Echoing, Mirroring, Nothing

 

                                                  (image:youtube.com)

Yay kaugalingon na estilo, mga kinopya da…

There are those whose identities are complex. They try to mirror the words, mannerisms and way of life of others. They do not have distinct personalities since they only copy what they think is ideal at the moment.

The chameleon effect is a phenomenon that finds us mimicking the mannerisms, gestures, or facial expressions of the people we interact with most often. It causes you to subconsciously make behavioral changes to match the behavior of people in your close social circles, or even strangers (Chartrand, Bargh, 1999).

There is nothing wrong with this if the copied manners are for the better. The problem lies on the formation of one’s personality or identity.

Personal identity is the concept you develop about yourself that evolves over the course of your life. This may include aspects of your life that you have no control over, such as where you grew up or the color of your skin, as well as choices you make in life, such as how you spend your time and what you believe.

But when the formation of identity is dependent on constantly mirroring the personality of others, disruption to the formation of personal identity happens. This is because the individual constantly thirst to have what others (especially those considered as “ideal”) are doing or having.

Lack of self-identity can negatively impact mental health, causing anxiety and low self-esteem. Signs of lacking self-identity include feeling lost or aimless, high stress levels, being like a chameleon, mood swings, lack of purpose, and low self-esteem (Bastos, 2023).

Erik Erikson believed that identity was formed by experimenting with different behaviors and roles, as well as through social interactions. Researcher James Marcia expanded upon Erikson's theory by suggesting that the balance between identity and confusion lies in making a commitment to an identity.

When one could not commit to an identity and constantly desire to be someone else or to have the characters and possession of others, an unhappy life awaits.