Self-distancing

Self-distancing is one's ability to reflect on past events/emotions as an objective observer.[1] Over time, self-distancing fosters intellectual humility, open-mindedness, and empathy.[2] It also promotes greater social intelligence/emotional intelligence when it comes to conflict resolution.[3][4]

Other benefits of self-distancing are that it gives one: a broader perspective, more appropriate emotional responses to situations and it boosts creativity as it can clear interfering negative emotions and allow one to think more creatively and move from seeing the problem as an insolvable and/or concrete problem to a more abstract problem.[5]

For people who have experienced traumatic events, seeing events from a self-distanced perspective potentially allows people to work through their difficult experiences and it provides insight as well as closure.

## Contents

* 1 Self-distancing and better decision making
* 2 Journaling and improvement of self-distancing
* 3 See also
* 4 External links
* 5 References

## Self-distancing and better decision making[edit]

* Self-Distancing: What It Is and How You Can Use It to Make Better Decisions

* Distanced self-talk increases rational self-interest, Nature, 2022

* Using Self-Distancing in Decision-Making

* Zooming Out: The Impact of Distance on our Decisions, TheDecisionLab.com

## Journaling and improvement of self-distancing[edit]

See also: Diary

Journaling improves self-distancing, self-awareness and mindfulness.[6][7][8][9] Self-distancing is one's ability to reflect on past events/emotions as an objective observer.[10] This improves one's ability to break away from a nonstop cycle of obsessive thinking and brooding.[11]

## See also[edit]

* Self-awareness
* Objectivity

## External links[edit]

* The Art Of Self-Distancing
* Step Back to Move Forward? An Examination of Self-Distancing and Negative Interpersonal Experiences, Duke University
* Self-Distancing: Theory, Research, and Current Directions, Science Direct

## References[edit]

1. ↑ The Benefits of Creating a Journaling Routine By Sarah Bence, OTR/L, VeryWellHealth.com
2. ↑ Grossmann, Igor; Dorfman, Anna; Oakes, Harrison; Vohs, Kathleen D.; Santos, Henri Carlo; Scholer, Abigail. "Training for Wisdom: The Illeist Diary Method". doi:10.31234/osf.io/a5fgu. S2CID 241766680
3. ↑ Grossmann, Igor; Kross, Ethan (2014-06-10). "Exploring Solomon's Paradox: Self-Distancing Eliminates the Self-Other Asymmetry in Wise Reasoning About Close Relationships in Younger and Older Adults". Psychological Science. 25 (8): 1571–1580. doi:10.1177/0956797614535400. ISSN 0956-7976. PMID 24916084. S2CID 3539860
4. ↑ Grossmann, Igor; Oakes, Harrison; Santos, Henri C. (May 2019). "Wise reasoning benefits from emodiversity, irrespective of emotional intensity". Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 148 (5): 805–823. doi:10.1037/xge0000543. ISSN 1939-2222. PMID 30688474. S2CID 59306284
5. ↑ What is Psychological Distancing? 4 Helpful Techniques by Alicia Nortje, Ph.D
6. ↑ The Benefits of Creating a Journaling Routine By Sarah Bence, OTR/L, VeryWellHealth.com
7. ↑ Ready, Set, Journal! 64 Journaling Prompts for Self-Discovery, PsychCentral
8. ↑ 12 Journal Prompts for Emotional Health and Awareness, PsychCentral.com
9. ↑ What’s All This About Journaling?, New York Times, 2018
10. ↑ The Benefits of Creating a Journaling Routine By Sarah Bence, OTR/L, VeryWellHealth.com
11. ↑ 5 Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health, PositivePsychology.com