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“I Couldn’t Fully Become Someone Else” — What That Revealed.

During one of our in-house training sessions, we incorporated the Immersive Reality method. After completing the program, we gathered for reflection, and one employee commented on their own performance: “I couldn’t really get into the role.”

The role assigned to this employee was that of a results-obsessed sales director—someone willing to do anything to climb the corporate ladder. This character was meant to be self-centered and irresponsible: pushing tedious tasks onto subordinates, while shamelessly taking credit for their achievements.

Looking back, the employee admitted, “I couldn’t act aggressively or speak harshly to subordinates.” What we actually observed in the session, however, was a boss who relentlessly pressured subordinates with words until they gave in—not through shouting or slamming the desk, but through persistent, insidious criticism.

The inability to display rough or abusive behavior may have stemmed from inner resistance against actions that went against personal values, or from a self-protective instinct to avoid being misunderstood. Inevitably, the employee’s own habits, values, and communication style surfaced in the performance, creating a gap between the imagined character and the role as actually played.

In attempting to embody a self-serving character, the employee had to imagine how such a person thinks and acts. In doing so, they not only experienced what it feels like to become a power-harassing boss but also recognized the contrast with their own deeply held values and behavior patterns. In other words, the attempt to understand another person led to fresh self-discovery. Immersive Reality helps deepen not only “understanding others” but also “understanding oneself.”

One of the workshop themes was “The Reality of Power Harassment.” A participant playing the subordinate role reflected, “I felt pressured. It was stressful.” Even without shouting or name-calling, the “sarcastic boss” persona created genuine stress for subordinates—demonstrating how harassment can manifest in subtle but harmful ways.

The fact that the “boss” didn’t feel they had fully acted the role, yet their subordinate still felt pressured, highlights an important truth: harassment is defined less by the intent of the speaker and more by how the other person experiences it. This session reaffirmed a lesson often overlooked—that self-assessments like “I’m an understanding boss” or “I never say anything hurtful” are not always reliable.

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