Editing Self-reflection (section)

{{Short description|Capacity of humans to exercise introspection}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2014}}
[[File:Admonitions Scroll Scene 11.png|thumb|300px|alt=A lady seated by herself|This next to last scene of the ''[[Admonitions Scroll]]'' shows a palace lady sitting in quiet contemplation, presumably following the admonitions in the accompanying lines:<ref>{{Citation |last=McCausland |first=Shane |title=First Masterpiece of Chinese Painting: The Admonitions Scroll |page=78 |year=2003 |publisher=[[British Museum Press]] |isbn=978-0-7141-2417-9}}.</ref> "Therefore I say: Be cautious and circumspect in all you do, and from this, good fortune will arise. Calmly and respectfully think about your actions, and honor and fame will await you."]]
{{Self sidebar}}
'''Self-reflection''' is the ability to witness and evaluate one's own cognitive, emotional, and behavioural processes. In [[psychology]], other terms used for this [[self-observation]] include "reflective awareness" and "reflective consciousness", which originate from the work of [[William James]].<ref>James, W. (1981/1890). The principles of psychology (Vol.&nbsp;1). New York: Dover.</ref><ref>Farthing, G. W. (1992). The psychology of consciousness. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.</ref>

Self-reflection depends upon a range of functions, including [[introspection]] and [[metacognition]], which develop from infancy through adolescence, affecting how individuals interact with others, and make decisions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Self-Reflection |work=Encyclopedia of Adolescence |url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sprgstv/self_reflection/0 |access-date=2020-12-17 |publisher=Credo Reference |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Self-reflection is related to the [[philosophy]] of consciousness, the topic of [[awareness]], and the [[philosophy of mind]].<ref>{{Cite book |date=2002-09-09 |editor-last=Porter |editor-first=Roy |title=Rewriting the Self |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203439159 |doi=10.4324/9780203439159 |isbn=9780203439159 }}</ref>

The concept of self-reflection is ancient. More than 3,000 years ago, "[[Know thyself]]" was the first of three [[Delphic maxims]] inscribed in the forecourt of the [[Temple of Apollo (Delphi)|Temple of Apollo at Delphi]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+10.24&fromdoc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0160 |title=Pausanias, Description of Greece, Phocis and Ozolian Locri, chapter 24 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref> It is also considered a form of thought that generates new meaning<ref>{{Cite book |last=Merleau-Ponty |first=Maurice |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1105849980 |title=Phenomenology of perception |date=15 October 2018 |publisher=Creative Media Partners, LLC |isbn=978-0-343-27541-9 |oclc=1105849980}}</ref> and an opportunity to engage with what seemingly appears incongruous.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Heidegger |first=Martin |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/821883241 |title=Discourse on thinking : a translation of Gelassenheit |publisher=Harper Perennial |year=1966 |isbn=978-0-06-131459-9 |oclc=821883241}}</ref>