Dom? :

Dom, who is that? I'm sure you have another answer to this question than I have. Well, actually, do I have a conclusive answer to this question myself? Isn't this one of these eternal questions that makes our lives spicy until they end?

Recently, when I was looking into peer review methods, I was asking myself this question again. To what extent are we actually what others perceive us to be? To what extend can we influence who we are in the eyes of others? And, how relevant is what others perceive us to be?

A potential answer to the first question is: to the extent we choose to. But then, the second question kicks in, isn't there limits to our personal influence on how we are perceived by others? Would I be perceived as the same person, independent, for example, of my physical appearance?

Guess we don’t have to elaborate on the advantage of being colourblind at times.. (Morph)

But then, how relevant is this sometimes suprising, somewhat "external I”– how important is the “Fremdbild”? While it can have detrimental effects – eg. people trying hard to produce the “right” Fremdbild, loosing their actual identity while trying to do so; they end up being a façade – it can be of great help. To be aware of ones Fremdbild can make sure one is actually aware of ones weaknesses and strengths. Therefore, it can provide helpful to work on your weaknesses, or, alternatively, to focus your efforts and energy on tasks that do not expose / involve these weaknesses. In the same way it can help crystallizing one’s strength, which one can then actively exploit, develop and further. Hence, to do a reality check from time to time, to, in my case, compare the “Dom” as he is perceived by others to the “Dom” as I perceive him myself (getting tricky here.. ;)), can be helpful and healthy..

An interesting tool to use in this respect is the Johari window. It is a basic but rather effective tool to compare your "self-image" with your "image of other people" (what are the proper English terms for "Eigenbild" and "Fremdbild"? The two I just used, found on the Leo Forum seem a bit unconvincing). Fancy contributing to my reality check? Great! Please turn here. (no need to cootchie-coo ;))

^^