THE POWERFUL FORCES BEHIND SYMBOLISM ARE THE KEY TO ACTIVATING AN ALTER EGO
Crest – During medieval times, knights wore crests atop their helm (helmet) as they entered into battle. The crests were decorative sculptures that symbolized their achievement and status in society.
The manner in which you activate your alter ego is of great importance. If you can’t easily and consistently call upon your superhuman identity, it is of little value to you. The psychological process of enclothed cognition is a very simple and effective way to activate your alter ego.
Enclothed Cognition – what you wear can change the way you think, feel, and act.
The term came out of a study that ran three different experiments and proved wearing something with symbolic meaning, can change your thoughts, emotions, and behavior.8
Applying similar methodology will allow you to activate your alter ego as if you had an on/off switch. You need to pick a physical item to wear or carry that symbolizes your alter ego. This physical item is what we refer to as your crest, and should have emotional resonance to you and a deep rooted connection to your alter ego. Once you have determined your crest, you need to figure out the process of how your crest will act as a trigger for your alter ego to come to life. Your trigger is the transformational process into your superhuman identity, the power switch that activates your alter ego. Determining your crest and trigger can be a lot of fun if you put the effort into being clever and innovative. Your crest and trigger can be unique to you, your alter ego, your sport, or any combination of the three. It can be as simple as changing into your uniform, changing your shoes, or wearing your lucky socks. It can be as memorable as tying your heroes’ birthstone to your shoe with the laces, as sentimental as kissing your grandfather’s purple heart metal that hangs from a gold chain around your neck, or as unique as tapping an autographed picture of your favorite sports hero three times before tucking it in your shorts.
Once again, Batman is a great example. Bruce Wayne doesn’t wear his standard every day clothes while fighting crime in Gotham City. No, he wears the Batsuit to utilize the power of enclothed cognition, so he can encapsulate his Batman alter ego. The act of changing into his Batsuit is the trigger that allows Bruce Wayne to transform into his alter ego and begin his fight for justice as Batman.
Once you work through the chapter questions and are armed with the proven psychological strategy of enclothed cognition, you will be able to use your crest and trigger to activate your alter ego in an effective manner when the stakes are high and you need to perform at your best. Enjoy the extra confidence your crest and its symbolic powers provide as you enter the battle field of athletic performance.
Notes
8. Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky, “Enclothed Cognition,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 48, no. 4 (July 2012): 918-25..