Cuz we are the protagonists in our lives! Let’s get to know ‘Main Character Syndrome’

Have you ever felt like your life has soundtrack music playing while walking on the road, sitting on the train, or sipping coffee? Have you ever thought that your life is like a movie or felt like there are hidden cameras that always film your life?

This is not weird at all because we are the ‘Main Characters’ in our lives. Escaping from reality can sometimes boost your confidence with the energy of the protagonist in a movie.

However, some people are really into it which causes people around them to feel like they are self-centered. This symptom is called ‘Main Character Syndrome’ which can lead to other abnormalities.

Life is a Drama and we are the Main Characters in it

A habit of pretending to be a protagonist in real life is called ‘Main Character Syndrome’ which is related to the thinking of being a main character in a movie. People with this symptom will think that other people are just supporting characters in the movie.

Psychologists explain that Main Character Syndrome occurs naturally in humans due to wanting to be recognized, which now has more stimuli from various social media. Most of these symptoms are found in the Z generation who grew up with social media, where they often try to escape from the real world, using social media as a means of creating new identities for themselves.

However, boosting confidence with this feeling doesn’t seem bad because sometimes we would love to have a moment to stand out. Nonetheless, too much confidence can lead to being the center of the universe in which everyone needs to listen to, understand, and help us, psychologically called self-centered. Self-centered means a person who puts oneself first or selfish people who may overlap with other mental disorders such as Narcissistic Personality Disorder or other delusional disorders.

If the real world and the created world are inseparable, it can have a devastating effect, it can cause a person to lose touch or perception of the real world and be swallowed up by the world they create.

Just make yourself happy or within the scope of Main Character Syndrome

How can we know that we are just making ourselves happy or are within the scope of Main Character Syndrome? There is a simple way to observe by analyzing the incident whether it is often related to us or being too much trouble for us or not, because the main characters often have to play a leading role in determining the story alone, everyone has to listen to me, understand me, and support me, and will listen to others less because others are seen as supporting characters.

If you’re experiencing these symptoms, ACU PAY would like to suggest starting by knowing how to think (self-awareness) or how to express feelings about a certain incident. This can perhaps start by being open to the opinion of friends that we made them feel uncomfortable we being self-centered.

Lastly, it’s not a bad thing to see your life as the main character of the story because we all need the imagination to make life beautiful, but it is also important to live in the present. Try finding something to do to get you out of the obsession with yourselves so that the idea of being the protagonist will be less. In the real world, no one is interested in you that much, and you are like the supporting characters of the others’ stories as well.

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