Explain what role distancing is and provide an example from your own experience.

Role distancing refers to the act of separating oneself from a particular role or identity in order to avoid being associated with negative aspects or consequences of that role. This can be seen in situations where individuals distance themselves from their professional roles in order to avoid blame or criticism for decisions or actions made in that role.

An example from my own experience would be when I worked in a team on a project that ultimately failed. Instead of taking responsibility for my part in the failure, I found myself distancing myself from my role in the project and placing the blame on external factors or other team members. This allowed me to avoid feeling personally responsible for the failure and protected my self-image. However, I later realized that this behavior was not productive and prevented me from learning from the experience and improving in the future.