Where do you draw the line between impressionability and gullibility?
So, I particularly looked this words up just before writing this. Not because I didn’t know the meaning of the words, but so that I’ll be very direct about the things I’m aabout to say.
Now, according to the Oxford Dictionary, “Impressionability” is the trait of being easily influenced. Now, this term is mostly used to describe young people.
What is gullibility? Gullibility, however, is impressionability taken several notches that it becomes derogatory, or less innocent. It is being easily deceived, duped, cheated or fooled.
Impressionability is something that is found in a lot of places, a lot of times. Take an active group chat, for example. Let’s say Person A sends a funny message, and Person B also sends a funny message, but then one person reacts with a laughing emoji to Person B’s message, it’s more likely for a lot of other people in the group chat to follow suit and react to Person B’s message, even if Person A’s message may be funnier.
That’s impressionability. Meaning that you’re just influenced to do something because someone else or others are doing it, and not necessarily because you fancy doing that particular thing.
Or let’s say people in a particular setting are talking a type of way. You find this way razz, or maybe not as standard as you’d like, but you join them because you think it makes the others popular, and you want that for yourself. Easily influenced. Impressionability.
I used to be like this. Extremely impressionable. I could hate a dress I have on so bad, and then someone else says it’s pretty, and immediately, my opinion changes about that dress. Or could think an outfit I see on someone is absolutely stunning, and then someone says something negative about it, and immediately, I can’t seem to find anything good about the outfit anymore.
It affected me so much. Being easily influenced by people’s decisions, what they said, how they did things, or their actions basically. I knew I needed to take a stand at originality, and learning to own my voice, and not get easily swayed when I saw that my impressionability was beginning to lean heavily towards gullibility.
The difference between Impressionability and gullibility is clear. As hard as it is to believe, with the former, you still have your wits about you. This means your conscience still actively tells you that the way you’re going is not what you really want, and you can end now and tow your unique path, and sometimes, you actually listen and “dare” to be different.
But with gullibility, you blindly follow. You love something, and a single word from someone changes that thing you love so much so, that you can’t seem to get back to loving that thing, and you don’t just stop there, you take decisions based on your new found “dislike” for that thing.
Being around someone who’s gullible means that you’re constantly kept on your toes. You don’t know when they could just hear something that forces them to act against you, and you’re not sure when the other shoe will drop. You’re constantly looking over your shoulder, and I don’t know what that kind of life that is, but it’s a rather sad life.
In recent times, I’ve come to understand just how fearsome gullibility is, and I kid you not, it’s time to start checking within yourself to see if you’re that kind of person. Check the decisions you make, and the steps you take. How much of it was because this is what you really chose to do, as opposed to if it’s a decision you made as a reaction to what someone or a certain demographic expect of you.
I think we owe it to ourselves to be better. To progress 1% every day till we become the kind of person we’re proud of. I just love that I’m learning more about being a better me, and I’m doing it for me, and no one else. Because impressionability is bad, but gullibility is worse, and if you’re going to enter a pit, it should at least be because you want to enter that pit, and not because you let someone make you get into it.
Jhymi🖤
Image is mine.
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