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Meaning of Introspective

When you take a look inside and consider your own mental state and consciousness, you're being introspective. Introspection is how people learn about themselves by examining their own behaviors and opinions. As a concept, introspection emerged as a part of contemporary philosophy as a way to explain how personal identity and inner thought are formed.

  1. Introspective Process

    • While the process people follow for forming introspective thoughts isn't necessarily the same, some fundamental things must be in place in order for something to be considered introspective. Among them is a first-person viewpoint, where people consider thoughts about their own mind, and two conditions of directness and detection. The former demonstrates that introspection generates thoughts that are relatively direct or immediate. The latter is used to describe the requirement of some form of pre-existing mental state.

    Self-Fulfillment

    • While in psychological circles, the idea of self-fulfillment is used to describe achievement, in the introspective philosophical sense, it carries a different meaning. Self-fulfillment in this context describes the idea that because a person may consider a certain thought does not mean that the thought is merely an object, and that it can also carry emotional significance and meaning.

    Introspective Psychology

    • The study of introspection in the psychology field did not emerge until the mid-19th century when it was studied using the scientific method. Psychology in this area primarily focuses on sensory consciousness and how differing forms of sensory stimulation impact the brain and consequent thought and behavior patterns. Early studies in this field sought to prove that introspection was not something that could be avoided and that it came into play whenever stimuli of any form were present.

    Identity Formation

    • Introspection plays a large part in the way people form their self-identity and sense of personal self. It is impossible to conceive individual personality traits without considering how the traits impact the self and others. Continued introspection helps people build self-knowledge, which they then apply to their character and behavior. Self-ascriptions can help people become aware of habits and patterns that are leading to certain consequences in their life by regularly being introspective.

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