Residual self image

Residual self image is the concept that individuals tend to think of themselves as projecting a certain appearance. In psychology, use of the term is often linked with periods of radical transformation, in which a person may still see themselves as occupying their pre-transformative role—for example, a soldier returning from a war may have a difficult time remembering that he has become a civilian, no longer in uniform, and not accorded a treatment based on his rank. Similarly, some persons suffering from depression tend to cling to unrealistically harsh self-assessments.Fact|date=September 2008

The term was popularized in fiction by the "Matrix" series, where persons who existed in a digitally created world would subconsciously maintain the physical appearance that they had become accustomed to projecting.

It has been applied in this sense to ghosts having no corporeal form, but maintain their appearance because they still think of themselves as appearing as they did in life. Fact|date=September 2008

External sources

*"Literature and Psychology" No. 4, Vol. 49; Pg. 43; ISSN 0024-4759
* [http://wl.middlebury.edu/storyritual/stories/storyReader$272 Story as Ritual, review of Mullhuland Drive]
* [http://www.sundayherald.com/print49292 Psychic detective]
* [http://www.briannolan.com photographic project entitled "residual images"]