Identity: How shifts in self-concept can transform
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Jul 31, 2025
Delve into the intriguing world of identity and self-concept, where personal narratives shape your reality. Discover how a simple shift in language can unlock new self-perceptions and influence behavior. Learn why self-concept is believed to be destiny, affecting everything from feelings of safety to life choices. Explore Ruckus's surprising personal therapy story about identity fear and the challenges of adapting to life's transitions. Uncover the transformative power of words and how they can evoke profound change in your life.
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insights INSIGHT
Identity Shapes Behavior and Safety
Identity is an unconscious, narrative sense of who we are that stabilizes our behavior and limits possibilities.
It shapes our feeling of safety by interacting with our beliefs about the world.
insights INSIGHT
Self-Concept Influences Outcomes
Our self-concept affects how competent and secure we feel, even in threatening environments.
Feeling capable changes our body's threat assessment and influences outcomes like job interviews.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Use Identity Questions in Change Work
Use identity-level questions in change work to help clients see who they are becoming.
Draw out empowering narratives by curating memories that highlight positive aspects of self.
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In this episode of Changeworking, Ruckus and James Tripp dive deep into one of the most fundamental aspects of human psychology: identity. They explore how who you think you are directly shapes how you behave, and why all meaningful change work requires some shift in identity. Ruckus discovers that simply changing the language from "identity" to "self-concept" produces completely different answers about himself—revealing the hidden power of words to unlock new perspectives. James shares why he believes "self-concept is destiny" and how our maps of self and world interact to create our sense of safety. Plus, Ruckus tells a surprising personal story from his own therapy sessions about a part of him that was sabotaging his progress because it feared losing its sense of who he was.
Timestamps
[00:00:45] What is identity and how does it affect changework? [00:04:00] How identity stabilizes our way of being and limits what we see as possible [00:05:30] The interaction between our map of self and map of the world [00:06:30] "Self-concept is destiny" - how beliefs about ourselves change everything [00:08:45] Using identity-level questions in change work [00:12:52] Are identity, self-concept, and ego all the same thing? [00:15:15] Ruckus's personal discovery - how different words unlock different answers [00:19:45] The power of language to evoke rather than just inform [00:24:00] Robert Kegan's "new language culture" and getting unstuck [00:27:30] Why there's no "getting identity right" - it must constantly evolve [00:29:15] Working with veterans - when old identity no longer fits new life [00:31:30] Should practitioners work directly on identity or indirectly? [00:35:15] Ruckus's therapy story - the part that sabotaged progress to preserve identity [00:37:00] The fear of losing yourself and "investing in loss" [00:40:00] Seven different ways to ask about identity
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