WRITING DIARY AS TECHNIQUE FOR BUILDING SELF-KNOWLEDGE (Pisanie pamietnika jako technika budowania samowiedzy)

Using Jozef Kozielecki's theory, the authoress explains her understanding of the term self-knowledge and shows how writing a diary can become a useful instrument on the way to building an adequate knowledge about oneself. The paper presents the results of pilot studies on using diary-writing as the technique useful in self-educational work. The analysis was based on twenty essays (each 3-4 pages long) written by first year pedagogy students from the University of Lodz. The aim of the research was to name the pros and cons of writing a diary. The authoress believes that the pros include: systematic nature of note-writing, sincerity, reflective character of the notes and a chance to observe changes that the author is undergoing. The 'traps', on the other hand, are: a possibility of idealizing oneself and a danger of replacing the real world with the one created in the diary. The theses presented in the article are illustrated with quotations coming from the students.