Self-Analysis from the Three Perspectives of Insect, Fish, and Bird
This article explains that self-analysis using the three perspectives of "insect eye, fish eye, and bird eye" can deepen your self-understanding.
Overview of the Three Perspectives
The three perspectives of insect eye, fish eye, and bird eye can be explained as follows.
Insect eye: Observe the task at hand thoroughly, including every detail, with full effort.
Fish eye: Read the movements, flows, and changes, including those of the people around you.
Bird eye: View yourself from a high vantage point, seeing yourself within a group or within the timeline of your past and future.
It is not that one of these three perspectives is better than the others; it is important to maintain a balance of all three to advance your self-understanding.
1. How to utilize the insect eye
While many books suggest that you should have a fish eye or bird eye rather than an insect eye that is preoccupied with what is right in front of you, by first looking at the "here and now" thoroughly with an insect eye, you should be able to better utilize the other perspectives as well.
For example, many people are taken aback when asked the following questions.
What was the trigger for what you are working on now?
How do you feel while doing this? Positive? Negative?
How serious are you about this effort, and what are your expectations?
By answering these three questions, you can gain insights into how you are approaching what you are currently doing. As a result, some people may think, "I need to be more serious about what is in front of me," while others may wonder, "Why am I doing this?"
By firmly grasping the state and feelings of the "here and now," your perspective through the other lenses will change significantly.
2. How to utilize the fish eye
I think this is similar to the "360-degree feedback" or "fixed-point observation" conducted in companies. By constantly being aware of your surroundings and measuring the rate of change while repeating the same questions, you ensure that you do not overlook small changes.
Who is supporting you right now? Are there supporters beside or behind you that you hadn't noticed before?
Comparing yourself now to yourself one week ago, what has changed?
If you could let go of one thing you currently have and acquire one new thing, what would it be?
I believe that humans are creatures that cannot live without changing. No matter how much you resist change, your hair and nails grow, and your skin requires metabolism. By noticing "what is changing," you can feel that you are within a flow.
3. How to utilize the bird eye
Finally, let's take a bird's-eye view. I prefer to think in terms of timelines, but I believe there are many insights to be gained by being conscious of oneself within a group or the whole.
Starting from today, can you imagine yourself months or years from now?
How large is the group you belong to?
How does it feel to imagine a future one step further ahead, or a slightly larger group (e.g., yourself as a member of a company, community, or society)?
The way people utilize a bird's-eye view varies. Some people feel a bit restricted when thinking about themselves years into the future. Others may feel a sense of security when thinking of themselves as part of a wider society.
By repeating these bird's-eye view questions periodically and keeping notes to look back on, you can realize how your perspective is changing. You can also apply those realizations to your fish-eye view analysis.
Summary and Reference Articles
I wrote this article from the perspective of how to apply the concepts of the insect's eye, fish's eye, and bird's eye to self-analysis, even if you are already familiar with the terms. Other writers on note have also shared their thoughts on these three perspectives, so I have included links for your reference.