Identifying yourself with someone in 10 years is absolutely normal. But a person grows, the formation of personality takes place, his character is formed. And the need for identification with another individual disappears.
And if this does not happen? If identification continues in the adult? Let's look at this topic. And let's start by figuring out what identification means in psychology.
The concept
Identification is the identification of oneself with another person, members of a group, the character of a movie or book. In other words, the concept of identification in psychology can be considered as likening oneself to someone.
Identification is divided into two types: primary and secondary. The primary one can be the formation of the personality of the child passing through the process of identification. First, the infant identifies itself with the parents.
Secondary identification is the identification of oneself with those people who are not parents.
Types of identification
In psychology, personal identification is of the following types:
Situational. It appears since childhood. This is the identification of oneself with parents, brothers and sisters. In general, with family members whom the child loves and seeks to be like them.
Group Comparing community in a group. It manifests itself in the fact that a person recognizes the principles and values of the group as his own. He understands himself and accepts as a member of this group.
Social identification. In this case, a person identifies himself as an agent of the social circle.
Personal. This is a set of characteristic features inherent in a particular person, which allow him to be distinctive from others and become like himself. Personal identification in psychology means constancy and unity. We are talking about attitudes, goals, motives of the individual. Thus, personal identification is not a character trait, but the whole essence of a person, his "self", manifested in actions and actions, in reactions to these actions.
There is also political identification, but it is included in the personality section. This is the concrete life position of the individual and the identification of himself with this position.
We give a definition. The mechanisms
This is the definition: identification in psychology is a person’s need to establish coincidences and similarities with the object of his veneration. Note that this is an internal unconscious need.
We are talking about identification. What is behind this? What is the identification mechanism in psychology?
Z. Freud also spoke about this. He was the first to develop this mechanism. According to Freud, a person who perceives the world as a system of mysteries and mysterious things is not able to independently realize the true purpose of the world and the meaning of life. Such a person needs a reference system in order to be able to compare himself with a specific object.
Based on this, Freud considered the identification mechanism as an attempt by a weak person to compare himself with those personalities who are authorities for him. A weak person is afraid of reality. A similar mechanism allows him to reduce fear of her.
Identity
Is identity and identification in psychology the same thing? No, in the first case, these are man’s own principles and values, his views on life. In the second, identification with other people or a group.
When a person knows what he wants to become and comes to this, he achieves both identity and identification.
Identification Components
When a person identifies himself with someone, he tries on himself the parameters of that personality. Focusing on them, he unconsciously tries to turn into an object of imitation, to look at the world through his eyes. Psychologists distinguish the following components of identification in psychology:
The transfer to your inner world of the sensations of the object of imitation, the adoption of its life attitudes and values.
Projecting that personality onto yourself. A person begins to continue the object of imitation by himself, that is, to identify himself with him. This contributes to the transfer to that personality in itself of its own character, emotional component, desires, etc.
An attempt to "live life" of the object of identification. That is, the adoption and assimilation of its behavioral character.
Communication
There are two mechanisms by which a person develops in the psychology of communication: identification and isolation. It is human nature to feel the connection of times. Identification with your family, with your family members contributes to this. As for isolation, a normal person grows and develops. She cannot but understand her uniqueness. Realize your own, unique "I" and allows isolation.
Psychology Identification
This is a process in which a person completely rejects himself. He projects the object of identification on his essence, tries to become what he has never been. That is, moving away from himself, such an individual tries on someone else's role and tries to play it - in simple words.
For the development and formation of personality - this is a normal process, manifested in childhood.
What is an example of identification in psychology? Identification of the child with the father. A son or daughter is trying to learn the way of thinking of a beloved parent, his actions.
What is the difference between identification and imitation? After all, often these concepts are confused. Their main difference is that imitation is a conscious imitation of someone. And identification takes place on an unconscious level. As long as a person goes through his individual path, it acts. But sometimes an individual cannot find himself in any way. And then identification turns into a barrier that impedes the development of a person, acquires the nature of pathology.
Identification of psychological functions
It leads to the creation of a secondary nature. That is, the individual translates his true individuality into an unconscious state by the fact that he very strongly identifies himself with the most developed function.
In psychology, the problem of gender identification is just that type. What is she like? One aspect of gender. defined as self-identification of a person with a certain gender. That is, this feeling of being a woman, a man, or an intermediate state. This exists, no matter how strange it may sound.
Gender identification usually corresponds to the biological gender. But this is not always the case.
Gender Identification. The personality refers to one of the sexes, which means that its guideline is the requirements corresponding to that gender.
Protective gear
Identification in psychology can be a defense mechanism. This is an idea of someone as oneself. The most striking example of such a mechanism is the identification of parents with their own children. The parent projects his own desires and needs on the child, and then prescribes his achievements. For example, my mother dreamed of being a pianist all her life. But she became an accountant. She creates such antecedents in the environment so that her daughter goes down this path. Against the will of the child. And when she succeeds, mom is proud of herself so if she had been held as a pianist.
Adaptive process
Consider identification as an adaptive process. What does it consist of? In attempts to become like a certain person, to adopt his features. Instead of an individual, there may be a group of people. It starts from childhood, so initially the identification is quite primitive. Over time, there is a strong emotional attachment to the selected object, or to a group of people. A person feels one with them and “absorbs” not only character traits and its features, but also values, attitudes and behavior patterns of a group or object of worship.
Adaptive identification may change over time. For example, if in school years her object was a local bully and this gave a certain social status, it is unlikely that an adult will want to have the status of a criminal.
Interesting Facts About Freud Identification
Z. Freud deduced two key areas of identification in psychology: erotic and mimetic. The first refers to those people who are the object of desire. The second is those people on whom the individual is equated. In other words, those they want to be like.
It is mimetic identification that serves as a "thread". With its help, you can control not only one person, but also the crowd. A group of people abandons their own ideals and turns their attention to one common leader. Another thing is that you need to try hard to gain credibility among the crowd.
Summarize
What to remember from the article?
Identification in psychology is the identification of oneself with a certain person, group of people or image.
It happens primary and secondary. Primary for a child, secondary for an adult.
The identification mechanism, according to Freud, is that a weak person cannot rely on himself. He needs authority with which he will begin to identify his essence.
Identification can be seen as a protective mechanism and as an adaptive process.
A protective mechanism is the transfer of one’s desires to another object, while the achievements of this object are regarded as their own. Peculiar to parents in relation to children.
An adaptive process is an attempt to become like an individual person, or a group of people, to adopt his / their values.
According to Freud, identification is divided into mimetic and erotic.
Information in conclusion
So, we examined the concept of identification in psychology. It should not be confused with identity.
Identification is characteristic of an immature personality; its processes begin in childhood. As a rule, an adult who rejects his essence is a big child. Only weak people with an unstable psyche can turn their "I" into an unconscious state.
Based on the foregoing, the conclusion suggests itself: all of our complexes come from childhood.