ABSTRACT
Identity is a social phenomenon built through interactions with others and is shaped and re-shaped in various social encounters in different communities. Unrealistic representations can lead to inadequate expectations for personal development and their professional future in general. The question is especially relevant in the beginning of studies when students have limited knowledge about their field. Further, psychologists are humans, a declaration that may sound trivial. They are not a special kind of people; they are simply individuals with their own unique personal culture who navigate institutionally established expectations according to which they regulate different aspects of the self. Common-sense understanding about a psychologist, images of them shared in everyday interactions are in dialogue with students’ personal representations of the profession and with their personal culture guiding professionals-to-be through the ambiguity of professional roles.
