<p>The term you are looking for is illeism: <a href="https://www.thefreedictionary.com/illeism" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the tendency in some individuals to refer to themselves in the third person</a>. It can be used as a literary device, but it is used to refer to when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illeism#In_everyday_speech" rel="nofollow noreferrer">real people change vantage point and - through a mental condition or social context</a> - refer to themselves in the third person, possibly after referring to themselves in the first person.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-06T20:33:02.730Z
Thank you but I'm looking for a term regarding vantage, not referring to oneself in third person. When one emotional distances they are in the first person but the vantage is third person. "This is hard." vs. "Look how hard I'm working!" Upvote nonetheless!
Randy Zeitman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-06T18:43:45.713Z
2020-08-06T18:43:45.713Z
Tyler Mc
<p>Is there a medical/psychological term for changing one's vantage from 1st person to 3rd person?</p>
<p>An example would be focusing one's eyes on an object while working out to partly  distract them from the pain – changing vantage from participant to observer.</p>
<p>I have heard this called 'emotional distancing' but it would seem such an important skill that I ask if there is a more formal term.</p>

<terminology>
Term for emotional distancing?
Randy Zeitman
# Term for emotional distancing?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-07-30)

Is there a medical/psychological term for changing one's vantage from 1st person to 3rd person?

An example would be focusing one's eyes on an object while working out to partly distract them from the pain – changing vantage from participant to observer.

I have heard this called 'emotional distancing' but it would seem such an important skill that I ask if there is a more formal term.

**Tags:** terminology


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-08-06. Score: 2

The term you are looking for is illeism: [the tendency in some individuals to refer to themselves in the third person](https://www.thefreedictionary.com/illeism). It can be used as a literary device, but it is used to refer to when [real people change vantage point and - through a mental condition or social context](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illeism#In_everyday_speech) - refer to themselves in the third person, possibly after referring to themselves in the first person.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you but I'm looking for a term regarding vantage, not referring to oneself in third person. When one emotional distances they are in the first person but the vantage is third person. "This is hard." vs. "Look how hard I'm working!" Upvote nonetheless!  

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