On The Sources of Self-Knowledge: The Perceived Primacy of Self-Reflection

Examined perceived sources of self-knowledge in 4 studies. In Study 1, 90 college students were asked to list the means, ways, tactics, or strategies they used to gain self-knowledge or increase self-understanding. In Study 2, 254 Ss rank-ordered the self-knowledge categories generated from the 1st study. In Study 3, 224 Ss rated the categories in terms of their importance to self-understanding. In Study 4, 105 Ss rated 9 of the 11 categories, and filled out the private self-consciousness scale and the self- monitoring scale. Results show that processes of self-reflection are perceived by people to be most important to the acquisition of self-knowledge. Social factors, such as social comparison and reflected appraisal, are also perceived to influence self-knowledge. The importance of self-reflection and social categories, to gaining self-knowledge, was influenced by the Ss self-monitoring style.