"I am not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am. I am who I think you think I am"

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This quote by Charles Horton Cooley deeply resonates with me. It illustrates how much our self-perception depends on the gaze of others. Our interactions shape, modify, and sustain our self-image. We build ourselves through the way we believe we are perceived.

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For example, if someone stares at me, my attitude might change. According to Cooley, this process involves three steps: we imagine how we appear in the eyes of others, the judgment they form about us, and the emotions that result from it. Therefore, our identity changes according to what we think others think of us, even if those impressions may be wrong since we cannot read their minds.

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This idea suggests that our identity is constantly shaped by social interactions and may sometimes rest on distorted perceptions. Do we not risk building an image of ourselves based more on the desire to please than on our true nature?