Acta Psychologica Volume 230 (October 2022) includes a report on a PET Lab experiment by James Tyler titled “Contemporary self-reflective practices: A large-scale survey”. In this study, we conducted a population sample of people living in the UK, asking about their self-reflective routines, the technologies/objects they were using, and the activities they had heard of or tried. The objective of this study was to learn more about self-reflection as a practice in the modern world – one where we have many opportunities to engage in this vital activity but know little about what works best for most people.
This study provides essential detail on how technology helps (and hinders) self-reflection in a world with many different things competing for our attention. These results will help us think about the qualities that might be important in systems designed to support this activity – whether done privately or with the professional assistance of a therapist/counsellor.
