Self Image and the Self Acceptance Gap
Residual Self image is a concept that individuals think of themselves as projecting a certain physical appearance, or a certain position of social entitlement or lack there of.
The term was first used as early as 1968, but popularised by The Matrix Movie series, where a person who existed in a digitally created world, subconsciously maintain the physical appearance that they had become accustomed to projecting. In essence, seeing themselves in the digital world, as they see themselves in real life.
So, if this were to be true, if you were to be projected or represented in The Matrix or in a digital way, how would you project yourself?
Would the image you see in the digital world be:
Your mirrored image, what you are greeted with when you look in the mirror with no elaborate flaws? or, would it be what you see in photographs, often with your flaws magnified and highlighted (See Fedex term in post below). Your aging, wrinkles, heavy eyelids or discoloured or broken teeth?
Or, would you see what everyone else sees? Would you see everyone else with their flaws magnified from their own self perception?
How would your Social Position and Entitlements be represented?
Would you Own It? Be confident and grounded, happy to be visible?
Would you Pose? Become something other than yourself?
Would you Diminish? Shy away from challenges and responsibility and become smaller?
or maybe Avoid? Would you avoid representation or don't like the concept of seeing yourself?
In many ways, how you see yourself is similar to how many of us are in life. We either
Own it!
Pose!
Diminish!
Avoid!
This is "The Gap" in your own self acceptance. The difference between who you feel you are, and who you feel the world expects you to be. The bigger the difference, the more likely you are to have a poor self image, and poor belief in your social entitlements and position.
"How you choose to walk in the skin you wear is your choice, why not embrace it. What other choice do you have?"
Peter Hurley 2014