Adopting a Fictional Character’s Personality: How Does It Happen?
Whenever you watch a movie, or read a story, there will always be a character that you would like to have the same personality with. You would either see them as someone cool or funny or likeable. Either way, you’d like to be the same as them.
So, with or without noticing it, we tend to adopt the fictional character’s personality, making them as our own. Apparently, this is a real thing and it’s called experience – taking.
Experience-taking
This explains the subconscious adoption of a fictional character’s personality. When the reader becomes too immersed with the story that they are reading, they tend to relate themselves to the characters. Sometimes, it becomes too much that the reader subconsciously follows the character’s personalities and mannerisms.
Is this normal? Yes. This mostly happens when we get too attached with the characters. The way it was written also affects the way it can impact your personality.
Its power
Being fully immersed with the character, even if it’s unintentional, there are times when people don’t realize it.
For one, I think I was on the verge of adopting the personality of Jade West from Victorious. I found her dark and mean personality complicated. It was interesting watching her because of her punchlines. Watching her, I developed a sense of likings on the color black and gothic style with a sophisticated but fun personality.
On contrast to that, I started watching Mean Girls (2004) and Legally Blonde (2001) as recommended by my friends. It was weird how I was into pink after that. No, I don’t act like a Queen B like Regina George. I just had this inner me that thinks I’m a Queen B. It was weird that I started to like pink and become all girly after watching those films.
But one thing that REALLY surprised me (that even my friends noticed) is the fanfiction characters I’ve been reading. There was this funny character in the story who uses jejemon way too much. I didn’t notice I was using them already when talking to my friends. The following days, I just finished reading a story where the main character uses conyo. And, being easily attached to the character, I casually used conyo when talking to my friends. They even pointed out how I easily change my way of typing in a small span of time.
Losing yourself to it the character
Studies also found that the extreme experience – taking can be bad too. It is to the point that you become too absorbed with the fictional character’s personality that you lose your own personality. In this case, it is important to be conscious of our own minds still.
“The more you’re reminded of your own personal identity, the less likely you’ll be able to take on a character’s identity”
– Geoff Kaufman
The thing about this, we don’t have to be too wary of the movies or the stories that we consume. As long as we can be able to grasp our own consciousness or personality, it’ll be okay. Losing yourself with the story can happen, but losing your own self can be dangerous.
Which fictional character personality did you subconsciously adopt?
