No one here seems to ascribe to Socrates's dictum: "The unexamined life is not worth living." I don't see how someone could even read a book or watch a movie with some heft without wondering about their own life and motivations.People obviously care about vicariously experiencing the ins and outs of other peoples' lives. I've appreciated how I've been able to explore ideas I've already had and to gain some objectivity with my therapist.

Also for mistakes I've made it helps to have someone "on my side" who can work with me to reason through and understand them. The idea, for me is that I don't make the same mistakes again because I understand what lead to them in the first place, without hating myself. Stumbling through life feeling numb to our reasoning and feelings surely can't be the way to live life in all its richness, including the bad parts.