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.
The term was popularized in fiction by The Matrix, where persons who existed in a digitally created world would subconsciously maintain the physical appearance that they had become accustomed to projecting. Within that genre, the term refers to:
Message Edited by Shadow Griever on 07.12.2006 07:25 PM
Shadow Griever wrote: By this definition, it is the image of HOW you see yourself. It's possible for someone with multiple personalities to view himself differently with each personality, altering his Matrix RSI. My character is similar, in the Real, he has brown hair and use to have hazel eyes. But because of his removal from the Matrix (Think of the Kid minus that wave of Euphoria) he is a Manic Depressive. Because of this, his RSI is pale, with white hair and a forlorn expression. Also, his eyes had mutated to complete purple in the Real, meaning the only color in his eyes are purple. This change in Self Image resulted in his RSI's having violet Irises. I know of another character whose RSI is that of a character from one of his novels. In his mind, he saw himself as his character and not as his real life self Also, PBlade, of Children of Zion, suffers from a mental problem where he actually sees the Tattoo on his RSI's face on his Real faceMessage Edited by Shadow Griever on 07.12.2006 07:25 PM
Message Edited by Soulfire1 on 07.15.2006 02:27 PM
It's not so much a matter of changing your RSI at will.
I'll give you an example.
When Neo was first released from the Matrix, he was bald, and he had the plugs scattered over his body. Yet when he was jacked back in, his hair and skin were normal. Morpheus said that the RSI is a digital avatar of the mental self, how he sees himself.
The point I tried to make was that an RSI, being a representation of the persons mental image of themselves (how they see themselves) could conceivably be altered depending on the mental state of the Redpill. In Oranos' case, one personality can view it'self one way whereas the other personality, totally autonamous of the previous personality, can view it'self another way, changing the overall RSI
Message Edited by oranos on 07.16.2006 04:55 PM
Mental afflictions can play heavily on someone's RSI. Remember, its the power of the mind afterall.
In Butterfly (Matrix Comics), a girl named Hope appears as a rather large black man whereas in the Real, she's a small girl.
RSI is how you perceive yourself to be. An obese person can perceive themselves to be only so large when in reality they are much larger.
Oooh I remember the Matrix comics. Nice find!
I'd love for them to incorporate more of the stuff from the comics into the game.