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Internal change navigator: How to Preserve the Core of Personality in an Age of Transformation
Crisis as fuel: Why Losing Yourself Is Necessary
A study by Oxford University (2023) found that 68 percent of people experience at least three existential crises by age 35. These periods do not destroy the personality; they rewire neural networks for new levels of awareness.
Neurobiology of transformation: What is happening in your brain
During the revaluation of values are activated:
- Insular share Analyzes the compliance of actions with internal installations
- Anterior cingulate cortex Detects cognitive dissonance
- Ventromedial prefrontal cortex Reconstructing the value system
4 Strategies for Maintaining Identity
1. Memory anchoring technique
Neuropsychologist Markus Reichle recommends:
- Choose 3 unchanging rituals (morning tea/writing thoughts/walking)
- Link them to tactile sensations (text of a cup, smell of a notebook)
- Repeat daily even in times of chaos
Case: The story of Julia, 32 years “Creating a “time capsule” with the favorite books of the teenager and the perfume of the mother, was able to get through the divorce without loss of self-perception.”
2. The Chronicle of Me exercise
The method of anthropologist Helen Fisher:
- Draw a time axis from 15 to 75 years
- Note the 5 key values of each period
- Find the “red thread” – repetitive patterns
3. Practice "Dialogue of Versions"
Create an imaginary advice from your hypostases:
- 15-year-old you
- The current you
- The perfect future you
4. The 3 Constant Law
Philosopher Timothy Leary advises defining:
- 1 Quality You Will Never Change
- 1 place where you feel like yourself
- 1 activities that return to the essence
Glossary
Cognitive dissonance Conflict between actions and beliefs.
Neuroplasticity The ability of the brain to change neural connections.
Authenticity Conformity of behavior to internal values.
Sources: Oxford Department of Experimental Psychology, research by Marcus Reichle, work by Timothy Leary. The material is relevant for November 2024.
