Abstract

Self-knowledge is the base of our action and behavior in the world , and life's wisdom resides in it. With these assumptions I set for myself the task of exploring manuscripts and personal diaries accumulated over a period of 34 years with the following objectives: Offer a model of self-knowledge that serves as a guide for personal understanding; to deepen and amplify my own self-knowledge, exploring emotions, feelings, and other relevant themes present in my journals and diaries; to point out the advantages that derive from self-knowledge in human relations and leadership functions. ;This study of self-knowledge arises from a pre-logical experience of the recognition of two paradoxical sentiments which characterize my emotional life: abandonment and the desire for unconditional love. Taking the sentiments as guides to obtain better personal understanding , and mediated by the application of the phenomenological-hermeneutical method to 10 significant texts from my diaries and writings, I identify five relevant themes that constitute the base of observations, reflections, and revelations that deepen the knowledge of my self. ;The importance of self-knowledge as a prior and necessary step for completing the functions of leadership which include emotional aspects has been insisted upon in organizational literature . This work offers a model of self-assessment that may also be utilized in the process of coaching for the emotional development of leaders within organizations