Spotlight Effect As A Reason Of Low Self-esteem

Application Essay #2: Spotlight Effect

People are always self-aware in society. They can only think about what other people think of them. This can lead to self-destructive thoughts, as the person becomes self-conscious and creates a false identity. This phenomenon is called the spotlight effect in psychology. Psychology defines the spotlight effect to be “overestimating others’ notice and evaluation of our appearance, performance, or blunders.” (Myers, 2013, 545). It is a common phenomenon that almost everyone feels the spotlight effect. It means that almost everyone experiences the spotlight effect. This is because they are too busy worrying about how others view them to have any time for thinking about other people. This creates a self-deprecating community that has low self-esteem.

The illusion that transparency is possible when the spotlight is on you. The spotlight effect describes how people view you, such as how you dress and how you act. The illusion of transparency refers to how people see you internally. In intimate social settings, the illusions of transparency and the spotlight effect are more common. The spotlight effect is more common among the general population. However, people with general anxiety disorder seem to have more difficulty believing that there is transparency. Both these self-focused attention concepts have a negative impact on self-confidence. People who feel the spotlight effect or have the illusion that they are transparent overestimate their attention (Brown and. al., 2007). Although these ideas of self-impression are harmful to self-esteem when implemented, they can cause self-esteem to be eroded if it is not. It can be helpful for someone to feel valued and unique if they believe everyone is paying attention. They may also realize that everyone is just like them, and this can lead to a change in self-esteem. For me, the spotlight effect has been both real and illuminating. I was in Wilk’s psychology services office yesterday to see a counselor to help me through college transition. As I entered, I noticed a familiar face from a few decades ago. As we spoke, I worried about her perception of me. When I got home from the appointment, it became clear that she was worrying about the exact same thing, even though I had not thought twice about it. I assumed she was concerned about me. It amazed me to see how blind our lives can be.

Although the illusion of transparency is less prevalent in my life, it’s still a great example. I moved to New Jersey as a teenager from Georgia. I found the move very difficult and was unable to socialize for the first few months. One class I took, gym class had a group who I thought was nice, but I never felt brave enough to speak with them. I was quiet for almost a full year in that class, and then I was placed in a small group with them. When I was accepted into the group, we started to communicate and became close friends. These people would become my best friends many years later. We were sharing our memories of our first encounters. One of my best friends commented that they still remember me being a fun and comfortable person. This surprised me, as it was not at all how I felt during that year. Although I believed that everyone could see my feelings, it turned out that I looked perfectly fine to my friends.