Why do I do this?

I tend to give myself... Different names. Especially when I don't have to use my real name. Like, my middle name is actually Shane, named after my uncle who drowned before I was born. I sorta feel a weird connection to it an I come up with these alternate identities, such as Shane Sawyer, Shane DeChamp and Shane Taylor. It doesn't affect how I interact as a person, but... I feel different. Like more confident and less shy. Is this something to be concerned about??

Are you concerned about it? What we'd offer as an opinion matters a lot less than what you've got to say about your own behaviours. I'd say that different roles/personalities crop up a lot when you're online, I think it's part of the anonymity of the internet. But that's just my two cents.

I agree with Christina -- different names are used alot online, so as to stay anonymous. But if you're using different personas in real life, that's another case entirely.

So it depends on where/when you're using these. Hugs, Lee

I made up a name for myself and it, later, got in the way and was hard for me to stop the habit of calling myself by that name. I would not use different names for myself with other people because it could be a problem if you get into a good relationship with that person and then they find out it's not your name or you forget which name you gave to which person, etc.

Everything we do can become a habit, "practice" makes perfect and not all habits are ones we are going to like long-term so I try to pay attention to what I'm doing and what I did in that situation yesterday, etc. to see what habits I am giving myself. Thinking of one's self in different terms might make us feel interesting or different but then it can be hard to get back to reality and do things in a real way that will make us feel interesting and different. You are telling yourself a "story" in some ways and getting out of that habit and sticking with reality can get harder the longer you play with the story.