Music

John Mayer's song No Such Thing shows that what other think about you can affect how you think about yourself.

"Welcome to the real world", she said to me
Condescendingly
....
Well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings
And the drama queens
I'd like to think the best of me
Is still hiding
Up my sleeve

They love to tell you
Stay inside the lines
But something's better
On the other side
.....
I just can't wait til my 10 year reunion
I'm gonna bust down the double doors
And when I stand on these tables before you
You will know what all this time was for

In these lines Mayer talks about how though he was doubted he was still able to be so much more. In this context, because others thought that there was nothing else to him, he reacted by proving them wrong.

How does what others think about you affect how you think about yourself?

The moment you met someone a judgement is formed, conclusions are drawn, and this person determines not only an opinion of you, but also how they plan on treating you. At this point, no matter how valued this person is in your life, they have the power to affect you simply by what they think of you. If you care for their opinion, you will subtly change to compliment their beliefs and, for the most part, do what they ask. If you scorn their opinion, you avoid any likeness you hold between them and fight of any precedence they might hold against you. And, if they have true power over you, they make you believe what they believe as well.

For instance, I have a friend that would do anything asked of her despite what she may want to do. She cares so much about what others think, she would go to any length to impress a good opinion upon them, even if means changing herself. Though she is an extreme instance and many don't want to believe that what others think of them affects them, everyone bends under the pressure of society's judgements.