Posted by Tabitha on February 15, 2005, at 14:01:24
In reply to Sense of self, posted by vwoolf on February 15, 2005, at 12:45:22
I was told one of my core issues was having a poor sense of identity. I'm not sure if it's the same thing as a sense of self. For me it meant I didn't have a solid sense of my own feelings, values, personality characteristics, likes and dislikes, and so forth. I tended to focus more on what others wanted, and adapted my "self" to fit each situation. It does leave one feeling empty and insecure, without a solid core. I was also extrememely vulnerable to criticism and disapproval, and practically felt I'd die if others were unhappy with me.
The good thing is you can improve on that stuff. This lack supposedly developed in childhood because instead of feeling the support of my loved ones, I felt their distress and focused on trying to monitor their moods and be as little trouble as possible. So it's like I didn't really have space to exist.
poster:Tabitha
thread:458175
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050211/msgs/458206.html