Are you a real person?

Question

The word "person" originates from the latin word for an actor's mask, "persona". Per + sona, translates as "with sound". The actors mask had the property of being able to amplify the actors speech, so that all could hear it. Anyway my questions are: Do you think that we all have these masks that we use to present ourselves to others? And that these masks are constantly changing to "align" ourselves with others? Have you ever really asked,"Who's behind the mask?", "Who is it that can see the inside of the mask, but is not the mask itself?". "Who is the real "Person"?, "Is it the one behind the mask, or the one who "is" the mask?". "Why do we need these personas?" Looking forward to some interesting answers.

Answer 1

Every person is multi layered. The person explores each layer at different times throughout their life. Each time they do, they change & develope a new layer. The masks concept is a great way to describe it. Masks also protect & shield us from harm & this describes why people are different within various groups or new encounters.
I feel I am a real person. I am well aware I do not show all sides of myself or share those with everyone at the same time. We are not one sided boxes. We are complex & ever changing.
I feel that many people are actors & are not comfortable in their skins so they act for different people. I feel sorry for them & hope they can find themselves.
Good Question!

Answer 2

I think the anonymity of the internet can either allow one to totally pretend and hide everything real (Thus all the busty red-heads in chat rooms) to act out a fantasy of what they would like to be, or the fact that there is no face, no tut-tut from the people at the grocery store, that one can let down all fences and truly express what is inside.

Here, no one knows me. I do not use my real name, I do not reveal facts about my life that would allow another to identify me. That facts I use are generic enough that I could be anyone, anywhere. For me, that allows me to say what I think. I don't have to couch my opinions in diplomatic terms. I don't have to bend my politics or personality to keep the peace in the work place, the church pew, or the street corner.

In a peculiar way, I will be more myself here than I will with the ladies who have coffee with me. I think I'm "real" with my husband and family, but I do wear masks just to smooth over some social interactions because I have a sarcastic bent, and letting that side free would hurt feelings in real life.

Edit - I do, I realized as I re-read my answer, sometimes clean up what I want to say since I know there are children as young as 13 on this site.

Answer 3

We are born human, but we grow into a person through interaction with others.

We mirror what others do, more or less. We learn the best and the worst practices. We make choices based upon constant reinforcement or disapproval. We learn to survive.

As adults, some choose to mask the true persona within; others allow some true display; a few show their truth most of the time. Nobody, except the insane, dares to show the truth all the time.

Answer 4

The mask is a filter. You use it to create separation between what you are and what you think you are. You are taught to use it as early as you can remember when you understood that a particular noise was something you were to respond to because it is what 'they' called 'you'.

It's the first thought that put you outside of your sensory experience. When you started questioning 'what is this?' you started questioning 'who am I?'. Through collecting sensory experiences in a linear metric of memory you began to build an imagined idea of 'you'. The idea is a vapor since it's only memory as proved by amnesia.

There is nothing behind the mask at all. Without memory there would only be the presence of stimulus and response.

Answer 5

All socialized people learn discernment and learn to buffer their thoughts before they speak. I have a high regard for honesty and direct speech, but I have learned that others often feel uncomfortable with my directness and tend to be more guarded or antagonistic toward that approach. I love to be around people who I do not have to worry about offending or frightening - if others can hold their own, then I am more spontaneous and real. In an ideal world I would say any silly thing that came into my head and not worry about it. But as long as I have to contend with the possibility that the rest of you may pick up stones and throw them at me, I will watch my words very carefully.

Answer 6

In this medium, the Yahoo Answers, we are only our words. If we are sitting here in bath robes and slippers or in a $1000 suit makes not one bit of difference. Our words are all that show.

Since our words reflect our ideas, and not some consumer driven ideal of what we ought to be, this is as real as it gets. You can pretend to be smarter than you are, but you'll trip eventually. You can claim to have insight, but it will show or it will not, and no one can "fake" what isn't on the page.

This is absolutely a wonderful place to see heats and minds, even if what we see is painful or ugly.

Answer 7

Yes, well, we perorm our identity and how we would also like others to perceive us every day, whether through conscious or unconscious acts. The way we dress, the things we say, our body language, etc. all has to with with the daily performance of our persona.
Who is the real person? Good question. I would venture to say that perhaps it is a constant interplay between the two: between the inner person and the "performed" person.

Answer 8

A person who is not afraid to tell you the truth about yourself, a person who does not lie to and a person who has your back so tight yall could have been born of the same parents. Unfortunately I haven't encountered many types of these people but eyyy I got family and God who needs'em

Answer 9

I think if you are honest you speak without a mask, if you need to hide something you put on a mask.

Answer 10

The only time we are our real self, is when we are alone, with no one around. Even then you are waiting to 'be' someone else, before someone else walks in.

We exist, because other people know us... They 'keep' us real, because of the link we have to them.