In a recent virtual Meetup that I attended the topic was about our “Self’s” - whether they actually exist and what kind of self one exhibits - Am I playing the wounded self or am I on the other end of the spectrum playing the goo-goo ga-ga “celebrated self” or is it a gray area somewhere in-between.
It was an extremely interesting two hours of dialogue and discussions. And helps one think deeply about these things.
My final summary of my thought was that context matters in how we behave and what selves we show up in (consciously and unconsciously). Generally, I am a glass-half-empty person, not spending enough time focusing on the positives. Being in the change business I am always “Moving on, now what next and then what?”
The exhibited “self” I guess is a function of the environment that one in, at least for me. I exhibit a different self when I am at work - even here it depends whether I am coaching a team, a middle manager, or an executive. Are they individuals or a group? I am certainly exhibiting a different self while participating in my Meetup groups. And a different self when dealing with each member of my family - again varying between whether it is an individual interaction or a group interaction.
Sometimes how you want to present yourself is conscious and sometimes it is unconscious. And it takes enormous energy to take a conscious approach to your “self” all the time.
Do you have multiple selves? And what side of the spectrum are you - wounded or celebrated? And if so, when and to what extent?