking can help you to be aware of both your own and others’ biases and assumptions.

Academic examples

However, when you compare the findings of the study with other current research, you determine that the results seem improbable. You analyze the paper again, consulting the sources it cites.

You notice that the research was funded by the pharmaceutical company that created the treatment. Because of this, you view its results skeptically and determine that more independent research is necessary to confirm or refute them. Example: Poor critical thinking in an academic context You’re researching a paper on the impact wireless technology has had on developing countries that previously did not have large-scale communications infrastructure. You read an article that seems to confirm your hypothesis: the impact is mainly positive. Rather than evaluating the research methodology, you accept the findings uncritically.

Nonacademic examples

However, you decide to compare this review article with consumer reviews on a different site. You find that these reviews are not as positive. Some customers have had problems installing the alarm, and some have noted that it activates for no apparent reason.

You revisit the original review article. You notice that the words “sponsored content” appear in small print under the article title. Based on this, you conclude that the review is advertising and is therefore not an unbiased source. Example: Poor critical thinking in a nonacademic context You support a candidate in an upcoming election. You visit an online news site affiliated with their political party and read an article that criticizes their opponent. The article claims that the opponent is inexperienced in politics. You accept this without evidence, because it fits your preconceptions about the opponent.

There is no single way to think critically. How you engage with information will depend on the type of source you’re using and the information you need.

However, you can engage with sources in a systematic and critical way by asking certain questions when you encounter information. Like the CRAAP test , these questions focus on the currency , relevance , authority , accuracy , and purpose of a source of information.

When encountering information, ask:

• Who is the author? Are they an expert in their field?
• What do they say? Is their argument clear? Can you summarize it?
• When did they say this? Is the source current?
• Where is the information published? Is it an academic article? Is it peer-reviewed ?
• Why did the author publish it? What is their motivation?
• How do they make their argument? Is it backed up by evidence? Does it rely on opinion, speculation, or appeals to emotion ? Do they address alternative arguments?

Critical thinking also involves being aware of your own biases, not only those of others. When you make an argument or draw your own conclusions, you can ask similar questions about your own writing:

• Am I only considering evidence that supports my preconceptions?
• Is my argument expressed clearly and backed up with credible sources?
• Would I be convinced by this argument coming from someone else?

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?
• Chicago style
• Paraphrasing

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

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Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information and to be aware of biases or assumptions, including your own.

Like information literacy , it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.

Critical thinking skills include the ability to:

You can assess information and arguments critically by asking certain questions about the source. You can use the CRAAP test , focusing on the currency , relevance , authority , accuracy , and purpose of a source of information.

Ask questions such as:

• Who is the author? Are they an expert?
• How do they make their argument? Is it backed up by evidence?

A credible source should pass the CRAAP test  and follow these guidelines:

• The information should be up to date and current.
• The author and publication should be a trusted authority on the subject you are researching.
• The sources the author cited should be easy to find, clear, and unbiased.
• For a web source, the URL and layout should signify that it is trustworthy.

Information literacy refers to a broad range of skills, including the ability to find, evaluate, and use sources of information effectively.

Being information literate means that you:

• Know how to find credible sources
• Use relevant sources to inform your research
• Understand what constitutes plagiarism
• Know how to cite your sources correctly

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search, interpret, and recall information in a way that aligns with our pre-existing values, opinions, or beliefs. It refers to the ability to recollect information best when it amplifies what we already believe. Relatedly, we tend to forget information that contradicts our opinions.

Although selective recall is a component of confirmation bias, it should not be confused with recall bias.

On the other hand, recall bias refers to the differences in the ability between study participants to recall past events when self-reporting is used. This difference in accuracy or completeness of recollection is not related to beliefs or opinions. Rather, recall bias relates to other factors, such as the length of the recall period, age, and the characteristics of the disease under investigation.

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Ryan, E. (2023, May 31). What Is Critical Thinking? | Definition & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/critical-thinking/

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Critical Thinking and Self-Awareness: How to Use Critical Thinking Skills to Find Your Passion: Plus 20 Questions You Must Ask Yourself

How to Use Critical Thinking Skills to Find Your Passion: Plus 20 Questions You Must Ask Yourself

Are you ready to get clarity and finally find your Passion?

Have you ever wondered what your place in this world is? What your passion in life is? Maybe you’ve wondered what your good at or how to get a better career? A career you care about if you don’t already. Many people ask themselves these questions on a daily basis and have no answer. This book will help you answer those questions by showing you how critical thinking can help you learn about what your passions in life are. It will help you realize the strengths you have, and how they can lead to your passions as well as explaining how critical thinking can accomplish this. We have a step by step explanation about what critical thinking is and how best to use it in your daily life to help you feel happier and more fulfilled. We also have a set of twenty bonus questions with explanations and tips that will help you clarify your passion and purpose in life.

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• Why Critital Thinking is a BIG Deal
• How to Use Critical Thinking
• How to Find Your Passion
• How to overcome doubt with simple techniques
• How to be happy everyday
• Discover your strength and talents
• 20 Questions that you must ask yourself
• Much, much more!

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Changing the Habit of Self-Criticism

The habit of critical self-talk matters as much as what we say..

Posted November 4, 2022 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

• Self-criticism is strongly associated with depression, anxiety, trauma, addictions, and eating disorders.
• The habitual behavior of self-critical thinking impacts depression and anxiety as much as the self-critical thoughts themselves.
• Practicing specific mental techniques can significantly change the habit of self-criticism.

Which aspect of self-criticism causes more distress: the content of your self-criticism, or the habit of criticizing yourself throughout the day?

Seeing yourself as lazy, fat, stupid, or unsuccessful—either with words or as a general attitude—can certainly cause a great deal of emotional pain. Self-criticism is positively linked with a range of mental health conditions , including depression , anxiety , eating disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, addictions, and self-harm .

As a clinical psychologist, I’ve heard many patients describe intense self-criticism about different aspects of themselves. Self-criticism seems to make everything worse, as though it forms an extra layer of pain on top of other stressors and mental health difficulties.

When I first meet with self-critical patients, they often seem resigned to their self-criticism. “That’s just the way I am,” they tell me. “I’ve always been like that,” they’ll insist, as though it’s a pre-programmed, unchangeable feature, such as height or eye color.

However, self-criticism is influenced by family and cultural contexts, including emotional abuse , racial discrimination , and homophobia . The evidence shows that many of us internalize negative messages so that our own minds habitually perpetuate self-criticism. The research also indicates that self-criticism can be changed .

How the Habitual Nature of Self-Criticism Impacts Mental Health

What if the habit of self-criticism is just as important as the content of the self-critical thoughts themselves? When I was researching self-criticism for my new book, The Self-Talk Workout , I read a set of research studies that underscore the value of treating self-criticism as a powerful mental habit, rather than only addressing the substance of self-critical thoughts.

Researchers Bas Verplanken and colleagues highlight a few different features of self-criticism that bring its habitual quality into focus. These include the frequency with which you criticize yourself, the extent to which self-criticism happens automatically, the efficiency with which your mind leaps to criticize yourself in any difficult situation, and the degree to which self-criticism occurs outside of your intent, awareness, or control.

Verplanken et al. created a self-report measure called the Habit Index of Negative Thinking (HINT). Analyzing responses to the following questions, the research team assessed the degree to which participants engaged in self-critical thinking by having them respond to the following:

Thinking negatively about myself is something... I do frequently. I do automatically. I do unintentionally. That feels sort of natural to me. I do without further thinking. That would require mental effort to leave. I do every day. I start doing before I realize I’m doing it. I would find hard not to do. I don’t do on purpose. That’s typically "me." I have been doing for a long time. (Verplanken et al., p. 541)

The researchers found that levels of habitual self-criticism as measured by the HINT contributed to symptoms of depression and anxiety over a 9-month period in a sample of 1,102 respondents (641 women and 461 men). Self-criticism predicted depression and anxiety even beyond the content of the negative thoughts themselves, as measured by the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale , and even after accounting for work stress, home stress, age, and gender .

These results don’t tell us that the habit of self-criticism causes more mental health problems than the self-criticism itself, but rather that both aspects of self-criticism impact depression and anxiety. Perhaps it’s a bit like smoking : the smoking itself causes health problems, but the habit or addiction to smoking propagates the behavior.

How to Change the Habit of Self-Criticism

Awareness of default behaviors can be a valuable step toward changing habits, but awareness or intentions alone (“I should really be nicer to myself”), are unlikely to produce real change. Instead, the research indicates that people make significant changes in self-criticism from specific mental techniques that reduce self-judgment and promote self-compassion .

The term “self-compassion” means treating yourself in a friendly and caring manner, even during moments of difficulty or failure. Self-compassion is not the same as self-esteem , which involves evaluating yourself positively or negatively.

Mindfulness meditation and lovingkindness meditation are two specific approaches that decrease self-criticism. Both practices are concentration workouts because they train your mental attention away from habitual thoughts. These workouts might not seem particularly easy, or as though they work immediately, but the research evidence is strong that they reduce self-criticism over time.

Mindfulness meditation is not about clearing your mind, but rather the practice of noticing and reshaping your mental experience. You can start by tuning into the sensations of your breath, and then redirecting your attention back to the breath, for about 10 minutes or longer.

The goal is not to repress the thoughts that arise, but instead to return your attention back to the breath with as little self-criticism as possible (“My mind wandered, that’s OK, now back to the breath”). When you notice self-criticism about becoming distracted, simply handle it as you would any other thought (“There’s the self-criticism, that’s OK, back to the breath).”

Some people get discouraged at how much their minds wander but it’s that very pull towards the habit of self-criticism that repeated meditation can change through regular practice. In fact, reducing judgment seems to be a key mechanism explaining why mindfulness improves mental health.

Another approach that meaningfully reduces self-criticism is lovingkindness meditation (LKM). The practice involves several minutes of silently repeating phrases to yourself, such as, “May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I live with ease.”

My students sometimes say that repeating phrases feels strange or awkward at first but that after a few weeks of regular practice, they notice less self-criticism. Studies demonstrate that LKM significantly reduces self-criticism , posttraumatic stress disorder , and depression .

If it sounds hard to add five or ten minutes of practice to your day to change the habit of self-criticism, I encourage people to begin with a single breath: “Inhale, my friend; exhale, my friend.” One breath without self-criticism can be a starting point to shift your mental habits and build a relationship with yourself that is more friendly, encouraging, and compassionate.

Rachel Goldsmith Turow, Ph.D. , is a psychotherapist, research scientist, mindfulness teacher, and an adjunct faculty member at Seattle University and at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her current work emphasizes evidence-based techniques to decrease self-criticism and cultivate self-encouragement and self-compassion.

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What is self-awareness?

Two states of self-awareness

Why is self-awareness important?

Benefits of self-awareness, what's the self-awareness gap, how do i know if i'm a self-aware person.

How to become more self-aware

Do you want to be happier, have more influence, be a better decision-maker, and be a more effective leader? Self-awareness, then, is the most important muscle you need to develop. It's what will keep you on target to be the best version of yourself and the best leader you can be.

The benefits of self-awareness are as varied as each individual, and examples include increased influence, greater perspective, and stronger relationships. Let's dig into what self-awareness is, definitions, and ways to develop it.

Self-awareness is defined as "conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires," according to Oxford Language.

Psychologists Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund proposed this definition:

"Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or don't align with your internal standards. If you're highly self-aware, you can objectively evaluate yourself, manage your emotions, align your behavior with your values , and understand correctly how others perceive you."

Put simply, those who are highly self-aware can interpret their actions, feelings, and thoughts objectively. 

It’s a rare skill, as many of us spiral into emotion-driven interpretations of our circumstances. Developing self-awareness is important because it allows leaders to assess their growth and effectiveness and change course when necessary.

Types of self-awareness

There are two distinct kinds of self-awareness, public and private.

Public self-awareness: Being aware of how we can appear to others. Because of this consciousness, we are more likely to adhere to social norms and behave in ways that are socially acceptable.

While there are benefits to this type of awareness, there is also the danger of tipping into self-consciousness. Those who are especially high in this trait may spend too much time worrying about what others think of them. 

Private self-awareness: Being able to notice and reflect on one’s internal state. Those who have private self-awareness are introspective , approaching their feelings and reactions with curiosity.

For example, you may notice yourself tensing up as you are preparing for an important meeting. Noticing the physical sensations and correctly attributing them to your anxiety about the meeting would be an example of private self-awareness.

When self-awareness tips into self-consciousness, we are reluctant to share certain aspects of ourselves. We develop a persona that lacks authenticity.

The Eurich group has researched the nature of self-awareness. Their research indicates that when we look inward, we can clarify our values, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses. We are able to recognize the effect that we have on others. Eurich's research finds that people with self-awareness are happier and have better relationships. They also experience a sense of personal and social control as well as higher job satisfaction.

When we look outward, we understand how people view us. People who are aware of how people see them are more likely to be empathetic to people with different perspectives. Leaders whose self-perception matches others' perceptions are more likely to empower, include, and recognize others.

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As we mentioned earlier, strengthening self-awareness has a variety of benefits. The specifics of each one depends on the individual.

Here are some examples of common benefits of self-awareness:

• It gives us the power to influence outcomes
• It helps us to become better decision-makers It gives us more self-confidence — so, as a result, we communicate with clarity and intention
• It allows us to understand things from multiple perspectives
• It frees us from our assumptions and biases
• It helps us build better relationships
• It gives us a  greater ability to regulate our emotions
• It decreases stress
• It makes us happier

Self-awareness is a staple in contemporary leadership jargon. Although many leaders will brag about how self-aware they are, only 10 to 15 percent of the population fit the criteria.

Many of us grew up with the message that you should not show your emotions, so we attempt to ignore or suppress them. With negative emotions, that doesn't go very well for us. We either internalize them (resulting in anger, resentment, depression, and resignation) or we externalize them and blame, discount, or bully others.

Lack of self-awareness can be a significant handicap in leadership. A study conducted by Adam D. Galinsky and colleagues at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management found that often, as executives climb the corporate ladder, they become more self-assured and confident. On the downside, they tend to become more self-absorbed and less likely to consider the perspectives of others. 

In a separate study, Canadian researchers looked at brain activity in people who are in positions of power. They found physiological evidence to conclude that as power increases, the ability to empathize with others decreases. They become less able to consider the needs and perspectives of others. Fundamentally these leaders don't think they need to change and instead require a change from everyone else.

Don't despair if you don't make the 10-15 percent self-awareness cut. If you want to know how self-aware you are, the iNLP Center has 12 multiple-choice questions that will tell you the level of your self-awareness and what you can do to improve it. The assessment is research-based and developed by Mike Bundrant, a neuro-linguistic trainer and life coach. 

The Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) is a great tool for you to use to identify your dominant strengths and is free on the VIA website. It measures your answers across six broad categories with a total of 24 strengths. Take the assessment, and you'll generate a report identifying your top 5 strengths and how to begin to optimize them.

How to become a more self-aware person

Envision yourself.

Visualize the best version of yourself. "Ideal selves reflect our hopes, dreams, aspirations, and speak to our skills, abilities, achievements, and accomplishments that we wish to attain.” (Higgins, 1987; Markus & Nurius, 1986.) As you lean into your strengths to become the better version of yourself, you can use this idealized self to keep moving in the right direction and not be distracted by setbacks and other obstacles.

Ask the “what” questions

At the core of self-awareness is the ability to self-reflect. However, the Eurich group contends that most people are going about reflection in the wrong way. The trouble is, we ask ourselves the wrong questions. In our attempt to resolve internal conflict , we ask, "Why?" Yet there’s no way to answer that question since we don’t have access to our unconscious. Instead, we make up answers that may not be accurate.

The danger of the "why" question is that it sends us down the rabbit hole of our negative thoughts . We focus on our weaknesses and insecurities. Consider Amy, a new junior executive who has difficulty speaking up at meetings. She may explain her experience to herself by thinking, "I don't speak up at meetings because I fall too low in the corporate food chain. No one's going to listen to me."

Asking the "what question" puts us into the objective and open space of considering all the factors influencing a particular outcome. For example, instead of “Why don't I speak up at meetings?” we could ask: 

• "What were the interpersonal dynamics in the room?" 
• "What was I experiencing in my body at the time?" 
• "What happened that caused me to go into my old story of not being good enough?” 
• “What can I do to overcome my fear of speaking up?" 

This kind of introspection allows us to look at behaviors and beliefs for what they are. With self-awareness, we can examine old patterns and stories that do not serve us, and then we can move on. Asking the right questions empowers us to make different choices that bring different results.

Amy decides to make a plan because now she understands that she has a chance at overcoming her problem. 

• She's going to find out more about the content and goals of an upcoming meeting to become more confident in how she can contribute. 
• Rather than being consumed by imagining what others are thinking about her, she'll actively listen for cues to ask meaningful questions that move the conversation forward. 
• With a heightened awareness of the cues her body is giving her signaling fear and anxiety , she’ll name the emotion at the moment and choose not to be overwhelmed by it — one giant step to self-awareness.

Strengthen your brain

The amygdala, also called the primitive brain, was the first part of the brain to develop in humans. It functioned as a kind of radar signaling the need to run away or fight back. That part of the brain is skilled at anticipating danger and reacts before we can even name a negative emotion. Our heart races, our stomach tightens, and our neck muscles tense up. 

Your body's reaction is a tripwire signaling the pre-frontal cortex to register or name a negative emotion. If you bring awareness to your physical state, you can, at the moment, recognize the emotion as it is happening. Becoming skillful at this rewires your brain. 

Naming your feelings is critical in decision-making. When we let our feelings overwhelm us, we can make bad decisions with unintended consequences. Naming your emotions allows us to take a "third-person" perspective to stand back and more objectively evaluate what's going on.

Let's bring this home with an example. You, a self-aware person, are having a conversation with someone and receiving some negative feedback. Your heart starts to race, and you're feeling threatened. You say to yourself, "I feel like this person is attacking me." But, before you cry or go ballistic, you stop yourself and hear the person out. You discover that this person had at least one good point and start up a different conversation, one that is mutually satisfying and productive.

Ask others about their perception of you

Now that you've discovered that feedback doesn't have to be scary , ask other people how they perceive you in certain situations. Getting specific will help to give you the most concrete feedback. Get brave and ask them how they would like to see you behave.

Exercise: Pick out a scenario(s) you would like to receive feedback on and list them.

Make two columns.  

Column A: How I see myself

Column B: How others see me

In Column A make a list of words to describe your attitude and behaviors at the time.

Then, ask your feedback partner to do the same and record those responses in Column B.

Look out for discrepancies. You may have some blind spots that need attending.

Keep a journal

Journalling is a great way to pay attention to what's going on in your private and public self. It will also help you to recognize patterns that either serve you or not. You may use these prompts:

• What did I do well today?
• What challenges did I face?
• What was I feeling?
• How did I respond? In retrospect, would I have responded differently?
• What strengths did I use to keep me focused on the best version of myself?
• What is my intention for tomorrow?

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice . It helps you be aware of what's going on in your mind, body, and environment. Meditation is one of a few practices that you can insert into your daily life, and practicing mindfulness is a wonderful tool for developing greater self-control.

Here are some ideas of mindfulness activities to get you started:

• Practice deep breathing
• Name you surroundings
• Organize your space
• Draw or paint

The road to self-awareness is a journey. The most self-aware people see themselves on a quest to mastery rather than at a particular destination. As you move forward in developing your self-awareness, ask yourself regularly, “How will you move toward the best version of yourself today?”

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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How to teach critical thinking, a vital 21st-century skill

A well-rounded education doesn’t just impart academic knowledge to students — it gives them transferable skills they can apply throughout their lives. Critical thinking is widely hailed as one such essential “ 21st-century skill ,” helping people critically assess information, make informed decisions, and come up with creative approaches to solving problems.

This means that individuals with developed critical thinking skills benefit both themselves and the wider society. Despite the widespread recognition of critical thinking’s importance for future success, there can be some ambiguity about both what it is and how to teach it . 1 Let’s take a look at each of those questions in turn.

What is critical thinking?

Throughout history, humanity has attempted to use reason to understand and interpret the world. From the philosophers of Ancient Greece to the key thinkers of the Enlightenment, people have sought to challenge their preconceived notions and draw logical conclusions from the available evidence — key elements that gave rise to today’s definition of “critical thinking.”

At its core, critical thinking is the use of reason to analyze the available evidence and reach logical conclusions. Educational scholars have defined critical thinking as “reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do,” 2 and “interpretation or analysis, followed by evaluation or judgment.” 3 Some have pared their definition down to simply “good” or “skillful thinking.”

At the same time, being a good critical thinker relies on certain values like open-mindedness, persistence, and intellectual humility. 4 The ideal critical thinker isn’t just skilled in analysis — they are also curious, open to other points of view, and creative in the path they take towards tackling a given problem.

Alongside teaching students how to analyze information, build arguments, and draw conclusions, educators play a key role in fostering the values conducive to critical thinking and intellectual inquiry. Students who develop both skills and values are well-placed to handle challenges both academically and in their personal lives.

Let’s examine some strategies to develop critical thinking skills and values in the classroom.

How to teach students to think critically — strategies

1. build a classroom climate that encourages open-mindedness.

Fostering a classroom culture that allows students the time and space to think independently, experiment with new ideas, and have their views challenged lays a strong foundation for developing skills and values central to critical thinking.

Whatever your subject area, encourage students to contribute their own ideas and theories when addressing common curricular questions. Promote open-mindedness by underscoring the importance of the initial “brainstorming” phase in problem-solving — this is the necessary first step towards understanding! Strive to create a classroom climate where students are comfortable thinking out loud.

Emphasize to students the importance of understanding different perspectives on issues, and that it’s okay for people to disagree. Establish guidelines for class discussions — especially when covering controversial issues — and stress that changing your mind on an issue is a sign of intellectual strength, not weakness. Model positive behaviors by being flexible in your own opinions when engaging with ideas from students.

2. Teach students to make clear and effective arguments

Training students’ argumentation skills is central to turning them into adept critical thinkers. Expose students to a wide range of arguments, guiding them to distinguish between examples of good and bad reasoning.

When guiding students to form their own arguments, emphasize the value of clarity and precision in language. In oral discussions, encourage students to order their thoughts on paper before contributing.

In the case of argumentative essays , give students plenty of opportunities to revise their work, implementing feedback from you or peers. Assist students in refining their arguments by encouraging them to challenge their own positions. 

They can do so by creating robust “steel man” counterarguments to identify potential flaws in their own reasoning. For example, if a student is passionate about animal rights and wants to argue for a ban on animal testing , encourage them to also come up with points in favor of animal testing. If they can rebut those counterarguments, their own position will be much stronger!

Additionally, knowing how to evaluate and provide evidence is essential for developing argumentation skills. Teach students how to properly cite sources , and encourage them to investigate the veracity of claims made by others — particularly when dealing with online media .

3. Encourage metacognition — guide students to think about their own and others’ thinking

Critical thinkers are self-reflective. Guide students time to think about their own learning process by utilizing metacognitive strategies, like learning journals or having reflective periods at the end of activities. Reflecting on how they came to understand a topic can help students cultivate a growth mindset and an openness to explore alternative problem-solving approaches during challenging moments.

You can also create an awareness of common errors in human thinking by teaching about them explicitly. Identify arguments based on logical fallacies and have students come up with examples from their own experience. Help students recognize the role of cognitive bias in our thinking, and design activities to help counter it.

Students who develop self-awareness regarding their own thinking are not just better at problem-solving, but also managing their emotions .

4. Assign open-ended and varied activities to practice different kinds of thinking

Critical thinkers are capable of approaching problems from a variety of angles. Train this vital habit by switching up the kinds of activities you assign to students, and try prioritizing open-ended assignments that allow for varied approaches.

A project-based learning approach can reap huge rewards. Have students identify real-world problems, conduct research, and investigate potential solutions. Following that process will give them varied intellectual challenges, while the real-world applicability of their work can motivate students to consider the potential impact their thinking can have on the world around them.

Classroom discussions and debates are fantastic activities for building critical thinking skills. As open-ended activities, they encourage student autonomy by requiring them to think for themselves.

They also expose students to a diversity of perspectives , inviting them to critically appraise these different positions in a respectful context. Class discussions are applicable across disciplines and come in many flavors — experiment with different forms like fishbowl discussions or online, asynchronous discussions to keep students engaged.

5. Use argument-mapping tools such as Kialo Edu to train students in the use of reasoning

One of the most effective methods of improving students’ critical thinking skills is to train them in argument mapping .

Argument mapping involves breaking an argument down into its constituent parts, and displaying them visually so that students can see how different points are connected. Research has shown that university students who were trained in argument mapping significantly out-performed their peers on critical thinking assessments. 5

While it’s possible — and useful — to map out arguments by hand, there are clear benefits to using digital argument maps like Kialo Edu. Students can contribute simultaneously to a Kialo discussion to collaboratively build out complex discussions as an argument map. 

Individual students can plan essays as argument maps before writing. This helps them to stay focused on the line of argument and encourages them to preempt counterarguments. Kialo discussions can even be assigned as an essay alternative when teachers want to focus on argumentation as the key learning goal. Unlike traditional essays, they defy the use of AI chatbots like ChatGPT!

Kialo discussions prompt students to use their reasoning skills to create clear, structured arguments. Moreover, students have a visual, engaging way to respond to the content of the arguments being made, promoting interpretive charity towards differing opinions. 

Best of all, Kialo Edu offers a way to track and assess your students’ progress on their critical thinking journey. Educators can assign specific tasks — like citing sources or responding to others’ claims — to evaluate specific skills. Students can also receive grades and feedback on their contributions without leaving the platform, making it easy to deliver constructive, ongoing guidance to help students develop their reasoning skills.

Improving students’ critical thinking abilities is something that motivates our work here at Kialo Edu. If you’ve used our platform and have feedback, thoughts, or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us on social media or contact us directly at [email protected] .

•  Lloyd, M., & Bahr, N. (2010). Thinking Critically about Critical Thinking in Higher Education. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 4 (2), Article 9. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2010.040209
•  Ennis, R. H. (2015). Critical Thinking: A Streamlined Conception. In: Davies, M., Barnett, R. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Thinking in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
• Lang-Raad, N. D. (2023). Never Stop Asking: Teaching Students to be Better Critical Thinkers . Jossey-Bass.
•  Ellerton, Peter (2019). Teaching for thinking: Explaining pedagogical expertise in the development of the skills, values and virtues of inquiry . Dissertation, The University of Queensland. Available here .
• van Gelder, T. (2015). Using argument mapping to improve critical thinking skills. In The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Thinking in Higher Education (pp. 183–192). doi:10.1057/9781137378057_12.

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Unveiling How Does Self Awareness Relate to Critical Thinking

Table of Contents

Self-awareness plays a crucial role in critical thinking, allowing individuals to make well-informed judgments based on logic and evidence rather than emotions or societal pressure. It is the ability to recognize and understand one’s own thoughts, emotions, and actions. In the context of critical thinking, self-awareness enhances decision-making, problem-solving, communication, and learning.

By being self-aware, you can make sound judgments by considering all relevant information and analyzing it objectively. It helps you to avoid biases and cognitive distortions that may hinder clear thinking. Self-awareness allows you to assess your strengths and weaknesses, enabling effective problem-solving by leveraging your strengths and seeking assistance or improvement in areas of weakness.

Furthermore, self-awareness fosters empathy and understanding towards others. When you understand your own feelings and actions, you become better equipped to understand the perspectives and experiences of others. This leads to more positive and effective communication, better relationships, and improved collaboration.

To cultivate self-awareness in critical thinking, you can practice mindfulness and self-reflection. Take time to reflect on your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and question them to gain insight into your motivations and biases. Seeking feedback from others can provide valuable perspectives and help you identify blind spots. Reflecting on your values and beliefs can also contribute to self-awareness, allowing you to align your decision-making with your principles.

In summary, self-awareness is an essential component of critical thinking. It empowers individuals to make informed decisions, navigate conflicts, and continue their personal growth and development. By honing self-awareness, you can enhance your critical thinking skills and achieve greater clarity, objectivity, and effectiveness in your decision-making process.

Key Takeaways:

• Self-awareness plays a crucial role in critical thinking, enabling well-informed judgments based on logic and evidence.
• It enhances decision-making, problem-solving, communication, and learning.
• Self-awareness fosters empathy and understanding towards others, leading to positive relationships and improved communication.
• Practicing mindfulness, self-reflection, seeking feedback, and reflecting on values and beliefs are strategies for fostering self-awareness in critical thinking.
• Self-awareness promotes personal growth, adaptability, and effective management of stress and challenges.

The Connection Between Self Awareness and Critical Thinking

Self-awareness and critical thinking are closely connected, as self-aware individuals are better equipped to analyze information objectively and make rational decisions. By understanding their own thoughts, emotions, and actions, they can recognize and manage biases that may cloud their judgment. This self-awareness allows them to approach problems and situations with a clear and unbiased perspective, considering multiple viewpoints and evaluating evidence in a logical manner.

Moreover, self-awareness enhances the ability to identify and challenge assumptions, which is crucial in critical thinking. By questioning underlying beliefs and looking beyond surface-level information, individuals can dig deeper and uncover hidden biases or faulty reasoning. This process of inquiry fosters thorough analysis and facilitates more effective problem-solving.

Additionally, self-awareness promotes open-mindedness and empathy in critical thinking. When individuals are aware of their own thoughts and emotions, they are more likely to understand and empathize with the perspectives of others. This empathy allows for better communication, collaboration, and consideration of diverse ideas and opinions. It also helps in recognizing personal biases and avoiding judgment based on preconceived notions.

Table: Self Awareness and Critical Thinking Skills

In conclusion, self-awareness is a vital component of critical thinking, enabling individuals to approach problems and decision-making with objectivity, empathy, and open-mindedness. It allows for the recognition of biases and assumptions, promotes better understanding of oneself and others, and enhances overall cognitive abilities. By fostering self-awareness through mindfulness, self-reflection, and seeking feedback, individuals can develop their critical thinking skills and make more informed and rational judgments.

For more tips and strategies on self-improvement, visit Self Improvement Matters .

Enhancing Decision-Making Through Self-Awareness

Self-awareness has a profound impact on critical thinking by improving decision-making through a deeper understanding of one’s own thoughts, emotions, and biases. It allows individuals to recognize their strengths and limitations, enabling them to make well-informed judgments based on logic and evidence rather than emotions or societal pressure.

By cultivating self-awareness, individuals can effectively navigate through complex situations and make decisions that align with their values and goals. When individuals are aware of their own thoughts and emotions, they can better evaluate different options and consider the potential outcomes of their decisions. This self-reflection helps in identifying any biases or preconceived notions that may influence their judgment, leading to more objective and rational decision-making.

Moreover, self-awareness promotes empathy and understanding towards others. When individuals understand their own feelings and actions, they become more capable of understanding and relating to the emotions and perspectives of others. This empathy fosters positive relationships, improves communication, and enables collaboration, all of which are crucial for effective decision-making.

Strategies for fostering self-awareness include practicing mindfulness and self-reflection, challenging negative thoughts, seeking feedback from others, reflecting on values and beliefs, and cultivating a growth mindset. By engaging in these practices, individuals can develop a deeper understanding of their own thoughts, emotions, and biases, ultimately enhancing their critical thinking skills.

In conclusion, self-awareness plays a crucial role in enhancing critical thinking by improving decision-making through a deeper understanding of one’s own thoughts, emotions, and biases. It allows individuals to make well-informed judgments, navigate complex situations, and consider the perspectives of others. By practicing strategies to enhance self-awareness, individuals can develop their critical thinking skills and make more effective decisions that align with their values and goals.

Empathy and Open-Mindedness in Critical Thinking

Self-aware individuals are more likely to exhibit empathy and open-mindedness in critical thinking, as they recognize the influence of their own biases and actively seek alternative viewpoints. This awareness allows them to approach different perspectives with openness and understanding, fostering better communication and collaboration.

By acknowledging their own limitations and biases, self-aware individuals can overcome personal prejudices and preconceived notions that may hinder objective analysis. They are more willing to consider alternative ideas, challenge assumptions, and engage in meaningful dialogue. This open-mindedness promotes intellectual growth and enhances critical thinking by allowing for a diverse range of perspectives and ideas to be explored.

In addition, self-awareness plays a crucial role in cultivating empathy. Understanding one’s own emotions and actions enables individuals to better empathize with others, recognizing the impact of their words and actions on different individuals and groups. This empathy allows for more compassionate and inclusive thinking, fostering a respectful and supportive environment for critical thinking discussions.

The Importance of Self-Awareness in Critical Thinking

Self-awareness is an essential skill in critical thinking, as it encourages individuals to examine their own biases, assumptions, and values. By recognizing and understanding their own thought processes, emotions, and actions, individuals can make more informed and objective judgments. Self-awareness also helps individuals manage and mitigate the influence of emotions, allowing for dispassionate reasoning in critical thinking.

In conclusion, self-awareness is a vital component of critical thinking. It empowers individuals to recognize and manage their biases, understand different perspectives, and make well-informed decisions. By fostering empathy and open-mindedness, self-awareness cultivates a collaborative and inclusive environment for critical thinking, allowing for the exploration of diverse ideas and the pursuit of intellectual growth.

Recognizing Assumptions and Inquiry in Critical Thinking

Self-awareness promotes critical thinking by encouraging individuals to recognize and challenge their assumptions, which leads to more thorough inquiry and analysis. When we are self-aware, we are able to acknowledge our own biases and preconceived notions that may influence our thinking. This awareness allows us to question our assumptions and consider alternative perspectives, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of a situation or problem.

One effective way to recognize assumptions is by engaging in active reflection and introspection. By taking the time to explore our own thoughts and beliefs, we can uncover any underlying assumptions that may be influencing our reasoning. Additionally, seeking feedback from others can provide valuable insights and help uncover blind spots or unconscious biases that we may overlook on our own.

Inquiry is another important aspect of critical thinking that is enhanced by self-awareness. When we are self-aware, we are more inclined to ask probing questions and seek deeper understanding. This curiosity drives us to explore different angles, gather more information, and challenge the status quo. By embracing inquiry, we become more open-minded and willing to consider diverse perspectives, ultimately leading to more innovative and well-rounded solutions.

The process of recognizing assumptions and engaging in inquiry involves:

• Reflecting on your own beliefs and biases
• Seeking feedback from others
• Asking probing questions
• Considering alternative perspectives
• Gathering additional information

By cultivating self-awareness and actively engaging in the process of recognizing assumptions and inquiry, we can sharpen our critical thinking skills and make more informed decisions. This self-reflection and open-mindedness allow us to navigate complex problems with clarity and objectivity, ultimately leading to greater success in both personal and professional endeavors.

To learn more about the importance of self-awareness in critical thinking, click here .

Meta-Cognition and Monitoring Thought Processes

Self-awareness enables individuals to engage in meta-cognition, actively monitoring and reflecting on their own thought processes, which enhances critical thinking skills. Meta-cognition involves being aware of one’s thinking patterns, biases, and assumptions, allowing for a more objective analysis of information. By understanding how our thoughts influence our decisions, we can identify potential cognitive biases and work to overcome them. This self-monitoring of thoughts promotes a deeper level of critical thinking by encouraging individuals to question their own reasoning and consider alternative perspectives.

One effective way to engage in meta-cognition is through the use of reflective journaling. By regularly writing down and analyzing our thoughts and experiences, we can gain insights into our cognitive processes and identify areas for improvement. This practice of self-reflection allows us to become more aware of our own biases and assumptions, enabling us to approach problems and decision-making with greater objectivity.

Furthermore, self-awareness in critical thinking involves recognizing when our thoughts may be clouded by emotions or preconceptions. By acknowledging and managing our emotions, we can reason dispassionately, leading to more sound judgment. This ability to separate emotions from logical analysis is essential for making well-informed decisions and avoiding hasty or biased thinking.

Strategies for Enhancing Meta-Cognition and Self-Awareness

There are several strategies that can help foster meta-cognition and self-awareness in critical thinking. Practicing mindfulness, which involves being fully present and non-judgmentally aware of our thoughts and emotions, can enhance self-awareness and improve our ability to observe our own thinking patterns. Mindfulness techniques such as meditation and deep breathing exercises can help develop the habit of self-reflection.

Seeking feedback from others is another valuable strategy for developing self-awareness. By actively seeking input from trusted individuals, we can gain different perspectives and challenge our own assumptions. Constructive feedback can help us identify blind spots and areas for improvement, leading to more effective critical thinking.

Finally, cultivating a growth mindset is crucial for enhancing self-awareness in critical thinking. Embracing the belief that our abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning, rather than fixed traits, allows us to approach challenges with curiosity and openness. This mindset encourages us to continuously reflect on our own thinking processes and seek opportunities for growth.

Intellectual Humility for Growth in Critical Thinking

Self-awareness cultivates intellectual humility, allowing individuals to acknowledge their own limitations and embrace opportunities for growth in critical thinking. By recognizing that our knowledge and understanding are subject to biases and limitations, we open ourselves up to new perspectives and insights.

Intellectual humility enables us to approach complex problems with an open mind and a willingness to learn from others. It encourages us to question our assumptions and consider alternative viewpoints, even when they challenge our existing beliefs. This humility fosters a spirit of inquiry and encourages curiosity, leading to deeper insights and more comprehensive critical thinking.

When we practice intellectual humility, we become better equipped to navigate disagreements and conflicts. Instead of clinging to our own opinions and becoming entrenched in our positions, we become receptive to different ideas and perspectives. This openness allows us to engage in constructive dialogue and find common ground, leading to more effective problem-solving and decision-making.

Embracing Intellectual Humility: Strategies for Growth

Developing intellectual humility requires ongoing self-reflection and a commitment to personal growth. Here are some strategies to cultivate this important trait:

• Challenge your own beliefs and assumptions: Take the time to question your own biases and preconceptions. Seek out differing opinions and consider alternative perspectives.
• Listen actively: Practice active listening by genuinely seeking to understand others’ viewpoints without immediately dismissing them. This helps foster empathy and encourages intellectual humility.
• Seek feedback and constructive criticism: Welcome feedback from others and use it as an opportunity for growth. Be open to constructive criticism and use it to refine your thinking and expand your understanding.
• Cultivate a growth mindset: Embrace the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort and practice. Emphasize learning and improvement rather than simply seeking validation or recognition.

By embracing intellectual humility and nurturing self-awareness, individuals can enhance their critical thinking skills and foster personal growth. This combination of self-awareness and intellectual humility empowers us to approach challenges with an open mind, consider diverse perspectives, and continuously learn and improve.

Understanding Values and Ethics in Critical Thinking

Self-aware individuals are better equipped to understand their own values and ethics, leading to more comprehensive judgments and ethical decision-making in critical thinking. When we have a deep understanding of our values and ethics, we can evaluate situations more objectively and make choices that align with our principles.

In critical thinking, values refer to the beliefs and principles that guide our actions and decisions. They shape our perception of what is right or wrong, important or insignificant. By being self-aware, we can reflect on and clarify our values, ensuring that they are based on personal conviction rather than external influences.

Ethics, on the other hand, relate to moral principles that govern our behavior and interactions with others. Self-awareness allows us to consider the ethical implications of our decisions, ensuring that we act in a way that is fair, just, and respectful towards others.

Understanding our values and ethics not only ensures that we make well-informed judgments, but also enables us to navigate complex ethical dilemmas. It allows us to consider the impact of our decisions on various stakeholders and make choices that uphold our integrity and principles. Self-awareness is the key to developing a strong moral compass that guides us in critical thinking.

Want to learn more about self-improvement and enhancing critical thinking skills? Check out Self Improvement Matters for valuable resources and insights.

Strategies for Fostering Self-Awareness in Critical Thinking

There are various strategies that can be employed to foster self-awareness, allowing individuals to enhance their critical thinking skills and decision-making abilities. These strategies can help individuals develop a deeper understanding of their thoughts, emotions, and actions, enabling them to make more informed choices.

Mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment. This technique allows individuals to observe their thoughts and emotions objectively, improving self-awareness. Taking a few minutes each day to engage in mindfulness exercises, such as deep breathing or meditation, can help calm the mind and enhance self-reflection.

Self-Reflection: Engaging in self-reflection involves taking the time to analyze one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This practice allows individuals to identify patterns, strengths, and areas for improvement. Keeping a journal or regularly setting aside quiet time for self-reflection can help individuals gain insight into their own cognitive processes and biases.

Seeking Feedback: Actively seeking feedback from trusted individuals can provide valuable insights into one’s blind spots and areas for growth. By opening ourselves up to constructive criticism and different perspectives, we can enhance our self-awareness and better understand how others perceive us. This can lead to improved communication and collaboration in both personal and professional relationships.

Cultivating a Growth Mindset: Having a growth mindset means believing that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and practice. Embracing challenges, seeing failures as opportunities for learning, and seeking continuous improvement are key aspects of a growth mindset. By adopting this mindset, individuals can cultivate self-awareness, as they are more open to acknowledging their limitations and seeking ways to overcome them.

By implementing these strategies, individuals can foster self-awareness and strengthen their critical thinking skills. Developing self-awareness is an ongoing process that requires practice and commitment. However, the benefits, such as improved decision-making, empathetic understanding, and personal growth, make it a worthwhile endeavor.

When individuals foster self-awareness, they empower themselves to think critically, make informed decisions, and navigate challenges with greater ease. It is an essential skill that contributes to personal and professional success. To learn more about self-improvement and cultivating self-awareness, visit SelfImprovementMatters.com .

In conclusion, self-awareness is a vital component of critical thinking, enabling individuals to examine cognitive biases, reason dispassionately, understand values and ethics, recognize assumptions, engage in meta-cognition, and cultivate intellectual humility for growth.

Self-awareness allows individuals to examine their own cognitive biases, which in turn improves objective analysis. By actively recognizing and questioning their own assumptions, individuals can approach problems and situations with a more open and unbiased mindset. This ability to critically evaluate information and consider alternative viewpoints leads to more comprehensive judgments and decision-making.

Furthermore, self-awareness plays a crucial role in regulating emotions and maintaining a dispassionate approach to reasoning. Being aware of your emotions helps you separate personal biases from logical thinking, allowing for a more objective analysis of situations. This ability to reason without being swayed by emotions or external pressures enhances critical thinking skills and promotes sound decision-making.

Understanding values and ethics is another area where self-awareness contributes to critical thinking. By reflecting on personal values and beliefs, individuals can develop a better understanding of their own ethical framework. This understanding enables them to make judgments and decisions that align with their principles and uphold ethical standards. It also allows for a deeper consideration of the ethical implications of different courses of action.

Self-awareness also fosters the habit of recognizing assumptions and engaging in inquiry. By being aware of one’s own assumptions and questioning them, individuals can explore different perspectives and seek a deeper understanding of complex issues. This critical inquiry leads to more informed decision-making and a more thorough analysis of problems.

Moreover, self-awareness contributes to meta-cognition, which involves monitoring one’s own thought processes. By being aware of how you think and process information, you can identify any cognitive biases or flawed reasoning. This self-reflection and monitoring of thought processes enables individuals to improve their cognitive abilities and make more effective use of critical thinking skills.

Lastly, self-awareness cultivates intellectual humility, allowing individuals to recognize their limitations and be open to learning and growth. By acknowledging that one does not possess all the answers, individuals become more receptive to new ideas and perspectives. This humility fosters a mindset of continuous improvement and lifelong learning, leading to personal and intellectual growth.

In summary, self-awareness is a fundamental aspect of critical thinking that enables individuals to examine cognitive biases, reason dispassionately, understand values and ethics, recognize assumptions, engage in meta-cognition, and cultivate intellectual humility for growth. By enhancing these skills and qualities, self-awareness empowers individuals to make well-informed decisions, navigate conflicts, and continue learning and growing.

How does self-awareness relate to critical thinking?

Self-awareness plays a crucial role in critical thinking by enhancing decision-making, problem-solving, communication, and learning.

What is the importance of self-awareness in critical thinking?

Self-awareness allows individuals to make well-informed judgments based on logic and evidence rather than emotions or societal pressure.

How does self-awareness enhance problem-solving in critical thinking?

Self-awareness enables effective problem-solving by considering one’s strengths and weaknesses.

How does self-awareness promote empathy and understanding in critical thinking?

Self-awareness promotes empathy and understanding towards others, leading to positive relationships and improved communication.

What strategies can be used to foster self-awareness in critical thinking?

Strategies for fostering self-awareness include practicing mindfulness and self-reflection, challenging negative thoughts, seeking feedback, reflecting on values and beliefs, and cultivating a growth mindset.

How is self-awareness linked to empathy in critical thinking?

Self-awareness is closely linked to empathy, as understanding one’s own feelings and actions allows for a deeper understanding of others.

How does self-awareness help manage stress and promote adaptability in critical thinking?

Self-awareness helps manage stress and promotes adaptability in the face of challenges and change.

About The Author

Simon Mitchell

Simon Mitchell is a passionate author and a dedicated advocate for personal growth and mental well-being . With a background in psychology and a love for writing, Simon brings a unique blend of expertise and creativity to his contributions on SelfImprovementMatters.com .His articles are a delightful mix of insightful advice, motivational stories, and a touch of humor to make personal growth an enjoyable and rewarding journey. Simon's mission is to empower readers to embrace self-improvement with a smile and to cultivate a mindset of resilience and positivity.Dive into confidence building , mental health , and self-awareness , all under one roof. Let Simon help guide you through challenges, learning, and personal growth , offering a roadmap to your best self. for a journey of empowerment and transformation with Self Improvement Matters .

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Mindful Mastery: Navigating The Landscape of Self With Ego, Critical Thinking, And Meditation With Eric Holsapple Mindful You

In this enlightening episode of Mindful You, host Alan Carroll and special guest Eric Holsapple embark on a profound exploration of mindfulness and self-awareness. Eric eloquently unravels the concept of ego, shedding light on its influence on our thoughts, emotions, and actions, while emphasizing the importance of critical thinking in navigating life's complexities. Together, they invite listeners to contemplate the significance of the gaps between thoughts as opportunities for growth and introspection, seamlessly transitioning to practices for cultivating mindfulness in daily life. Eric shares his personal journey of mindfulness development, highlighting the transformative shifts in awareness that accompany dedicated practice, and they delve into strategies for nurturing awareness and resilience. The episode culminates in a poignant reflection on the transformative power of meditation, inspiring listeners to embark on their own journey of mindfulness and unlock their boundless potential. About The Guest: Eric Holsapple is a successful developer and entrepreneur who has used mindfulness to transform his life and business, and helps others do the same. Eric has a PhD in Economics, has been a real estate CEO and developer for nearly 40 years, lectured real estate at Colorado State University for 20 years, and practiced yoga and meditation for 30 years. Holsapple has a unique perspective on how merging business and mindfulness can be a catalys in changing lives. Eric is the founder of Living in the Gap. His popular workshops teach CEOs and professionals a different way to operate mindfully while improving the bottom line. Find Eric Here: Website About Alan: Alan Carroll is an Educational Psychologist who specializes in Transpersonal Psychology. He founded Alan Carroll & Associates 30 years ago and before that, he was a Senior Sales Training Consultant for 10 years at Digital Equipment Corporation. He has dedicated his life in search of mindfulness tools that can be used by everyone (young and old) to transform their ability to speak at a professional level, as well as, to reduce the psychological suffering caused by the misidentification with our ego and reconnect to the vast transcendent dimension of consciousness that lies just on the other side of the thoughts we think and in between the words we speak. Personal: https://www.facebook.com/alan.carroll.7359 Business: https://www.facebook.com/AlanCarrolltrains LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aca-mindful-you/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulnesseminar/ Web Site: https://acamindfulyou.com/

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