《Wilson and Dunn 2016 self-knowledge》.pdf

Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2004. 55:493–518 doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141954 c Copyright 2004 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved First published online as a Review in Advance on October 6, 2003 SELF-KNOWLEDGE: Its Limits, Value, and Potential for Improvement Timothy D. Wilson and Elizabeth W. Dunn University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4400; email: tdw@, edunn@ Key Words implicit, nonconscious, repression, self-insight, self-perception Abstract Because of personal motives and the architecture of the mind, it may be difficult for people to know themselves. People often attempt to block out unwanted thoughts and feelings through conscious suppression and perhaps through unconscious repression, though whether such attempts are successful is controversial. A more com- mon source of self-knowledge failure is the inaccessibility of much of the mind to con- sciousness, including mental processes involved in perception, motor learning, person- ality, attitudes, and self-esteem. Introspection cannot provide a direct pipeline to these mental processes, though some types of introspection may help people construct bene- ficial personal narratives. Other ways of increasing self-knowledge include looking at ourselves through the eyes of others and observing our own behavior. These approaches can potentially promote self-knowledge, although major obstacles exist. It is not al- ways advantageous to hold self-perceptions that correspond perfectly with reality, but increasing awareness of nonconscious motives and p