Systematic Reflection:Implications for Learning From Failures and Successes

Drawing on a growing stream of empirical findings that runs across different psychological domains, we demonstratedthat systematic reflection stands out as a prominent tool for learning from experience. For decades, failed experienceshave been considered the most powerful learning sources. Despite the theoretical and practical relevance, few researchershave investigated whether people can also learn from their successes. We showed that through systematic reflection,people can learn from both their successes and their failures. Studies have further shown that the effectiveness ofsystematic reflection depends on situational (e.g., reflection focus) and person-based (e.g., conscientiousness) factors.Given today’s unrelenting pace and the abundance of activities in which people are involved, future researchers maywant to investigate how to effectively integrate systematic reflection within the busy daily environment of the learner