Tag: irony

Persona: Who Am I really?

The “I,” usually ideal aspects of ourselves, that we present to the outside world.

The word is derived from Greek, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask.  
In psychology, Carl Gustav Jung, a famous psychologist in Switzerland, first used this term. He explained, “Persona is a mask; external personality, which is designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other hand to conceal the true nature of the individual”. Persona plays a role as the connection between the external world and ego (true self) to adapt well in society.

“Fundamentally the persona is nothing real: it is a compromise between individual and society as to what a man should appear to be. He takes a name, earns a title, exercises a function, he is this or that. In a certain sense all this is real, yet in relation to the essential individuality of the person concerned it is only a secondary reality, a compromise formation, in making which others often have a greater share than he. “

What masks do you wear?

“Behind every mask, there is a face and behind that a story.”

Most people I know, including myself put on masks out of personal convenience or simply to better adapt in a scary environment. But looking deeply, the truth resonates–We are afraid af. What if the world find out who I am?

The main risk we face is the world’s reaction. Oh the same old, “Log kya kahenge” Momentarily, it makes you feel vulnerable but once you start looking within you’ll open up to your deepest desires and that vision will you pull you in and will align you to truest self.

Actually, opening yourself up threatens others; it invites them reevaluate their own lives. Many times, it forces them to realize that they too have the power to change, but they haven’t.

Don’t let that stop you. Don’t pull your mask partially off then let the world scare you into putting it back on. As the poet E. E. Cummings wrote, “The greatest battle we face as human beings is the battle to protect our true selves from the self the world wants us to become.”

One of our greatest fears is that if we show our true selves, the world will say, “Oh, it’s just you.” But being just you is actually the best and most perfect thing you could ever be. As Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.”

I remember my 13 year old self who was just getting their hands on the internet, and social media and had immediately developed an obsession for wanting to be liked, to fit in with the cool kids, to gain approval and most importantly, to minimize conflicts with the majority. So, I posed like the tumblr girls, pretended to have an all perfect life, have these possessions, clothes, shoes, etc. Gosh did I feel stressed but it wasn’t until one of my friends called me out and said, “Get real, I know this isn’t who you are.” And though, I felt exposed and it hurt me at that time, I’m glad I had that embarrassing moment after which I chose to focus on my real self. No fakeness, none of that bs. I broke free from the artificially staged world. I embraced who I was and stayed true to my core values. Surprisingly, I was able to express myself freely in the company of others and people quite liked me for my authentic self !

I am sure we’ve all been here, put on the very same mask at some point in our lives;

The Controlling Mask

A controlling person may be someone who was betrayed before. Due to the pain they suffered, a person will develop a behavior in which they ensure that others keep their promises. They also have dark side that stems from insecurity, which is why they feel it is necessary to control everything. The mask protects them from the pain of betrayal.

The Rigid Mask

A rigid person may have previously suffered a situation of great injustice. As a result, they become inflexible, always seeking justice and accuracy. A rigid person becomes a perfectionist. So much so that it becomes an obsessive attitude. By studying and scrutinizing everything, rigid people try to prevent injustice from peeking its head through the door.

The Dependent Mask

A dependent person may suffer serious pain from the feeling of abandonment. This wound keeps those wearing this mask from becoming close to anyone. They don’t take any relationship seriously and reject the idea of ​​living with someone.

The pain of neglect is terrible. A person wearing the mask of dependence suffers from the core by not being able to trust that those who are most important never abandon them.

The Runaway Mask

The runaway rejects being in the company of others. They prefer solitude or moments of tranquility. They totally reject being the center of attention, which is in fact something that terrifies them. A runaway flees because they have been rejected and that has caused such a serious wound that they can’t help themselves from doing it.

Runaways can’t stand not knowing how to act in certain situations, dealing with embarrassment or feeling lost. Simply because this will cause others to reject them. In their solitude they are not vulnerable or insecure. The mask protects them from what hurts. Is it cowardice? No. Its just avoiding what we know we cannot control or prevent from hurting us.

The Masochist Mask

The masochistic person can be a mental or emotional masochist. This attitude comes from a feeling of humiliation and shame from the past. This causes them to always have to solve other’s problems by doing everything for them while lowering and humiliating themselves. It’s something they need.

Masochists don’t, as the other masks mentioned above, try to  prevent or escape their pain. Masochists face what hurts them by finding more pain. They were hurt in the past and had no control over it. Now they have control and they decide for themselves whether or not someone will hurt them. In their heart, this helps them deal with their situation.

As we have seen, there are many different masks we can put on to try to deal with emotional wounds that we have suffered. The people who wear masks are easy to identify because at some point their hidden self emerges.

We need to understand that masks are meant to be worn temporarily. We were not born with these masks and if we put them on, we can also put them down from time to time. Doing this requires courage <I am aware> and faith in oneself which comes from knowing thyself. But it’s just soo important so that we can:-

1. Live into our potential
2. Relief from living an inauthentic life
3. Heal

Knowing ourselves, understanding our deeper motivations, our bright side as well as our dark side, can help us build the confidence we need to express ourselves authentically and live more meaningful lives. Isn’t it time for you to remove the masks you have been wearing for so long and connect more authentically — first with yourself, and then with others?

 Two Sides of Persona 

It is merely two halves of a whole, such as light and shadow, halves which ought to serve and balance one another out. Persona can maintain public order. If there is no persona that society wants, crime and chaos will prevail. Also, we can’t get along with members such as superiors in a company and people we don’t like. As a result, we would not adapt to a company’s environment and our achievement would decrease. Then, we would have monetary loss. However, if we get too attached to it, a gap between ego and persona could be formed. We could also lose our real aspects and wander. 

Using persona is inevitable in human society. Since we will always face all kinds of people whom we may not agree or even like the person. But sometimes for the sake of cooperating and not creating conflicts…we need to conceal our real aspects and show a faked face. However, all things would be done well if we knew about ourselves. If we know ourselves well, we can use an appropriate persona and maintain good relationships with people around us. Please, don’t lose or forget yourself under any circumstance.