We explain what introspection is, its function and how it is carried out. Also, what is introspection for psychology and philosophy.
What is introspection?
introspection (from Latin introspicere“looking inward”) is the internal inspection or inner gaze through which we observe our own thoughts, memories and emotions, or our own behavior. It is an act of self-awareness or self-evaluation, in which we turn our attention inward, momentarily ignoring the outside.
Through introspection we can analyze ourselves, obtain personal conclusions and, more importantly, know ourselves better, in order to make better decisions for the future.
For this reason, many of the self-help or personal growth techniques use various methods of introspection, either according to a formal methodology (developed by psychology specialists) or informally, as an invitation, simply, to review ourselves in an informal way. honest
See also: Intrapersonal intelligence
Introspection in psychology
In psychology, introspection It is a formal method of internal review of thoughts and emotions in order to reveal the subject itself. At the end of the 19th century, this method It was formally developed by Alfred Binet (1857-1911) and Pierre Janet (1859-1947) two French psychologists who reached the same conclusions almost simultaneously and independently.
The two proposed to develop a psychotherapeutic method that consisted of the voluntary review of one's own interiority, thus opposing the positivist current that prevailed at the time, for which these types of experiences were considered subjective and therefore very little useful.
However, at the beginning of the 20th century, the experiences of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and Eugen Bleuer (1857-1939) were greatly influenced by introspection, to the point of consisting almost exclusively of their analytical method: making the subject reveal and observe yourself.
Although this possibility was not exempt from criticism at the time, especially from those who claimed that no one can observe one's own psyche objectively, introspection continues to be promoted today as a valuable form of self-knowledge, whether for therapeutic purposes, or No.
Introspection in philosophy
Philosophy, for its part, understands introspection as a method to apprehend one's own states of consciousness, through meditation and reflection.
The foundations for this concept were specially developed by the Frenchman René Descartes (1596-1650). In their Metaphysical meditations (1641) proposed it as a method of “reflective consciousness”, guided by a “transparency” regarding the vision that could be achieved of oneself.
This legacy was of utmost importance for another central philosopher in the West, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), for whom introspection was the way to “possess the self from its representation.” This is how he established it in his philosophy of the subject.
However, with the arrival of positivism, August Comte (1798-1857) considered it as a Cartesian “pretended method” in which one aspired to be both observer and observed. According to positivists, the human mind is capable of observing all the phenomena of the universe, except its own.
Continue with: Emotional intelligence
References
- “Introspection” on Wikipedia.
- “Introspection” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Introspection” at the Institute of Political Studies and International Relations (Spain).
- “Introspection” in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
