Kathmandu, June 23 -- Many people carry certain beliefs about themselves as if they are permanent truths. "I am anxious." "I am difficult." "I am not expressive." "This is just who I am." But psychology suggests that what we call identity is often more complex than a fixed personality. Many behaviours people mistake for their true selves may actually be learned responses shaped by experience, coping mechanisms, or repeated emotional patterns that once helped them survive, belong, or feel safe.

Namrata Singh Chhetri, psychologist, mental health practitioner, trainer, and lecturer, sheds light on how identity is shaped by childhood experiences, trauma, social environments, spaces, and repeated patterns of validation or rejection.

Many peo...