A consensus statement on self-knowledge: Conceptualization, measurement, outcomes and changeability

Thielmann, I., Back, M.D., Bleidorn, W. et al.

Abstract

Self-knowledge plays a central role in contemporary psychological science across various domains, including interpersonal relationships, moral behaviour and health. Despite its importance, many fundamental questions remain. We conducted a pre-registered, expert-based consensus process to address four key gaps in research on self-knowledge: its conceptualization, measurement, outcomes and changeability. Seventeen experts from diverse subfields of psychology participated in a structured Delphi process guided by four facilitators and an external advisor. The panel developed a consensus definition of self-knowledge as the extent to which a person has accurate perceptions of their own relatively stable characteristics and momentary states. Experts further agreed that self-knowledge is largely domain-specific, context-dependent in its benefits, and malleable in principle but difficult to change in practice. Measurement was identified as a central challenge, and avenues for refinement in future work were proposed. Consensus was weaker regarding the existence of a domain-general factor of self-knowledge and shared underlying processes across domains. Overall, the findings clarify where experts converge, where debates persist and what should be prioritized in future research, providing a crucial foundation for advancing the study of self-knowledge across fields.