Why Metacognition?: The Power of Objective Self-Observation

Introduction: Do You See Your ‘Thoughts’?

“Why do I always repeat the same mistakes?” “Why do I become small only in front of that person?” “Why do I decide to go on a diet and give up in 3 days?”

We decide to change countless times, but most return to the original place. Is it because of a lack of willpower? Is it a lack of effort? No. The real problem is ‘because I don’t know myself.’ Because I am not aware of the system itself, with what unconscious patterns I think and act. You cannot fix invisible bugs. To change me, I must ‘see’ me first.

Today, we will talk about Metacognition, an essential tool for changing the Life Style that Adlerian psychology speaks of.

1. What is Metacognition?: Thinking about Thinking

Metacognition is a compound word of ‘Meta’ + ‘Cognition’, meaning simply “the ability to think about one’s own thoughts.” Whether I know something or not, what emotions I am feeling right now, why I did this action; it is the ability to look at oneself with the eyes of a third party, just like having an out-of-body experience.

Socrates’ saying “Know yourself” means the best metacognition. Students who study well know exactly what they don’t know (high metacognition). On the other hand, students who are poor at studying don’t even know what they don’t know (low metacognition). Life is the same. Happy people know when they are happy doing what, and unhappy people blame the environment without even knowing why they are unhappy.

2. Adler’s ‘Life Style’ and Glasses

Adler said that humans have their own unique belief system called Life Style. This is like ‘colored glasses’ looking at the world. Some people wear glasses that say ‘the world is a dangerous place’. To this person, even the kindness of others looks suspicious. Some people wear glasses that say ‘I am a being who cannot be loved’. To this person, even a small rejection becomes a big wound.

The problem is that we even forget the fact that we are wearing these glasses. The glasses have become part of the face. The beginning of change starts from realizing, “Ah, I am looking at the world wearing glasses called ‘victim mentality’ now.” This is exactly metacognition.

3. Turn Off the Autopilot of the Unconscious

Our brain leaves most actions to habits (autopilot) to save energy. A person who screams when angry, a person who binge eats when stressed, a person who avoids when difficult tasks come… All of these are automatic responses programmed in the brain.

Metacognition is a switch that turns off this autopilot and switches to manual mode. The moment anger rises, “Wait, I am angry now. My heart is beating fast. Why am I angry? Because I felt ignored by that person’s words. Then wouldn’t it be better to calmly explain my feelings instead of screaming?”

This short moment of ‘Self-talk’ changes life. The space between Stimulus and Response, there lies our freedom and choice. Metacognition is the power to widen that space.

4. Training to Objectify Myself: Recording

Metacognition is not a born talent but a skill that can be trained. The best way is Recording. Diary, emotion note, incorrect answer note… Any form is fine. The moment we write down our thoughts and emotions and put them outside, we can look at them objectively.

Worries in the head are like tangled thread and hard to untangle, but worries written on paper can be analyzed logically. “I was having a hard time because of this thought”, “Actually it wasn’t a big deal”, “I should try this next time”. The act of writing itself is the best metacognition training.

5. Conclusion: The Person Who Knows Me Conducts Life

A person who does not know oneself lives as a slave to instinct and environment. Eat when hungry, fight when angry, run away when hard. However, a person who knows oneself (person with high metacognition) becomes the conductor of life. Controls one’s emotions, utilizes one’s strengths, compensates for one’s weaknesses, and moves in the desired direction.

Are you the main character of the movie called you, or the audience? Now come out of the screen and sit in the director’s chair. And watch how the actor called you is acting and what lines they are saying. That ‘gaze’ will become a pen that rewrites your life scenario anew.

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