Have you felt that quiet hum that compels you to act/ behave according to the rigid labels that have been your primary identity? The modern identity pressure is no longer an unexplored territory. Social media, therapists, and psychologists are all talking about it now. 

The identity pressure, which had been building up for decades, has taken a grotesque shape in the form of widespread mental health conditions. The rich face burnout, the middle go through anxiety, and the poor suffer through shame.

Although solutions are being experimented with, it is important to learn how ancient cultures/traditions treated ‘identity’. These perspectives would open up new dimensions for us to benefit from.

It has been found that ancient civilisations embraced a fluid identity. They designed the social structure to accept change and not cling to rigid views about oneself or others throughout life. 

They viewed identity as a process, as opposed to a stagnant entity that needs to be protected. The depth of their understanding of themselves helped them to frame their norms and cultures in a way that didn’t contradict the natural inner mechanisms of life.

Cultures that Propagated Fluid Identity

The ancient Vedic system dictated 4 life stages for an individual, i.e. the 4 ashramas. Instead of establishing oneself in a fixed character throughout life, it allows flexibility in societal roles as one proceeds with time.

Early in one’s life as a student, one dutifully acquires knowledge and builds character through discipline. When they enter the householder’s stage, they fulfil their ambitions and take care of families. 

Once they mature, they are expected to loosen control, slow down, and spend more time with themselves. And finally, they let go of their social identity altogether to renounce the world for something higher.

Ancient Vedic society celebrated this fluid system for millennia. Each stage carried its own dignity, and the shift in identity was not considered a loss of worth. It didn’t demand lifelong consistency in clinging to a single character and its associated relationships, responsibilities, etc. Rather, it acknowledged evolution and welcomed a shift in identity as one gracefully traverses life. 

Buddhism also discards the idea of a fixed identity. It postulates that everything, including ourselves, is constantly changing. The perception of an unchanging ‘I’, ‘me’, or ‘myself’, is an appearance of an underlying flux, just as a river is perceived to be the same despite the fast-flowing water.

In Buddhist culture, the self is held as an interdependent entity. Depending on the environment, people, mental states, etc., one assumes roles. When with family, one puts on the hat of a loving & caring member. When alone, one turns one’s mind inward to contemplation. 

Instead of carrying a single identity across space and time, it is seen as a temporary phenomenon arising out of the situation. 

Why Does Change Feel So Hard?

Feeling the hardships due to changes is the default mode for most of us. Even positive changes can bring temporary turbulence, at least psychologically. And you might have guessed it right, the rigid labelling of identity plays a significant role in the process.

The biological evolution has ensured that our brains retain a design suitable for survival through prediction. Therefore, the brain primarily functions as a prediction machine [1] that constantly anticipates outcomes based on past experiences. 

Every time a behaviour is repeated, it reinforces the predicted outcome, thus making the mechanism even stronger. This is how habits are formed [2]. If you eat dessert after your lunch regularly, your brain will naturally expect something sweet even before your meal is over.

Rigid labels train you to be habituated. When you are strongly identified with labels, such as “I am a perfectionist,” “I am humorous,” “I am spiritual,” and so on, you expect yourself and others around you to act in a specific way [3].

But life doesn’t go as planned. Any deviation from expectation immediately interferes with the brain’s usual predictive functioning. It is resisted and treated as a threat, and your nervous system’s fight-or-flight response gets activated.

This tussle between the actual reality and your nervous system’s habitual demand, shaped by strict labels, results in psychological, emotional, and sometimes physical hardship. 

Modern Practices Drawing from Ancient Wisdom

Training the mind to accept change is the most valuable self-effort that can lead to a harmonious & fulfilling life. In that regard, learning to welcome fluidity in one’s identity is a significant milestone. We shall try to cultivate that with a few of the exercises below.

1. The undefined:

The idea behind this practice is to create intentional spaces where you don’t define the goal or outcome. For example,

• Journaling without any conclusions
• Going out for a walk without a set destination
• Working on something that has no productive goal

These activities prepare your brain to survive ambiguity. Challenging the brain progressively, yet within its manageable bandwidth, is the key.

2. Role Compartmentalisation:

When a thought arises in your mind, try to compartmentalise it into one of the roles that you play throughout the day. You can be a 

• Boss/Employee at work
• Vendor/Buyer in Business
• Mother/Father/Daughter at home

Instead of jumping into the thought pattern immediately, by acknowledging from which role’s point of view the thought has arisen, self-awareness is strengthened.

3. Valuing Values:

Reflect on your core values and note down the 5 most important ones. They should be different from traits that define you by outcomes, such as I am smart, I am a perfectionist, etc. For example,

• I value curiosity
• I value justice
• I value compassion, and so on.

Regular reflection on core values helps to shift focus from rigid identities. Values are reusable across circumstances, unlike labels. This improves your adaptability to change. 

Fluid Identity As a Safety Valve

We are living in an age that has to witness the adverse effects of a culture that worshipped rigid identities for far too long. Evidently, the pressure is felt by everyone, primarily in the form of mental & psychological afflictions, although we may not be fully aware of the causes.

The ancient cultures understood identity in much more depth than our present-day perception. Their wisdom in treating it as a fluid entity served as a safety valve, preventing the pressure from building beyond the danger limit. Opening ourselves to this new perspective from the old world may bring the solution to our problems to the surface.