There are some behavioral theorists that propose consciousness is just a mechanism designed to arbitrarily (and artificially) separate ourselves from the rest of the universe, and that it's main goal is to create models of other's behavior based on our own so we can better predict their actions and plan our own in response. It would be a way for a social animal to monitor and predict the dynamic of the group and better adjust or dominate it.

It sounds pretty cold, but you can also think of it as empathy, a means of seeing others as you see yourself, not only to further your own success, but also to explain the actions of others using yourself as an example. People totally devoid of this capability, or who use it strictly to frustrate the legitimate ambitions of others, we tend to consider as sociopathic, or at least pathological.

Being able to turn this ability inwards to examine our own behavior would have great advantages, including allowing us to evaluate our actions more objectively and to plan for the long term, not just the immediate moment. But I can also see that under certain circumstances it could also lead to hesitancy, excessive caution, and even paralysis. I guess over the long run, this introspection would be extremely useful, but in a sudden emergency, it could be fatal. Like everything else, trying to find the middle path between the two extremes is something we learn,something we struggle with, and something each of us is equipped with differently from birth.

I used to have a friend I played chess with a great deal, and over time, our scores were pretty close, we were evenly matched. It turned out that I favored a fast-moving and mobile attack, he preferred the methodical, multi-layered defense. The winner of any particular game was the one who managed to pick the type of game which would result, either trench warfare or blitzkreig, and this was usually decided in the opening moves, long before any strategic or tactical advantage was established.

If you will allow me a political digression, I think that conservatives seem to favor my aggressive approach, liberals, my friend's intricate and measured response. I also think that if you actually asked liberals and conservatives this, they would both disagree with me.