Editing Self-reflection (section)

==Impact==
{{more citations needed section|date=May 2025}}
Self-reflection is a process of communicating internally with oneself. When one takes time to think about their character or behavior, they analyze the reasons that caused the behavior, where this comes from, what the outcome of the behavior means to them, is it effective for them and what they can do about it. Individuals process this information about themselves to help them find methods to deal with the information gained during the self-reflection process and applying this information to future behavior has been shown to elicit strength and joy.<ref>SELF-REFLECTION: The Key to An Amazing Life. N.p., Sandra Christian, 2020</ref>

Self-reflection helps people in multiple ways:

First, self-reflection fortifies an individual's emotional stability. When setting aside some effort to self-reflect they are looking inwards. This assists with building two parts to their [[emotional intelligence]]: self-awareness and self-concept. [[Self-awareness]] enables a person to comprehend their feelings, qualities, shortcomings, drives, and objectives, and recognize their effect on others. [[Self-concept]] includes the capacity to control or divert their troublesome feelings and motivations and adjust to changing circumstances. Building these skills will improve both their personal and professional life and language learning.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wind |first=Attila M. |date=2021-12-01 |title=Nonlinearity and inter- and intra-individual variability in the extent of engagement in self-reflection and its role in second language writing: A multiple-case study |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0346251X21002268 |journal=System |language=en |volume=103 |pages=102672 |doi=10.1016/j.system.2021.102672 |s2cid=239485728 |issn=0346-251X|hdl=10831/83077 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

Second, self-reflection enhances a person's [[self-esteem]] and gives transparency for [[decision-making]]. Self-esteem is significant for dealing with a filled, complex life that incorporates meetings, vocation, family, network, and self-necessities. It helps in decision-making, effective communication, and building influence. The more they think about their qualities and how they can grow them the more confident they will be later on. A person may become happy with their good qualities and identify the ones that require growth.

Third, the self-reflection process requires honesty from the individual in order to be effective. When a person is honest with themselves when self-reflecting, they are able to understand their experiences; this person can grow and make changes based on what they have learned, leading them to better choices.

Fourth, self-reflection adapts a person's actions in future situations. Making time to step back and consider their behaviors, the consequences of those behaviors, and the expectations of those behaviors can give them a source of a clear insight and learning.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Toros|first1=Karmen|last2=LaSala|first2=Michael C.|date=2019-03-04|title=Child protection workers' understanding of the meaning and value of self-reflection in Estonia|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2019.1588718|journal=Reflective Practice|volume=20|issue=2|pages=266–278|doi=10.1080/14623943.2019.1588718|s2cid=151241092|issn=1462-3943|url-access=subscription}}</ref>  A person engaging in self-reflection may ask themselves: What appeared to have a more remarkable impact? How can we accomplish a more significant amount of that and enhance it? This cycle of reflection and variation—before, during, and after actions—is a recognized part of the process.

Failure often comes from our actions, showing up as mistakes. The positive side is that everyone makes mistakes. These mistakes teach us what to avoid in the future. They allow us to learn through "negative examples" or "errorful learning".<ref>{{cite journal | last=Metcalfe | first=Janet | title=Learning from Errors | journal=Annual Review of Psychology | volume=68 | issue=1 | date=2017-01-03 | issn=0066-4308 | doi=10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044022 | doi-access=free | pages=465–489}}</ref> Many have noted that failures are valuable learning moments because they are temporary. However, we must pause and reflect deliberately to learn from these mistakes truly. This self-reflection is crucial for growth.
<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044022 | doi=10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044022 | title=Learning from Errors | date=2017 | last1=Metcalfe | first1=Janet | journal=Annual Review of Psychology | volume=68 | pages=465–489 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Organizational development ===
Self-reflection is considered to have a significant impact on how organizations achieve their goals.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-03-04 |title=Don't Underestimate the Power of Self-Reflection |url=https://hbr.org/2022/03/dont-underestimate-the-power-of-self-reflection |access-date=2024-09-17 |work=Harvard Business Review |language=en |issn=0017-8012}}</ref> Incivility has been found to be the most pernicious outcome when members of a group exhibit a lack of self-reflection, decreasing productivity on average by 30%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-16 |title=Incivility Is On The Rise - WorkforceWise |url=https://workforcewise.org/incivility-is-on-the-rise/ |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=workforcewise.org |language=en-US}}</ref> According to recent self-awareness research, most people believe that they practice self-reflection, when in fact only 10–15% of people studied actually fit the criteria of consistent self-reflection.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eurich |first=Tasha |date=2018-01-04 |title=What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It) |url=https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it |access-date=2024-09-17 |work=Harvard Business Review |issn=0017-8012}}</ref>