Reflective people present personality traits that they have in common, that differentiate them from others by their way of facing everyday situations.

In this article we will see what it means to be a reflective person, and we will review the characteristics that distinguish them from others by their way of seeing things and their habits of life.

What does a reflective person look like?

What mainly defines reflective people is their way of assessing situations. Reflection is a thinking process that needs to take into account all the circumstances known about the matter in question; not only the obvious, but also that which often escapes the human eye.

The details are really important in order to be able to proceed with a reflection, whether it is an evaluation of oneself, of others, or of the world around us. A reflective person is able to consider the details before making a judgment about a particular situation by assimilating more nuances in the perception that one has about it.

On the other hand, reflective people do not usually act on first impressions , on the contrary, they take their time to think as objectively as possible about the event that requires their reflection.

People with this characteristic do not like to give opinions out loud on subjects they are not familiar with, as they have not reflected on them enough to give coherent or informed points of view.

Characteristics of this type of person

Now we will see a list of characteristics, in which we will detail the most relevant ones about people with a reflective tendency.

1. Analysis capacity

The main characteristic that reflective people display is their capacity for analysis , which is usually quite acute.

They are subjects who find it easy to interpret situations in a profound way in order to reach a clearer conclusion.

2. Active listening

A reflective person is also one who knows how to listen in an active way , given that he or she is aware that through the discourse of others, valuable information is obtained from which an analysis can be made.

Active listening consists of understanding the message that the other person wants to get across without letting the emotions of the moment somehow bias what the speaker wants to convey with his words, and at the same time encouraging him to give more details, by sending signals that he is paying attention .

3. Observation skills

In order to be able to reflect more objectively on any event, it is useful to practice the good use of all the senses of our body. Apart from listening, observation is also a determining factor in reaching a good final conclusion.

Seeing is not the same as observing. When we see something it is because the visual stimulus came into contact with our range of visibility; observing goes beyond that, it involves detailing aspects of the object and drawing conclusions about it, which can be decisive for timely analysis.

4. They are patients

As we have seen before, reflective people are patient and know that acting impulsively would be counterproductive to their interests.

Reflective people do not usually act at the first sign of change, but take the time to obtain as much information on the subject as possible to allow for reflection or analysis.

5. Managing emotions

A reflective person has a good handling of his emotions, since he is able to reflect on them. This makes him/her aware of his/her limitations and also knows at what moment it is good to step aside so as not to involve emotionality with the formal aspects of the subject of reflection.

6. Evaluate pros and cons

For a good reflection it is important to know how to discriminate between the pros and cons of the situations that occupy our analysis. This will help us to have a better perspective of the benefit or harm represented by the topic we are reflecting on, and will help us to reach a better conclusion.

7. Planning skills

For a successful reflection you must be able to plan around that reflection, taking into account that is a structured process , where every detail counts.

Reflective people plan on the basis of the information they have to see how their reflection can be shaped, or whether new information on the subject of analysis is needed.

8. Introversion

The analytical subject is usually a person with a tendency to introvert, which means that most of the time he is focused on his own thoughts , giving them form.

9. Internalize learning

When reflective personality characteristics are present, the experiences that usually happen to us are internalized in a quite significant way, which gives an adequate learning about the event we have experienced.

Bibliographic references:

  • Danziger, K. (1980). “The History of Introspection Reconsidered. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences. 16 (3): 241–262.
  • Perner, J. et al (2007). “Introspection & remembering”. Synthese. Springer.