Blind spots in self-perceptions: Because individuals and others differ in their susceptibility to biases or motivations and in the information they have access to, self- and other-knowledge will vary by trait

Self–Other Knowledge Asymmetry (SOKA) Model. Kathryn L. Bollich-Ziegler. In The Oxford Handbook of Accurate Personality Judgment (edited by Tera D. Letzring and Jana S. Spain). Jul 2020, DOI 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190912529.013.10

Abstract: Despite the strong intuition that people know themselves well, much research in self-perception demonstrates the biases present when evaluating one’s own personality traits. What specifically are these blind spots in self-perceptions? Are self-perceptions always disconnected from reality? And under what circumstances might other people actually be more accurate about the self? The self–other knowledge asymmetry (SOKA) model suggests that because individuals and others differ in their susceptibility to biases or motivations and in the information they have access to, self- and other-knowledge will vary by trait. The present chapter outlines when and why other-perceptions are sometimes more accurate than self-perceptions, as well as when self-reports can be most trusted. Also discussed are next steps in the study of self- and other-knowledge, including practical, methodological, and interdisciplinary considerations and extensions. In sum, this chapter illustrates the importance of taking multiple perspectives in order to accurately understand a person.

Keywords: self-perception, self-knowledge, other-knowledge, personality, accuracy