Dive into the intriguing world of self-complexity. Unravel the layers that shape your unique personality and experiences. Discover how understanding this key aspect of human psychology can empower you to navigate life's twists and turns with confidence.
Self-complexity refers to the number of distinct aspects of ourselves. People with high self-complexity, function better under the threat of stress and have greater endurance against frustration. Some of the most accomplished professional athletes have reached the pinnacle of their sport after creating more self-complexity, i.e. a greater balance in their life outside of sport.
Developed by psychologist Patricia Linville, she positioned that the greater level of self-complexity an individual has, the less vulnerable they are to negative swings from unfavorable life events.
If you are overly reliant on one activity and you fail, you lose a sense of who you are, you are lost without that identity. But if you have other roles in your life that you can immerse yourself in, this balances out your self-worth so your identity is not solely wrapped up into one thing.
Identifying these roles can come from various places:
“One of the most devastating myths is that to be the best at something you need to only do that thing. The truth is that you need to do that thing a whole lot, and with great care and attention—but you still benefit from having other sources of meaning in your life, even if they only consume a small minority of your time and energy.” Brad Stulberg Bestselling Author and expert on human performance.
Valarie Allman Olympic gold medalist discus:
In 2024 after winning the discus event at the US Olympic Trials to earn a spot at the Paris Olympics. She threw the two best marks in US Trials history. An interviewer asked her how she was able to reach these new heights.
Val was quoted as saying:
“How my life has changed to have more balance and consistency outside the track. I feel like it’s showing itself when I walk into the ring. It’s helping me get to that next level. Part of it is in being in a really great relationship…having hobbies. Things that I think you lose when you become a professional athlete. You think you have to be all in all the time. Having friends and consistency in other parts are things you can lose, and it ends up affecting you over time.”
Michael Phelps:
“I think having other interests outside of the pool allows me to relax and recharge. It gives me a mental break, and when I come back to swimming, I’m more focused and motivated.”
LeBron James:
“Basketball is my passion, but I also love music, film, and philanthropy. These other interests keep me balanced and energized, which ultimately helps my performance on the court.”
Simone Biles:
“When I’m not training, I enjoy cooking, reading, and spending time with family. These hobbies give me a sense of normalcy and remind me that there’s more to life than gymnastics.”
Is it high self-complexity or the authenticity of our interests that benefit us the most?
A group of researchers investigated this idea.
They wanted to find out if having lower self-complexity, but more authentic aspects of self lead to a greater state of mental well-being.
The premise of the research:
We argue that it is not complexity per se that hinders well-being, but rather the presence of aspects that are poorly integrated to the self, causing inauthentic ways of being.
The results showed:
“Self-complexity per se was not predictive of mental health outcomes, whereas differences in the authenticity of self-aspects were positively related to a variety of outcomes. This suggests that while the number and overlap of self-aspects does not directly relate to well-being, the relative authenticity of one's self-aspects does.”
They also investigated the relation between authenticity and stressful events.
Individuals reporting greater authenticity tended to experience fewer negative life-events.
This finding suggests that a more authentic lifestyle conduces to less stress.
Those with low complexity and low authenticity reported the most physical symptoms, while those who were highly complex and highly authentic fared best.
Thus it appears that it is not how complex one is, but rather the quality of ones self-aspects, that may be critical in predicting mental health.
Self-complexity can be a powerful tool for navigating life's challenges. By understanding how you are a diverse individual with many facets to enjoy, you can build resilience and weather storms more effectively. If one piece of your life is not ideal, you are not completely shattered because you have other foundational strengths on which to rely. As demonstrated here, many elite professional athletes rely on other aspects of their life to provide balance and freedom allowing for a more complete person with a healthy mindset.
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