Know thyself: a guide to getting started
This essay was published on Finding North on December 30, 2024. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get the next piece delivered straight to your inbox.
The ancient Greek injunction, ‘Know Thyself,’ is inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
Inscribed atop the entrance of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi is the famous maxim, “Know thyself”. I learned this for the first time as a 17-year-old philosophy student poring through the ‘Trial of Socrates.’
I remember my first week in class, a professor walked briskly into the class and announced his manifesto for the year, “my job” he declared, “is to clear the cobwebs from all your minds”. It was exciting listening to this provocateur (as most philosophy professors are) say my beliefs and thoughts so far may all be false. It was even more exciting to read of even more crazy philosophers in the past who had immersed themselves into a systematic process of doubting the truth of all former beliefs as a means to reach certain knowledge.
At 17, I was surrounded by these eccentricities, both in the books I read and in the lectures I admired. And soon my friends and I had become eccentrics. I was once locked in debate with a friend who insisted I wasn’t, in fact, wearing a red shirt as there is no evidence that the shirt is red: our senses were not a reliable source of truth. “What you call red exists only in your perception, shaped by the light and your mind’s interpretation. Without an observer, there is no color, perhaps not even a shirt.” We would push each other to the limits, questioning every claim to knowledge of things in the world, and even of our own self-knowledge.
In peer conversations and classroom discussions, self-understanding was encouraged again and again, with warnings made in the same weight against the pride of unjustified belief. It was resounded that this only confuses confidence in opinions as evidence of correctness. Consider how your senses tell you a stick in water appears broken, though the sensory evidence presented is clearly misleading. If we can be deceived in this one instance, what else is an illusion?
Beginning with doubt then building credible foundations of self-knowledge is work without end. It is a perpetual challenge we must work on from cradle to grave. So many thinkers, psychologists, and philosophers have dedicated themselves to helping us through this project. One key figure in this project is the Psychiatrist, Carl Jung. At the heart of his theory is the idea of individuation—the idea that an individual becomes whole by stripping away false opinions or identities of oneself, decoupling from unconscious inherited influences, and becoming yourself, whole, indivisible, and distinct from other people. The goal is not perfection, but familiarity with our psyche.
“Individuation means becoming an “in-dividual,” and, in so far as “individuality” embraces our innermost, last, and incomparable uniqueness, it also implies becoming one’s own self. We could therefore translate individuation as “coming to selfhood”.”
A radical self-acceptance is needed to individuate. This means wading through the fog of opinions (of ours and others) to get to the truth of who we are: accepting our character flaws and weaknesses, but also our talents and strengths. Then setting out on the path to work on our flaws or dark sides.
But you never reach this individuation on your own but in community with others, family, partners, colleagues, friends, Other people are helpful partners in our journey. They see us, they know us, and to an extent can point our blind spots. But we must always keep in mind that others can see us only as deep as they’ve seen themselves.
“Individuation is only possible with people, through people. You must realise that you are a link in a chain, that you are not an electron suspended somewhere in space or aimlessly drifting through the cosmos.”
At the end of every year, we all have feedback processes at work. I’ve come to enjoy them as it involves a 360 process from a community of people I admire and a chance to appreciate my strengths and see my weakness and blindspots and bring them into conscious awareness and thus get on the business of cultivating our character and psychological wholeness.
In my recent feedback sessions, colleagues highlighted my openness to constant learning as a superpower – noting how feedback rarely needs repeating. This observation resonated deeply, validating both my commitment to self-growth and the openness I strive to cultivate when receiving feedback. As the Psalmist says, “Give me understanding a teachable heart and the ability to learn.” Each time a strength of our character is relayed to us, a new set of possibilities opens up before us and our work, relationships, and life are all the better for it.
My colleagues also identified an area for growth: building more collaborative communities in my projects. I'm embracing this feedback, working to develop collaborative leadership skills rather than defaulting to my natural inclination toward independent work. This journey excites me, as I believe that acknowledging our growth areas without shame or denial gives us the power to shape them, ultimately enriching our work, relationships, and lives.
Before concluding, I want to suggest practical tools you can use to begin, or deepen, your own journey of self-understanding. While past thinkers relied on introspection and dialogue, today we have tools, psychometric tests, that offer a structured approach to self-awareness that often rely on their principles and research. These tests serve only as complementary frames to your personal introspection and the invaluable (though filtered) feedback from others.
The MBTI (the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) is one of the most widely used personality test in the world, inspired by the theories of Carl Jung. Although its operationalizing of Jungian concepts has been both celebrated and contested, with some even accusing it of being “act of irresponsible armchair philosophy” it remains a popular tool for self-reflection. However, I am writing not to recommend the MBTI but to point you to the Big Five personality test, which is proven as a much more reliable tool that offers actionable insights into your natural tendencies and areas for growth. Pair it with an AI assistant like ChatGPT or your favorite tool, and you’ll unlock a deeper level of self-understanding.
The Big Five measures five traits: Extroversion, Emotional stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Intellect/imagination. It’s such a powerful snapshot of our natural tendencies and a starting point of analysis on what to build further or where to cultivate a supplemental skillset.
But before I share the how-to, I would love to give you a brief intro to these traits this psychometric test measures:
Openness (or intellect/imagination) is the degree to which someone is curious, imaginative, and open to exploring new ideas or experiences. A high score means you’re likely creative, adventurous, intellectually curious, and eager to embrace novel ideas or cultures. While a low score pegs you as someone who prefers routine, sticks to traditional ways of thinking, and feels more comfortable with familiarity over change.
Conscientiousness reflects how structured, reliable, and goal-driven you are in your daily life. If you score high, you’re likely organized, diligent, detail-oriented, and purposeful. On the other hand, a lower score suggests a tendency toward spontaneity, flexibility, or a more relaxed approach to planning and responsibilities.
Extraversion captures your level of social energy and enthusiasm in interactions. Scoring high typically means you’re outgoing, assertive, sociable, and drawn to exciting or stimulating activities. A lower score indicates you might prefer quieter environments, enjoy introspection, and thrive in solitude, basically having more introverted tendencies.
Agreeableness reflects your capacity for kindness, cooperation, and harmony in relationships. A high score suggests you’re empathetic, trusting, and inclined toward collaboration and altruism. In contrast, a low score implies you might lean toward skepticism, competitiveness, or valuing independence over harmony.
Neuroticism (or emotional stability) measures your emotional stability and susceptibility to stress. Individuals with high scores are often more reactive to challenges, experiencing anxiety, irritability, or mood fluctuations. Meanwhile, those with lower scores tend to remain composed, resilient, and emotionally steady even in difficult situations.
As with any psychometric, the Big Five test gives a good insight into who you are, your strengths and potential areas for growth. AI becomes a powerful tool here that uses this data and combines them into multiple variables to show your potential possibilities.
The point isn’t to attain perfection but to hold before us a north star; to consciously identify and hold our contradictions, grow because of them, and not be driven by the unconscious behavioral paradigms of our upbringing or genetic inheritance.
For example, here is my own Big Five personality test:
Having an in-depth analysis with Chat-GPT showed me some strengths and growth areas that were interestingly similar to the advice I had received from colleagues:
I found it interesting that it quickly picked up on my openness to constant learning and at the same time my growth area on building more collaborative communities in my projects.
I love experiments like this that are open and dig deep to help us see ourselves, appreciate our strengths, and grow from them.
If you’d like to try it out, here’s a link to the Big Five Personality Test I used. The test only takes about 10–15 minutes.
Once you’re done, just upload the screenshot or copy and paste your result to an AI platform and begin your conversation.
Here are some interesting prompts you could use:
“Can you provide an overall interpretation of my personality profile, highlight my key strengths, and suggest the most important areas where I can focus on personal growth? Can you recommend practical steps to further my personal development based on these scores?”
“How might my Big Five scores impact my relationships, both personal and professional? What strategies or habits would you recommend so I can better engage with colleagues, friends, or family members given my profile?”
“From these Big Five scores, can you infer how I typically respond to conflict and stress? What steps can I take to improve my stress management or navigate disagreements more effectively, considering my natural tendencies?”
“Considering my overall profile, which mindsets or motivational techniques are likely to resonate with me? How can I tap into my strongest traits to keep myself motivated and overcome the habits that hold me back?”
Is this a helpful experiment? I would love to know!
