What is this condition, i feel like a chameleon?

Question

i have 2 sets of friends, one group is really outgoing, loud & basically really cool, if u saw them in the street u would want to be their friend too. when im with them i like it, i feel like im cool & outgoing too, but im not, im actually the quiet one whenever we hang out. My other group is more quiet, not geeky, just normal, i feel comfortable with them when were just hanging out on our own, but when we go anywhere in public, i feel shy& pretend not to be. The two groups dont hang out with each other, im the one in between.
When i started highschool i hung out with the quieter group, then in gr11 i started hanging out with the outgoing group, when i finished highschool, stayed friends with both groups all thru college. finished college now and still have this problem. didnt really make any friends at college coz had severe acne that crippled my self esteem so always looked away after quickly talking to ppl, didnt live in a dorm, lived at home & took train.
i dont fit in anywhere!!!

Answer 1

I dont think what you have is a psychological problem. I think its more of a social issue you have. I've been in a similar situation.

When I lived in a fraternity in college I was more of an outgoing type in general but compared to other guys I was more shy.

But when I was with people outside of the fraternity I was more social because the contrast is bigger.

I think this discrepancy in how I tend to act among different people may cause anxiety because I may feel like I am not the same and maybe as if I am not being true to myself if I act differently with different people.

I'd say I should analyze what I would do (or say) in a given situation if neither shy nor outgoing friends were with me,and then do that when I am with them. that way I know that how I act is the real me.

Answer 2

Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders
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What is Dissociation?
Dissociation is a mental process that causes a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memory and sense of identity. Dissociation seems to fall on a continuum of severity. Mild dissociation would be like daydreaming, getting “lost” in a book, or when you are driving down a familiar stretch of road and realize that you do not remember the last several miles. A severe and more chronic form of dissociation is seen in the disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder, once called Multiple Personality Disorder, and other Dissociative Disorders.

How Common is Dissociation?
Transient and mild dissociative experiences are common. Almost 1/3rd of people say they occasionally feel as though they are watching themselves in a movie, and 4% say they feel that way as much as 1/3rd of the time. The incidence of these experiences is highest in youth and steadily declines after the age of 20.

7% of the population may have suffered from a dissociative disorder at some time. But these disorders are difficult to identify and may go undiagnosed for many years.

Other Forms of Dissociation

Other dissociative disorders include “psychogenic amnesia” (the inability to recall personally significant memories), “psychogenic fugue” (memory loss characteristic of amnesia, loss of one’s identity, and fleeing from one’s home environment), and “multiple personality” (the person has two or more distinct personalities that alternate with one another. This is also known as “Dissociative Identity Disorder” or “Multiple Personality Disorder”).

Treatment
When dissociative experiences are the central, chronic, and overwhelming problem, treatment usually demands long-term individual psychotherapy. People with these disorders often have good reasons to mistrust authority as well as a lifelong habit of keeping secrets from themselves and others. A working alliance must be established with an often demoralized and suspicious person who believes the world is unjust or that he/she is an evil person.


Other Resources
The International Society for the Study of Dissociation
8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300
McLean, VA 22102
Phone Number: [phone]
Fax Number: [phone]
Website URL: www.issd.org


Sidran Institute
200 E. Joppa Road, Suite 207
Towson, MD 21286
Phone Number: 410-825-8888
Toll-Free Number: 888-825-8249
Fax Number: 4110-337-0747
Email Address: [e-mail]
Website URL: www.sidran.org

Answer 3

See shyness, at http://www.ezy-build.net (.net.nz/~shaneris) on page 9, and the self esteem websites on page 2, and practise daily, one of the relaxation techniques on pages 2, 11, or 2C, which will help you to "ground", or "center" yourself, so that you realise who is the real you, not some Zelig like character from a Woody Allen movie.

Answer 4

this is totally extrovert life,u needs self retrospection thru deep meditation,just close yr both outer eyes and watch the activities going within yrself,remain in this position for some time,be spectator only the projections of yr mind

Answer 5

I don't think it is a chameleon, I feel you just have the quality to fit in anywhere, and that is a gift, not an affliction!