Borrow an identity temporarily by asking "what would [person] do?"
Temporarily adopting a role model’s identity in a specific context lowers the friction of acting as they would.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Temporarily adopting a role model’s identity in a specific context lowers the friction of acting as they would.
- Why it works: Research on self-expansion theory and on "role taking" shows that temporarily stepping into another identity can bypass habitual self-concept constraints. The classic formulation is "what would [my best self / a mentor / a respected peer] do here?" This shifts the frame from "can I do this?" to "how would this person approach it?" — a perspective shift that activates different behavioral scripts and reduces identity-based resistance.
- Evidence: Practitioner experience / self-report; no formal study.
- Avoid: Choosing a role model whose life context is so different that the question produces unhelpful answers — the person should be believably relatable in the specific domain, not generically inspiring.
Why it works
Research on self-expansion theory and on "role taking" shows that temporarily stepping into another identity can bypass habitual self-concept constraints. The classic formulation is "what would [my best self / a mentor / a respected peer] do here?" This shifts the frame from "can I do this?" to "how would this person approach it?" — a perspective shift that activates different behavioral scripts and reduces identity-based resistance.
How to do it
- 1Identify a real or fictional person whose behavior in a specific domain you want to model.
- 2Before a decision in that domain, pause and explicitly ask: "What would [person] do here?"
- 3Act on the answer, then reflect afterward on what was different about the approach.
What the evidence says
AnecdotalPerspective-taking and role adoption have documented effects on behavior in social psychology; "role model" identity borrowing is a common element in coaching and CBT frameworks. Direct evidence for this specific technique as a habit-change tool is limited to case reports and practitioner observation.
Honest caveat: The mechanism (perspective shift activates alternative behavioral scripts) is plausible and grounded in social cognition research, but the specific technique as a standalone habit intervention has not been formally tested.
Common mistake
Choosing a role model whose life context is so different that the question produces unhelpful answers — the person should be believably relatable in the specific domain, not generically inspiring.
IX Coach can surface the "what would your best self do?" frame at decision points you have identified as high-risk, providing an in-the-moment perspective shift before the habitual response fires.
Practice this with IX Coach →