Yes you are! In fact, no one is exempted - we are all wearing one, two, three, or even more.
And no, this topic isn't about the physical face masks we wear for health protection against the pandemic.
On the other hand, scientific research has discovered that, at the least, people have been projecting 3 metaphorical masks: public, private, and secret.
The public mask is the face exposed to the outside world. The private mask is the face kept within family boundaries, close of kin, and other intimate relationships. And the secret mask is the face solely exclusive to oneself.
Psychologically speaking, these masks are also referred to as "personas". These are the various identities (aka personality traits) that serve to enhance, hide, or protect our unique characters.
Moreover, the term "masking" has been often used to signify the concealment of a person's mortal, mental, emotional, and social attributes, strategically arming themselves with an invisible shield that evolves with the changing times.
To demonstrate, let's rewind the clock back to my childhood years. I was typically a timid kid who preferred to be all by myself, reluctant, avoiding interaction with others - most especially with people of the opposite gender.
Not that I was a sissy in the midst of women, but this acquired behavior was most probably due to my conservative upbringing (I usually lingered a lot at home and avoided mingling with outsiders), shortage of courage because of limited exposure to crowded venues, as well as my introverted nature. Struggling socially was inevitable!
The mask of shyness I was constantly wearing was actually a well-crafted barrier to suppress my dreaded phobias - with the fear of rejection landing on my list's top spot!
Owing to a lack of self-confidence, I was absolutely terrified of what others would say about me. Their reactions, views, and criticisms were preferably more important than my personal opinion. Thus, I unconsciously mutated into a helpless approval-seeker, keeping the impression of feeling safe inside this comfort zone.
Everything was smooth-sailing - and so I thought…
Until the day I had my first-ever taste at public speaking. Trying to wear a mask of self-confidence on stage, my natural timidity eventually overpowered me - revealing my true personality to the audience. Halfway through my speech, I began to stutter uncontrollably that I had to stop and then walk away. Imagine the sudden paleness on my facial skin during that abrupt exit. It was one of life's most embarrassing moments that up to this day, that unforgettable incident still sends chills down my spine.
Learning from that painful failure, I began peeling off the undesirable layers of my bashful attitude by opening up myself more to people and becoming active in numerous talks. The rest is history.
What about you? How do you manage your various masks when encountering adversities? Would you otherwise be "naked" when dealing with unexpected challenges?
Now that we know the truth about the existence of symbolic masks in humans, it would probably be reasonable to rephrase this article's pressing question, wouldn't it?
So, instead of stating "Are you wearing a mask?", shouldn't we be rather asking:
What mask are you wearing?
Copyright © 2020-2023 storiesoferne. All rights reserved.