Vicarious identity occurs when people actually appropriate others’ stories as their own, as if they happened to them, integrating them as part of their own identity. Psychologists who are exposed to clients with trauma may be subject to vicarious trauma, which is a term used to describe a range of harmful symptoms that develop in response to exposure to other people’s trauma.
In other words, psychologists experiencing vicarious trauma are displacing, subconsciously, their own identity with the trauma identity of their clients. Thus, the psychologist is appropriating others’ stories as their own and integrating those stories into their own identity.
Vicarious trauma can occur through reading, watching, or listening to sensitive and complex material. “Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with six psychologists (females = 67%). The predominant type of trauma encountered by participants in clinical practice was interpersonal trauma in the form of physical and sexual abuse (83%). Data were analysed using thematic analysis. All participants reported symptoms of vicarious trauma including disruption in cognitive schemas, symptoms characteristic of post-traumatic stress disorder, and somatic symptoms.
Participants also reported vicarious post-traumatic growth including an enhanced sense of interpersonal connectedness and positive changes in their philosophy of life and self-perceptions.” (4) Presumably, vicarious trauma may be experienced in either a negative or a positive direction depending on one’s sense of ontological security.
Ontological Security
Ontological security is a stable mental state derived from a sense of continuity in regard to the events in one’s life. (1) These events are perceived to give meaning to their lives, which leads to experiencing positive and stable emotions, and avoiding chaos and anxiety.
Any event that is not consistent with the meaning and safety of an individual’s life will threaten that individual’s ontological security. Ontological security provides a positive view of oneself, the world, and the future.
Negative Vicarious Identity
Vicarious trauma from clients sharing their trauma is one example of a negative vicarious identity. Are there other examples? Life experiences that threaten one’s feelings of security appear to be on the rise. Currently, climate change, AI, terrorism, political unrest, wars, and of course death are examples of life events that promote feelings of chaos and anxiety.
When these events create instability in individuals, people may react in uncharacteristic ways. These individuals may take on a vicarious identity to cope with their insecurities. (2) These identities sometimes lead to impulsive behaviours that are inappropriate, dangerous, or even criminal.
Many a young disturbed young male has taken up weapons as a vigilante to single-handedly right the world of the chaos or injustice they perceive. The military approach of a civilian high school student to act with violence as a solution to their anxiety is not uncommon anymore. Witness more than one mass-shooting on average happening every day in the United States over the last few years.
Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. is also known as the Great Imposter. He impersonated a civil engineer, a sheriff’s deputy, an assistant prison warden, a doctor of applied psychology, a hospital orderly, a lawyer, a child-care expert, a Benedictine monk, a Trappist monk, a naval surgeon, an editor, a cancer researcher, and a teacher. Demara integrated others’ careers as his own, a form of vicarious identity. These impersonations were inappropriate, dangerous, and criminal. He eventually served six months in prison.
“Human identity is the most fragile thing that we have, and it’s often only found in moments of truth.”- Alan Rudolph
Is there a Positive Vicarious Identity?
What would qualify as a positive vicarious identity? Identifying vicariously with anything that would promote a sense of security, has perceived meaning, or stabilizes emotions would be an example of a positive.
Identity is positive when it displays helpful qualities and authentic traits. Integrity, honesty, generosity and humanity are central to a positive identity.
In our work life, we may emulate a positive vicarious identity when we follow the teachings of a mentor. A trainee nurse, a student teacher, a noviciate or trainee monk, a novice or trainee nun, an apprentice carpenter, plumber, brick layer, etc. are all examples of at least a temporary positive vicarious identity. All of these experiences promote career, a sense of security, and perceived meaning.
The key word here is temporary. Each trainee needs to become their own person within their chosen profession. The mentor is only the catalyst to the development of the trainee. During the insecure learning phase of any profession, a vicarious identity may be acceptable. Once mastery is achieved, one’s unique identity needs to be owned in its entirety.
“I’ve suffered from an identity crisis my entire life. It’s why I went into acting.”
Matthew Rhys
Acting
Acting in plays or cinema is a justifiable and positive vicarious identity. The actor is playing a role. Unfortunately, many of the vicarious identities we encounter in life are not actors. Instead, they are wearing the mask of someone or something else. What makes the mask a mask is the absence of the authentic self.
Social media has been the playground for many of these inauthentic individuals. The substitution of fake identities, the scams, and the lies are a pervasive part of the growing concern for misinformation.
Ironically, fake identities on social media that are successful leads followers to copy and create their own fake identities. The selfie while shopping in Paris that looks so exotic and impressive promotes followers to create their own fantasy identity. Isn’t this one of the major drawbacks to social media? We all need some fantasy in our lives. However, when ontological security is low, social media encourages those threatened individuals to make fantasy a replacement identity for their real identity.
Through one’s comparison to others, social media leads people to evaluate their reality based on some vicarious representation of someone else’s fantasy. The destructive nature to one’s self-esteem cannot be underestimated. Suicide rates amongst youth on social media are hard evidence. According to the CDC, the suicide rate for ages 10-24 increased by 31% from 2007-2015. (3) Suicide is now the second greatest threat to life for teenagers.
In the future, AI only makes the possibility of misinformation even more likely. Machines are already perpetrating a human identity that does not exist. The AI machine will not just be a sophisticated technological invention doing human tasks at light speed, it will actually be replacing human beings in a multitude of environments.
The danger to our ontological security is that we will not know the difference between a human and a machine. Is this progress? Or, are we headed for more misinformation, more ambiguity, more vicarious identity, and less ontological security?
References
1-Tony Bilton et al., (1996). Introductory Sociology, 3rd edition. London, Macmillan, p. 665
2-Browning, C.S., Joenniemi, P., Steele, B.J. (2021). Vicarious Identity; An Overview. Oxford Academic, February 2021, pages 7-42.
3-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2015).
4-Xin-Cheng Sui & Padmanabhanunni, A. (2016). Vicarious trauma: The psychological impact of working with survivors of trauma for South African psychologists. Journal of Psychology in Africa. Vol 26, 2016, -Issue 2. Pages 127-133 | Published online: 03 May 2016