Perceived vs. Presenting Self

Perceived Self

Words I chose for myself:

• Outgoing
• Caring
• Anxious

Results:

Topic 1

• Reliable 1
• Kind 1
• Loyal 1
• Confident 1
• Easy Going 1
• Sensible 1
• Funny 2
• Smart 3

• Outgoing 5
• Caring 3
• Anxious 4
• Insecure 2
• Hard Working 1
• Responsible 1
• Progressive 1
• Happy 2

Presented Self

Words I thought other people would choose:

• Outgoing
• Smart
• Kind

Results:

Topic 2

• Confident 1
• Unassuming 1
• Witty 2
• Beautiful 1
• Loyal 1
• Tempered 1
• Leader 1
• Strong 1
• Outspoken 1

• Loving 1
• Caring 1
• Anxious 1
• Smart 4
• Empathetic 3
• Passionate 1
• Cordial 1
• Social 1
• Friendly 2
• Outgoing 5

Bridging the gaps on perceived self:

To my surprise, there were not many gaps between my answers and the top answers others gave me. All of the words I chose for myself in this category were in the top answers given to me by my friends, family, and colleagues. Many people, including myself, think I am very outgoing. However, two people I interviewed described me as "insecure," so I asked them to go into detail about why they think that. Strangely enough, both of them gave the exact same answer: That they do not think I am as confident as I should be, so they see me as a little insecure. I do agree with both of them as I tend to second guess myself too much. This conflicts with my friend who said I was confident. My friend who gave me this answer suffers from severe social anxiety, so while others may see me as insecure, she sees me as confident because of her social anxiety.

Topic 3

Bridging the gaps on presented self:

Much like the top answers for perceived self, the top answers for presented self were among the words I chose for myself. The only difference was instead of "kind" people described me as empathetic, loving, caring, and friendly, which, in my opinion, are very similar to "kind" which is what I chose for myself. All of my words matched up pretty well to how everyone else described me although there were some extra ones thrown in that made me feel good about how I come across to people such as passionate and beautiful. I made sure to ask a wide variety of people such as co-workers, classmates, friends I see often, friends I never see, family members, and my partner who I live and spend most of my time with. I wanted to make sure I asked a wide variety of people so I could get a good sense on how I come across to other people.

Topic 4

Bridging the gaps on my perceived vs. presenting self:

The six words I chose for myself mostly go hand in hand. Anxious and outgoing can throw a lot of people off when included in the same list about one person, however my anxiety doesn't stem from other people (social anxiety), I am able to talk to people and make friends without feeling anxious. I do however feel anxiety when I am doing things because I am afraid of failure, doing things incorrectly, and negative consequences of my actions. I always feel like I need to prove myself especially since I have long worked in a male dominated industry, and I can get overwhelmed easily when too much is on my plate. This would be the only "gap" in the answers I gave myself since it is the only one that can be considered negative. What I learned from this project is that I do not act very different around all of the different groups I am apart of such as work, family, and friends. It made me feel good knowing that I presenting my true self to most people I meet and spend time with.

Topic 5