How is it that being self-aware is generally viewed favorably, whereas being self-conscious is not? After all, aren’t awareness and consciousness pretty much the same thing? Much has been made of being self-aware, going back to ancient Greece and the Socratic counsel to “know thyself.” More recently, mindfulness meditation, particularly with its focus on experiencing our bodies (e.g., our breathing), encourages self-awareness. As for being self-conscious, I recall the scene from The Lonely Guy in which the Steve Martin character eats out alone. A spotlight follows him as the maitre d’ escorts him to his table. The scene, with a gauntlet of gawking couples staring at him, captures the essence of self-consciousness.

The Mirror as a Symbol of Self-reflection

Being self-aware and being self-conscious both are examples of self-reflection. The most apt symbol of this is a mirror. A mirror allows us to gain perspective in viewing ourselves. We are looking at ourselves looking at ourselves. Yet, if we were in a hall of mirrors, we would quickly become disoriented and overwhelmed. This is the physical equivalent of watching ourselves reflecting on our experience of examining our thoughts. Difficult to follow? Well, then I’ve made my point. Such an internal hall of mirrors is one facet of self-consciousness.

Conducting our own Experiment

We can explore the quality of our self-reflection by looking at ourselves in the mirror. No, this is not one of Einstein’s “thought experiments.” So get up off your duff and go into the bathroom and look at yourself in the mirror. Who and what do you see? How much of this experience would you label as self-awareness, and how much as self-consciousness? And on what basis do you make this distinction? Is this distinction important to you? Why, or why not?

What’s Your Take?

Do you buy into Socrates’ dictum that “An unexamined life is not worth living”? Or does all this self-reflection just get in the way of living? And is the distinction between self-awareness and self-consciousness relevant to answering this question? And if so, what distinguishes the two experiences from one another?

An Invitation to Participate

If you are looking to me for answers on this, you’ll have to wait a while. Rather than waiting until I’ve thoroughly addressed these questions, I want to put this topic out there now. Furthermore, I would like this exercise to be more interactive, so I welcome your input. I’ve done the exercise in front of the mirror myself, but I’ll hold off on sharing that. After all, I wouldn’t want to lead the witnesses. I will post your responses, either attributed to you or anonymously, as you wish. If you don’t specify, I’ll use my judgment. And if I don’t get much feedback, I might just go off on my own tangent. You wouldn’t want that, now would you?