Chapter 25 - The Quest for Self-Insight: Theory and Research on Accuracy and Bias in Self-Perception

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the self-perception accuracy. The scientific study of self-perception accuracy requires an understanding of the person at three levels— (1) as object, (2) as perceiver, (3) and as researcher. At each level, philosophical, conceptual, and methodological issues must be considered. There are two conceptual frameworks, one that organizes the various criteria used by researchers to assess the accuracy of self-perception, and another that organizes the different theoretical accounts of the self-perception process. The first framework is classified into six broad categories: (1) operational, (2) social consensus, (3) pragmatic, (4) normative models, (5) information processing, and (6) internal consistency. Operational criteria are difficult to find in the domain of personality. The use of social consensus criteria reflects the folk belief that self-insight means seeing oneself as others see one. The functional criteria are based on a judgment that can be considered accurate if it helps an individual adapt in the real world. Normative models are commonly used to evaluate the quality of human judgment. Information processing criteria provides a powerful framework for studying the appropriateness of people's use of informational cues. Internal consistency criteria examine whether individual's self-perceptions are consistent with their other beliefs. The second framework characterizes the self-perception process from four different theoretical perspectives—the scientist, the consistency seeker, the politician, and the egoist.