Insight—the importance of understanding ourselves and others

Cynthia A. Lietz and Breanna M. Carpenter Lietz

Chapter 6 in How to Build Resilience in College Students, 2026, pp 60-74 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Insight is the ability to step back from a situation and understand it from a broader perspective, which requires both self-awareness and empathy. When people are able to recognize and understand their cognitive and emotional reactions, they are demonstrating self-awareness. Empathy, on the other hand, is the ability to accurately understand the position of another. If self-awareness is about understanding oneself, then empathy is about understanding others. These two important skills work together to create insight, one of the 10 most important protective factors when activating or cultivating the process of resilience for college students. In this chapter, we define insight, self-awareness, and empathy, and then discuss ways a college or university can work to embed opportunities to develop this protective factor across the institution. This chapter will close with one student's story of how insight helped her to be successful in college.

Keywords: Resilience; Insight; Empathy; Self-awareness; Emotional intelligence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035365081
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