Allow me to preface this post with a personal statement: I have never suffered from a lack of confidence or feelings of inferiority. I like who I am quite a lot, some might say a bit too much. I would never consider switching places in life with another, if it meant losing any part of my character or "self", if you will.
Dude, who cares what others think?
To be completely honest? You do. As does every one of the 59 members on this forum, and thousands on others. This is not an accusation of self-consciousness nor is it something to be avoided. To the contrary, it is something that the vast majority of healthy people do everyday. If we didn't care what others' thought to one extent or another, our society would certainly not be arranged the way it is.
To say that "a divergent facial appearance can noticeably alter others' perception of one's self" linguistically implies that other people's internal thought process of how they perceive you (of which you have no idea unless you know how to read minds) somehow alters how you view yourself.
I don't believe it significantly affects my self perception, nor do I believe that my statement implied that it does. Their altered perception of myself could certainly exist independent of my own self-conception, could it not?
What I believe you were trying to say is that people perceive some sort of "inferiority" based on your physical appearance and they begin to treat you in a way that you do not either expect or like, and the more "inferior" you appear to other people then the degree to which you are treated poorly is increased...such unexpected negative treatment leads one to view oneself poorly.
You seem convinced that my statement that
"a divergent facial appearance can noticeably alter others' perception of one's self" is somehow rooted in self-loathing or disgust; I can assure you that it is not. I have no reason to lie you or any other forum members.
Dress appropriate for the location/occasion and appear well-groomed/neat. When it comes to talking, stick to positive conversation (except when you are competing - in which case stick to conversation that gives you the upper hand), and be selective about what you say. There is also something to be said about one's overall demeanor.
Do you do any of the above outside of work? If so, may I suggest that it is because you
do care--however slightly-- about how others' perceive you?
That alone did wonders for my love life, and this with a chopped off lower third of a face!
I don't think I'm familiar with your current situation--if I have merely forgotten, I apologize. Perhaps you could provide some details?