Activation of Self-Observation: A Core Process Among the Psychotherapies

Activation of self-observation is proposed as a core psychotherapy process. Self-observation entails an active scan of one's inner landscape (intentions, expectations, feelings, cognitions, and behaviors), the ability to introspect on one's own thoughts, and the realization of the relation of self to one's social and cultural environment. This process is collaboratively employed by psychotherapist and client within all psychotherapy orientations to help clients learn about their own functioning, change maladaptive responses, and generate new responses for the future. This article addresses (a) defining and distinguishing features of self-observation, (b) self-observation within the psychotherapeutic encounter, (c) ways in which psychotherapists accelerate this process, and (d) the implications of self-observation as a core psychotherapeutic process.