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A thread of the posts by @cait.bsky.social. They read as follows:
I had my first talk therapy session with my new therapist and she hit me with the “you’re very self-aware” ☹️
not the “pleasure to have in class” of therapy
that’s right, I know all the tools and have developed countertools so they no longer work. welcome to thunderdome
Metacognition is a sub-portion of self-awareness that does not look at behavior. They’re intrinsically tied to one another, but self-awareness is broader than metacognition.
I’m not saying either of our definitions are incorrect - ‘self-awareness’ changes meaning somewhat depending on whether it’s being used philosophically, psychoanalitically, etc. And the fact it’s now used by the general public its meaning naturally shifts. I am saying your definition is more exclusionary, though, treating it more as a virtue to strive for rather than just an action one takes.
Functionally, if the only self-awareness is accurate self-awareness, then it can only be an advantage, and thus positive.
I would also argue that awareness does not need to be reflective of reality - you can be aware of hallucinations you are experiencing, or you can be aware that you are experiencing hallucinations. Both are awareness, but only one is more accurate to reality.
That’s fair, I glossed over the “act” part of your statement
Also fair, but the context here is it being used as a compliment from a therapist
Ah I see, I misunderstood what you meant by positive; I thought you were referring to the bit about being aware of your strengths.
I do think exclusively accurate self-awareness can absolutely be a disadvantage though.
Mm- I think I agree semantically, like technically it can mean that, but it’s pretty confusing. Consider how the session note looks when written each way:
Client reported experiencing auditory perception in the absence of external stimuli.vs
Client reported awareness of auditory perception in the absence of external stimuliThe latter, to me, sounds self contradictory
Alright I think we’re about on the same page now. It’s more how we are perceiving the compliment by the therapist.
Like, yes, self-awareness in itself is important for self-improvement, and some folks completely lack the habits of introspection and self-analysis, so at least having self-awareness is good. I would say that it’s more a first step, though, a skill that can be leveraged for improvement.
I’ve previously had a similar conversation with one of my former therapists where he commented on my self-awareness, but did later talk to me about my anxiety and self-conciousness being from that self-awareness. Essentially, focusing on how I’m acting and thinking, and making too harsh of judgements on minor mistakes or inconsequential failings.
That’s apart of why I don’t view self-awareness as the state of being accurately dialed in about yourself yet, but instead just in the habit of noting your thoughts and behaviours, regardless of whether you’ve actually figured out your biases or not yet.