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The Psychology of Roleplay: Where Does Our Mind Draw the Line?
Calise11 posted a topic in Miscellany
The Psychology of Roleplay: Where Does Our Mind Draw the Line? Hey fellow RPers! As someone with a background in SOME psychology, I've been fascinated by something I think we all experience but rarely discuss. I'm curious if anyone can explain the psychology behind how our brains handle roleplay, identity, and emotional investment. Even if you don't know anything about psych I still would like to know your view point. The Science Behind Our RP Brains So basically, our brains are doing something incredible when we roleplay. We're engaging in what psychologists call, I think, "identity compartmentalization" - basically, our brain's ability to maintain separate versions of ourselves. But here's where it gets interesting: Mirror neurons fire whether we're experiencing something real or imagined Emotional contagion (feeling others' emotions) happens even with fictional characters Our brain creates actual neural pathways for different social roles SOME people use Method acting techniques parallel many of our RP experiences The Character Bleed Phenomenon You know that moment when: You avoid someone OOC because your characters hate each other? Or equally being someone's IRP parent and feeling protective over them irply and oocly? You find yourself using your character's speech patterns IRL? Your character's trauma feels personally painful? (I have seen this a concerning amount) This is what psychologists call "emotional transference" and "identity fusion." It's actually pretty normal, but it raises some interesting questions. The Method Acting Parallel In method acting, performers use "emotional memory" to fuel authentic performances. Sound familiar? In RP: Some players completely transform into their characters Others maintain strict IC/OOC boundaries (And if so, how do you do it? Personally, I write out four options my characters could take and roll a dice to keep things spontaneous) Most fall somewhere on this cognitive-behavioral spectrum The Deep Stuff: Emotional Investment and Mental Health Here's where we need to get real. I've observed (and recent thesis research supports this that i read a while ago.) that LotC and similar RP environments can significantly impact mental health: The Observable Patterns Players experiencing real tears over character trauma Deep emotional investment in character relationships IC conflicts causing OOC anxiety Character trauma triggering actual emotional responses The Psychology Behind It Parasocial relationships develop between players and characters Cognitive dissonance occurs when managing multiple identities Emotional regulation strategies vary widely among players Attachment styles manifest differently in IC versus OOC relationships The Big Questions I Would Like to Ask for someone who knows WAY more then me. Cognitive Boundaries How does our brain manage multiple social identities? Is perfect IC/OOC separation possible or even healthy? When does immersion become maladaptive? Emotional Safety Is it worth taking time to center yourself, how do you just cut one from another? Does it depend on your real-life mentality? Should we implement psychological safety measures? Or is it just not our job to manage people's feelings? How do we protect ourselves during heavy storylines? What's the line between investment and unhealthy attachment? Individual Differences Why do some players maintain boundaries easily while others struggle? How do attachment styles influence our RP relationships? What role does emotional intelligence play? Do we need to Talk Solutions? Or is not our place? I've been thinking of ways to figure out solutions. But then I am also back and forth like, is it our job as a community to take into account someone's mentality? Or is it down to them to measure their own triggers, like they should have done that work emotionally and should not be as vulnerable or is it inevitable ? work? Like there's just so many questions that as someone who is neurodiverse, I just have. Would it help to apply these solutions? Community Support Check in on players after heavy RP scenes Respect individual emotional boundaries Consider trigger warnings for intense storylines or does that hinder natural roleplay? Foster open discussion about mental health or is it not our job? But shouldn't we take care of each other in this community? Can You Share Your Experience's??? I would especially like to hear back from the staff since they deal with conflict a lot but also the player base. Your experiences with character bleed How you maintain (or struggle with) IC/OOC boundaries Your coping strategies for emotional RP Whether you've noticed patterns in your RP relationships The Scientific Framework (For My Psychology Nerds from what I know) I feel like were looking at intersections of: (But correct me if I'm wrong) Social Identity Theory Cognitive Development Theory Attachment Theory Emotional Regulation Models Identity Formation Frameworks Moving Forward As a community, do we need to balance more? Deep, meaningful storytelling Personal emotional safety Healthy boundary setting Supportive community practices Like I am just so curious on how everyone plays their characters? How do you keep OOC and IRP. I personally don't think I have an issue but I would just love to know if you guys have other methods? Feel free to correct me my psych majors I just want to learn a bit more about it. And if anyone wants to post any other links about similar forums please do send them. (Also does anyone have the Thesis that player did on lotc for their end year project, I really have gotten back into psych lately and would love to read your work it was awesome...Also sorry mods if this is in the wrong place, I have NO clue how to use or make forums... yet) -
NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS MONTH! Hi friends! April 1st marks the beginning of National Stress Awareness Month in the United States! However, stress is obviously something that affects people around the world! I am very passionate about mental wellbeing awareness, and have years of training and experience with educating on the topic! It has become my purpose in life to spread kindness and joy to make the world a better place. So, this is your reminder to take care of yourself and do what makes you happy! Life is short and it is a lot more fun when you aren't stressing about the small stuff! Healthy Ways to De-Stress: Take Breaks from Social Media, the Internet, and all electronics - yes, this includes LotC too. Drink lots of WATER!!!!! Read a book! (or three) Eat a healthy, hearty meal - comfort foods increase serotonin and reduce stress Journal!✍️ Meditate! 🧘♂️🙏🎶 Connect with communities that make you feel naturally COMFORTABLE! Avoid harmful substances! I hope everyone uses this month to begin taking extra time out of the day to focus on yourself, and build yourself up into the person YOU want to be. Purge all of the unnecessary stressors, even if it happens to be a person (we don't want no negative energy around here!) Taking care of yourself first is NOT selfish. Don't ever be afraid to reach out for help. April is also Counseling Awareness Month!! If you don't know who to turn to for help, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE reach out to me on discord! I don't care if we have never spoken - I am always around to be a friendly ear! Know that you are loved and appreciated by someone in this world, even if you don't know it! If you haven't heard it in a while, I love you and am proud of everything you have accomplished, no matter how small! ❤️ Feel free to share how you like to de-stress after a long day! Stay kind, Dramatude💚
