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.

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

1. Identify a real or fictional person whose behavior in a specific domain you want to model.
2. Before a decision in that domain, pause and explicitly ask: "What would [person] do here?"
3. Act on the answer, then reflect afterward on what was different about the approach.

Evidence

Perspective-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. (anecdotal)

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.