Currents of Reflection
“It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
What is reflection? When we learn to digest our experiences in depth, we transform our life into growth and wisdom. This is reflection, which is the opposite of reflex. What does the process of reflection look like? What are the currents of reflection?
Precursors to Reflection
Preceding any productive ability to reflect we will first need to analyse some of our history. Are there any past experiences that may be influencing our reflection either in a negative or false positive direction? Is there any preconception that might be giving me a false realization?
One of the best examples of historical interference is derived from relationships, whether partners, friends, or family. My past may be littered with traumatic or stressful experiences that promote bias in my ability to accurately assess any reflection. My current partner reminds me of something that my ex-partner used to do and I am off on a wild goose chase to some personal bias that I am unaware of at the time. Any viable reflection based on a preconceived bias will negate the value of the resultant reflection.
Reflection-In-Action
Part of reflecting during an experience is taking note of your reactions. Are you over reacting? Are your emotions under control?
Reflection is a multileveled process of decision-making from the inside-out. When we are in-the-action, we are in this most critical part of the process. Whatever we decide at this time will determine the result.
Elite athletes are well aware that in-the-moment actions have to be accurate to succeed. At times, this will require patience and at other times immediacy.
“A philosophy of freedom must set out from the experience of thinking, for it is through this experience of thinking that a human being discovers his own self, finds his bearings as an independent personality.” – Rudolf Steiner
Reflecting After the Experience
Post experience reflection is invaluable because it paves the way to actionable learning. When post analysis is not done, the potential to boost performance in the future is lost.
Analysis explains the experience in terms of what works and what does not. Future experiences are supplemented by a fruitful and accurate analysis of what has happened.
Reflection requires a hybrid approach to analysis. That is, one’s real-world experiences must be married to one’s theoretical knowledge.
This means one’s experiential learning must be combined with one’s academic learning. This symbiotic relationship will enhance reflection pre, during, and post experience.
“By doubting we are led to question, by questioning we arrive at the truth.”
Peter Abelard
Self-Questioning
At an advanced level of reflection, we will be questioning our assumptions and perceptions. We will be the “devils’ advocate” to ensure that alternative explanations have not been ignored or glossed over.
This form of self-challenge may be time consuming however without this process our blind-spots will be reinforced. In this scenario, recognition of the discomfort will inevitably lead to growth.
Currents of Reflection
When mindfulness, memory, and emotional processing coalesce they are referred to as ‘currents of reflection’. Psychologically, this is the very process of how humans understand and alter their personal experiences. Reflection skills then become the vehicle of transport that delivers results.
Mindfulness
What is mindfulness? We need to be fully present. We need to be aware of where we are and what we're doing. We need to control our reactions.
We need to avoid being overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. This means observing our thoughts, feelings, and sensations with curiosity and absent of judgment.
Memory
Our retrieval of information is our memory, while the analysing and processing of that memory is our reflection. Obviously, we need to be sure that our memory is accurate if we are going to obtain any useful reflection.
False memories distort or create memories to align with desires, emotional needs, or to fill in gaps in knowledge. These false memories are constructed to provide a displacement of an unpalpable past or magnify positive experiences.
Freud’s theory of wish-fulfilment suggested that dreams, fantasies, and neurotic symptoms are disguised expressions of repressed, unconscious desires. They are the unknown unknowns about ourselves.
These unconscious desires may become the source of the dissonance within individuals who continue to revisit their false memories. Something about these memories is unknown to the person, like a ‘blind spot’.
Emotional Processing
Experiences that we become aware of and feel may be initially in the subconscious. In viable reflection, these observations and feelings cannot be avoided or ignored. They need to be incorporated into our conscious awareness. These emotions need to be integrated into conscious, thoughtful, values-driven decisions. Only then will we come to realize, through our currents of reflection, the full meaning and potential of our experiences.
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