# How Playing Powerful Characters Changes How Parents See Themselves
Actress Adria Arjona stars in the new action-thriller "Onslaught," and she's discovered something that resonates far beyond Hollywood. Playing fierce, capable characters on screen shapes how she shows up in real life. "When you get to play this very powerful version of yourself, you can fake it a little bit more in your real life, and it's contagious," Arjona explained to Men's Health.
This insight matters for parents navigating their own sense of competence and confidence. Research in psychology supports what Arjona describes. Role-playing and embodying stronger versions of ourselves actually shifts our behavior and self-perception. Psychologists call this "behavioral authenticity." When we practice confidence in controlled settings, we internalize that confidence and carry it forward.
For parents, this translates into practical wisdom. The moments you feel most overwhelmed or uncertain, stepping into a "powerful version of yourself" works. This doesn't mean pretending problems disappear. Instead, it means accessing the parts of yourself that have already solved hard problems, made tough calls, and protected the people you love.
Parents often describe this instinctively. A mother handling a medical emergency, a father standing firm on a boundary, a caregiver making a difficult school choice. In those moments, they access a version of themselves shaped by experience, responsibility, and love. That version exists whether we consciously claim it or not.
Arjona's observation suggests we can do this more intentionally. Before a difficult conversation with your teenager, you might pause and think about the capable adult version of yourself. Before navigating a conflict with a teacher or doctor, you can step into the assertive, informed parent you actually are. This isn't arrogance. It's clarity.
The "contagious" part matters too. Children watch how their parents carry themselves. When they see a parent speak up, set boundaries, and move through the world with quiet strength, they internalize that possibility for themselves. Teenagers especially benefit from seeing adults who refuse to shrink, who take up space respectfully, and who trust their own judgment.
This doesn't require dramatic action sequences. A parent who stands calm during a child's meltdown, who maintains her position on screen time limits, who speaks honestly about her own mistakes and keeps going anyway. That's the badass version. That's the one kids remember and carry into their own lives.
Arjona's work in action films creates a laboratory for this kind of transformation. Scripts demand physicality, decisiveness, courage. She steps into those roles and becomes them. Then she steps out and finds those qualities still available to her. The research backs this. Method actors report lasting personality shifts. Athletes who visualize success perform better. Parents who consciously access their own strength parent more effectively.
The invitation here is simple. You don't need a movie role. You already have the part. The powerful version of yourself exists. Show up as her more often.