What is Self-Reflection? (And Why You Need It)

Let's Talk About Self-Reflection

Have you ever wondered what self-reflection is and how to do it effectively? According to the American Psychological Association, self-reflection is defined as examination, contemplation, and analysis of one's thoughts, feelings, and actions. Basically, it means to look at your own thoughts, feelings, and actions to understand them better and to think about what you did, how you felt, and why you acted that way. Self-reflection is important because it encourages personal growth and continuous improvement. But here's the question I get asked most often: How do you actually do it? Is there a structure to follow, or should you just write whatever comes to mind?

Frameworks for Self-Reflection

When I first started researching this, I was surprised to discover that there isn't just one way to self-reflect. In fact, according to an article from Crowjack, there are actually 16 different frameworks you can use! Let me break these down for you:

Learning-Focused Models

1. Kolb's Reflective Cycle: A four-stage approach focusing on learning through experience, consisting of Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation. This model emphasizes the importance of experiencing and reflecting to facilitate deeper learning.

2. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle: A systematic framework with six stages—Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan. It guides individuals through a structured reflection process to learn from their experiences.

3. ERA Reflective Cycle: Stands for Experience, Reflection, and Action; this straightforward model encourages individuals to reflect on their experiences and determine actionable steps for future improvement.
   

Professional Development Models

1. CARL Framework: Analyzes specific situations using Context, Actions, Results, and Learnings. This model provides a structured way to reflect on professional experiences and derive meaningful insights.

2. Brookfield Reflective Model: Originally designed for educators, this model helps professionals critically examine their practices by considering multiple perspectives and fostering continuous improvement.

3. Schön's Model: Focuses on reflection-in-action (during an experience) and reflection-on-action (after an experience), allowing individuals to adapt their approaches in real-time while also learning from past actions.
   

Healthcare-Inspired Models

1. Roper Logan and Tierney Model: Emphasizes holistic reflection in nursing practice by considering patient care from multiple dimensions, encouraging a comprehensive understanding of care delivery.

2. Atkins & Murphy's Model: Centers on personal growth through structured reflection in healthcare settings, guiding practitioners to evaluate their experiences and enhance their professional development.

3. Johns' Model: Utilizes five phases to deepen understanding of clinical experiences, promoting critical thinking and reflective practice among healthcare professionals.

4. Driscoll's Model: Provides guided questions that facilitate effective reflection by prompting individuals to consider what happened, why it matters, and what actions to take next.
   

Simplified Reflection Models

1. Four Fs Model: Involves Facts, Feelings, Findings, and Future—this simple yet powerful framework helps individuals critically examine situations and plan for future learning.

2. Integrated Reflective Cycle: Developed by Bassot, this model is effective for writing reflective practice by integrating personal insights with structured analysis.

3. REFLECT Model: A seven-part approach that encourages comprehensive self-assessment by guiding individuals through various aspects of their experiences.

4. Rolfe's Framework: Uses the questions What? So what? Now what? to guide reflection in a straightforward manner, facilitating deeper understanding and practical application of insights gained from experiences.

5. Borton's Model: Similar to Rolfe's framework but adds its unique twist; it focuses on what happened (What?), the significance of the event (So what?), and future actions (Now what?).

6. 5R Framework: Involves Reporting, Responding, Relating, Reasoning, and Reconstructing; this model provides a structured approach for deeper reflection on experiences by encouraging critical thinking at each step.
   

Finding the Right Framework

With all these options, it might feel overwhelming. That's why I want to focus on what I've found to be the most comprehensive and practical framework: the Gibbs Reflective Cycle...

Understanding the Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Gibbs Reflective Cycle was created by Graham Gibbs in 1988. The Gibbs cycle contains six stages. Let's break down each stage:

1. Description: Describe what happened

2. Feelings: Understand your feelings

3. Evaluation: What worked well and what didn't

4. Analysis: Why did things turn out this way?

5. Conclusion: What did you learn from the experience?

6. Action Plan: What will you do differently next time?
   

A Real-Life Example: My Personal Journey

Here's an example from one of my journal entries on how I applied this framework. This is from my self-reflection on November 28, 2024:

Description

I've been reflecting today on how much I've grown in my goal to network. A couple of months ago, I decided to pay for a bootcamp course on how to create and sell courses online and I made successful networking connections from it.

Today, one person that I met from the course expressed interest in helping me as a beta tester for my course, so I gave them a link to book a meeting with me to discuss this collaboration. I feel like it's a full circle moment because I used to be really bad at networking. I would be able to make the initial connection, but I was really bad with the following up part.

Feelings

I'm so proud of myself for how far I've come with reaching this goal and I'm excited to keep this momentum going. I really enjoy meeting new people and I find it fascinating to learn about other people's lives and their experiences.

Evaluation

I noticed that I started to make the connections that I wanted by consistently putting myself out there and seeing if people wanted to connect.

Analysis

Making networking and connecting with people a habit is a key to being successful on that call.

Conclusion

I've learned that making an active decision to put an effort to connect with people as well as figuring out how to work it into my schedule was the key to my success. Understanding my values for authentic connections was also very important.

Action Plan

I will continue to put myself out there and find new ways to meet people.

Want to learn more?

That's how I've used this framework to help me with self-reflection. I found it really helpful to just have a structure to help me organize my thoughts and feelings and self reflect in a systematic way. Prefer watching over reading? Check out my youtube video on “What is Self Reflection” where I break down these concepts.