why do some relationships allow us to flourish While others drive us further from who we'd like to be according to the Michelangelo effect romantic Partners have the capacity to sculpt each other through a series of selection mechanisms one's partner acts as the sculptor affirming and rejecting certain behaviors that eventually push one towards their ideal self this is typically associated with positive outcomes including higher self-esteem however a nefariously similar phenomenon also exists the Pygmalion effect in this case the partner's beliefs about how their partner should be informs their behavior towards them thereby sculpting them into their
own idea of who they should be one key variable to help identify which one you're experiencing may be one's self-concept Clarity the awareness an individual has over who they are and who they would like to be jumping into a relationship in the hopes of being sculpted into an ideal self might turn into a nightmare once you realize that this image of an ideal self was never yours to begin with
