Suggestibility
In hypnotism, the practitioners play on a person’s ‘suggestibility’ (ie their openness to influence).
I have come to the conclusion that I am way suggestible.
I have been binge watching the first season of Outlander and, over the last two weeks, my internal voice has adopted a Scottish accent and has replaced ‘do you know’ with ‘d’ye ken’. If I could get away with dressing like a Highlander from 1743, I would.
I realise this is not normal. Many people don’t struggle with identity issues because they don’t absorb things quite so readily.
I recently wrote about personal brand because I genuinely struggle with this sort of thing. If I read an article that says I need an image makeover (or to get up early/lose weight/exercise/earn more money, etc), I let that into my consciousness and then spend ages duking it out internally to come to a resolution. What is real? What is a social construct? What do I believe versus what I am conditioned to believe?
As far as I know, most people don’t do this. They read an article telling them that they need to do A, B or C and they say, ‘nope, no I don’t’.
Not me.
I have to think about it for ages, get angry about being told what to do, feel differing levels of shame and disappointment about my divergent views (why can’t I just be normal?) and then eventually come to the conclusion that I disagree with what I am being told.
I am always battling against the tide telling me to be cooler, thinner, more professional and more fashionable (or more stylish – depends on the day).
It’s taken me a long time to realise that I am a deeply daggy person – and to truly own that – but it’s an ongoing process.
Are you suggestible? Do you take on the worlds and ideas – imagined or otherwise – that are presented to you?
Nicely written. I think we definitely can be divided into categories of ‘suggester’ and ‘suggestible’. I think more sensitive and analytical types are easily drawn into suggestions of changing ourselves, as these feed into our desire for ‘perfect’ and ‘better’. I Others love to rebel against the status quo, almost by default, and have that enviable ability to deflect the world’s opinions of them. I aim for a healthy balance, but am not there yet! I think I will always be drawn towards ideas of how to improve myself, at the risk of perfectionism and obsession 😉