The paradox of knowing.

People appear to know other people better than they know themselves, at least when it comes to predicting future behaviour and achievement. Why? People display a rather accurate grasp of human nature in general, knowing how social behaviour is shaped by situational and internal constraints. They just exempt themselves from this understanding, thinking instead that their own actions are more a product of their agency, intentions, and free will - a phenomenon we term 'misguided exceptionalism'. How does this relate to cultural differences in self-insight? And are there areas of human life where people may still know themselves better than they know other people? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]