Editing Self-reflection (section)

===Modern era===
The [[The Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] was driven by a renewed conviction, that, in the words of [[Immanuel Kant]], "Man is distinguished above all animals by his self-consciousness, by which he is a 'rational animal'." In conscious opposition to this tradition during the nineteenth century, [[Karl Marx]] defined humans as a "labouring animal" (''animal laborans''). In the early twentieth century, [[Sigmund Freud]] dealt a serious blow to [[positivism]] by postulating that, to a large part, human behaviour is controlled by the [[unconscious mind]]. Freud describes the unconscious mind as the part of the mind containing any repressed images or thoughts too taboo for societal norms. He viewed this part of the mind as essential to the individual as they are restrained primitive impulses and desires.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-25 |title=Freud's Theory of the Unconscious Mind: The Iceberg Analogy |url=https://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html |access-date=2024-12-14 |language=en-US}}</ref> Joseph Conrad uses the analogy of chemistry to describe how the tiniest idea can stimulate a person during reflection like a "little drop precipitating the process of crystallization in a test tube containing a colourless solution".<ref>{{Citation |last=Conrad |first=Joseph |title=The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale |date=1995 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-23831-6_2 |work=Joseph Conrad: Three Novels |pages=93–338 |place=London |publisher=Macmillan Education UK |doi=10.1007/978-1-349-23831-6_2 |isbn=978-0-333-61096-1 |access-date=2022-06-01|url-access=subscription }}.</ref>
[[File:Caspar David Friedrich - Wanderer above the sea of fog.jpg|thumb|''[[Wanderer above the Sea of Fog]]'' by [[Caspar David Friedrich]] is a [[Romanticism|romantic]] painting expressing self reflection among other uniquely human experiences]]
Mandatory or advisory periods for reflection are built into some regulatory requirements, for example changes to [[Divorce in England and Wales|divorce law in England and Wales]] adopted in 2022 prescribe a 20-week period of reflection before certain proceedings are concluded,<ref>E-Negotiation Ltd, trading as Amicable, [https://amicable.io/20-week-reflection-period-checklist amicable’s checklist for the 20-week reflection period], published 30 May 2022, accessed 16 February 2023</ref> and the European Union's [[Mortgage Credit Directive]] allows for a seven-day period of reflection before a [[Mortgage loan|mortgage]] offer needs to be accepted.<ref>Vaidya, N., [https://www.bankrate.com/uk/mortgages/how-long-does-a-mortgage-offer-last How long does a mortgage offer last?], [[Uswitch]] Limited, trading as Bankrate, accessed 16 February 2023</ref>