Our subjectivity means we can never truly grasp an accurate autobiographical account of ourselves. But we shouldn't be trying to, explains Emma Syea. Auto-noetic consciousness positions the self within a narrative setting that paints the big picture of who we are. 

What if you cannot reliably know yourself? What if the picture you have of yourself as a person, essential to making sense of your experiences and your relations to others, turned out to be systematically mistaken?

SUGGESTED READING Leading philosophers at HowTheLightGetsIn Global By Self-knowledge is crucial for understanding our beliefs, our desires, our attitudes, our motivations, and our values. It sheds light on our interactions with others. It allows us to project forward into the future.  One means by which people try to search for and express a conception of themselves is through the practice of autobiography. By recounting our past experiences, we aim to uncover insights and to build up a picture of ourselves. Through self-documentation, we hope for self-knowledge.