ABSTRACT

Most people spend a lot of time thinking about themselves. They consider their beliefs and why they think the way they do; they ponder their pasts and probable futures. Psychologists label the process of thinking about thoughts “metacognition” 1 (Dunlosky & Metcalfe, 2009; Petty, Briñol, Tormala, & Wegener, 2007). Metacognition is a dynamic process. In the process of thinking about their beliefs, people alter the form and content of their beliefs (Jost, Kruglanski, & Nelson, 1998). As people explore their pasts and futures, they construct their own realities and identities: who they were, who they are, and who they want to be.