11/11/2020
The clothes we choose to wear and how we choose to wear them — send out messages that reveal many aspects of personality and emotional health. A number of leading psychiatrists and psychologists talk about the ways that clothes may be considered keys to the psyche.
Hanging in every woman's closet are clothes which she more often identifies in terms of feelings and emotions than by designers and fabrics. Whether one chooses a dress that "always makes me feel happy when I put it on;' or an outfit that "never looks right — I don't know why I bought it," the decision is often determined as much by the unconscious mind as it is by the conscious.
"There are many conscious choices the healthy personality makes every day," Dr. Balsam explains, "from dressing to fit a successful business image to dressing to match the spirit at a flashy disco club. When an individual is unaware of the message his or her clothing projects, or when the choice of clothes is in obvious conflict with the occasion and/or the social group, it may be an indication of emotional conflict as well. The one generalization that can be made is that if your self-image is good, you'll feel good in the clothes choose wear."
