Psychological research has shown that people with a flexible, versus a fixed, concept of self are happier. This is based on the understanding that our personalities, as real as they may feel, are something we make up as we go. That's the unbearable lightness of being, to realize that who you thought you were is just a concept in someone's mind, whether it's yours or someone else's (or God's, as per Hermes Trismegistus’ teachings).
When you really think about it, your definition of yourself has surely changed over time. If you're lucky, it's updated daily. Most definitely, the concept of YOU means different things to different people: your parents don't see you the same way your friends do, cause you don't behave equally around each of them, do you?
Why do people feel so much pressure to conform to others’ expectations? Well, modern society sort of relies on a psychotic disregard of our needs & desires, in order to keep the hamster wheel spinning. That's basically why the old paradigm is collapsing, so that a New Earth can be born, where we're all free to be who we truly are.
The word schizophrenia, which etymologically means “split mind”, is very telling in this regard. People pathologized this “disorder”, without realizing that being split IS the very nature of the human mind. We all hear voices in our heads, it's perfectly healthy & normal to do so, the problem is when we don't know how to manage them.
Traditional, indigenous societies don't know schizophrenia, or personality disorders. They qualify these as a spiritual gift, where the person is more intensely aware of their internal dialogue, the mind’s chatter that's always going on within everybody. That's also what yoga, zen, Buddhism teach.
There are even therapy techniques that build on this understanding of the human mind, which I love to use in my practice, for their spectacular results: parts work, shadow work, internal family systems… With these I've helped people heal childhood trauma (the inner child), relationship drama (normally reenactments of father/mother complexes), and generally turn their life around for the way better (by expanding their sense of Self).
As fractals of the Universe, each one of us contains EVERYTHING that exists. Your human psyche, your individual unconscious, is but a micro-mirror for the collective unconscious. Once you understand this, and learn to use it in your favor, you'll be UNSTOPPABLE.
That's the Great Work of aligning your individual will with divine will for magicians & witches, the individuation process for psychologists, and the spiritual path for seekers. Seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you… You gotta take the first step, if you want to turn your life into a masterpiece, but you're not alone: I am here to help you out. Get in touch to get started.