ABSTRACT
If there is one topic on which we all are experts, it is ourselves. Psychologists depend on this expertise, as asking people questions about themselves is an important means by which they gather the data that provide much of the evidence for psychological theory. Personal recollections play an important role in clinical theorizing; people's thoughts, feelings, and beliefs provide the principle data for attitudinal research; judgments of one's traits and descriptions of one's goals and motivations are essential for the study of personality.
