I like to term this process “overidentification.” Our sense of self becomes so wrapped up in our emotional reactions that our entire reality is consumed by them. There’s no mental space left over to say, “Gosh, I’m getting a bit worked up here. Maybe there’s another way to look at this.” Rather than stepping back and objectively observing what’s occurring, we’re lost in the thick of it. What we think and feel seems like a direct perception of reality, and we forget that we are putting a personal spin on things.
