When we work on our personal development, we study ourselves.
We learn our strengths.
Explore our habits & routines.
Design our environments.
Understand the culture(s) we live in.
Just like an anthropologist studies human beings and their nature, we study ourselves.
How might we apply tools of anthropology to our personal development?
Below are just a few ideas:
Field Notes & Journals: Anthropologists keep detailed field notes to record observations, reflections, and insights during their studies. Keep a daily or weekly self-ethnography journal to document your habits, emotions, and interactions.
Kinship Diagrams (Relationship Maps): Used to map family structures and relationships within a culture. They show how people are connected and how roles influence behavior. We can use this to create a relationship map of your personal and professional network.
Participant Observation: Anthropologists immerse themselves in a culture to observe and participate in daily life.Observe yourself in different settings like work, social, and alone time. Consider how you behave differently and where you feel most authentic.
Cultural Artifacts: Anthropologists study objects that define a culture like clothing, tools, books, decorations. Look at your possessions and ask what objects are meaningful and why. Consider what your workspace/home environment says about your identity?
Time-Use Analysis (Chronemics): Studying how time is used within a culture (e.g., work vs. leisure, morning vs. evening habits). You can track your time in a daily log to gain insight into time.
Autoethnography: A method where the researcher studies their own experiences within a cultural context.Write a personal narrative analyzing how culture, society, and your background have shaped your behaviors, values, and identity.Focus on key transitions or identity shifts (career change, personal growth, moving cities).
Your Turn
Have you used any of these methods to better understand yourself?
Are there any on the list that you would like to try?
What insights do you think you could gain?