I remember reading somewhere that writer Anne Lamott thinks about herself in the third person, to take better care of herself: “I’m sorry, Anne Lamott can’t accept that invitation to speak; she’s finishing a book so needs to keep her schedule clear.”
I find that often, the same trick helps me to be realistic about myself. “Gretchen gets frantic when she’s really hungry, so she can’t wait too long for dinner.” “Gretchen needs some quiet time each day.” “Gretchen really feels the cold, so she can’t be outside for too long.”
Yes, I admit, this approach makes me sound a bit affected and self-important, but the thing is, it really works.
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Thinking in the third person also can help you become more creative. I created my ‘Guru Eduardo’ persona initially as a cartoon character for my book. I quickly found it made me more creative so I adapted it to be the writer of the book. Now its a part of me.
I imagine that’s partly why many writers and performers use this technique. Lady GaGa probably finds it freeeing to use a new persona. And who even cares what her real name is?
Well,I have taken one more step; everytime I have a conflict inside of me I name the conflicted parts and start to have a dialog between them. I think we are plural selves… I am a multicentered mind!
This is funny—my husband and I have always said things like “little Jeannie’s had it. She needs to go to bed.” We also have an imaginary housekeeper who takes the blame if something isn’t done.
Referring to oneself in third person is also a very well known autistic trait. Most people on the autism spectrum have a very difficult time separating themselves from others and their environment when young. I can see how it would be helpful when trying to look at a situation objectively.