Carl Jung coined the term “persona” calling it an individual’s social facade.
Each of us has a persona. It’s the side of us that we choose to reveal to the world. At their best, our personas can be our way of putting our best foot forward and making good first impressions to those we meet.
However, our personas can also be damaging. If the facade we choose to put on is not congruent with our true selves, we end up giving a false impression to others, and over time, we can even begin to confuse this in our own minds to think that this false front is who we really are.
At their worst, our personas can be used as tools for manipulation, hiding the person that we truly are to get the things that we think we want.
Take time today to think about the version of you that you have introduced to others. Is this the real you, or someone you hoped they would like? Or is it someone that you hoped would gain their love and affection? Sadly, many friendships, employment arrangements and marriages start out based on these false personas.
If the persona that you have been putting out there isn’t the real you, you’ll find this exercise quite challenging, but if you can take steps to be more of the real you, you will find that being your true self can be one of the most freeing and rewarding experiences you will ever encounter.
Have you ever revealed less than your true self to get something you wanted? Share with us in the comments below.
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