So I started thinking about something after watching Supernatural and was wondering something pretty simple: Does a mask you hide behind become you after a while? To give a better example of what I am talking about: Angels like Castiel keep a hosts body for long periods of time and even Crowley the demon wears the same 'meat suit' for a very long time and I was wondering, after wearing those people for so long does that just become their normal face? Do they look in the mirror everyday and when they see their hosts face do they think "Oh yeah that's me" or is it always "this is the wo/man I am inside"? Just a curious psychological question.
I'm gonna answer because I am a huge Supernatural fan. xD (Well... not huge huge- but I still am a fan~ and I cannot wait for Season 11 at all) To answer your question- I think it depends on a few factors. Like... for Castiel or Crowley- they've lived a really long time? So if they've lived for maybe a thousand years and used a mask for 10 years- it probably won't really affect them? But lets say you've lived for 20 years and used a meat-suit for 10 years, I'm sure it should stick to you. Also about how often one would change bodies/masks. Like... pens, pencils, notebooks, sketchbooks for me always get replaced after a few months or so... but wallets and phones, I would replace once every two, three, or even four years. It makes me think as well... Just my two cents.
I think this relates to "identity" overall, and specifically Jung's idea of a persona - the face you present to the outside world to give a certain impression (emphasise some aspects of your true inner self, obscure others). People present different personae in different contexts (wanting to impress a love interest, wanting to avoid conflict, wanting to seem intelligent... name a motivation and go for it). I think it derives from theatre when actors would play multiple parts and wear a different mask to represent each. "Do you become the mask?" actually forms the basis of light-hearted things like Mean Girls as well as more serious works. I'm a dilettante with a shaky grasp on psychology, so others can probably explain far better/correct me. Lots of other interesting questions though. Does your persona perform its intended purpose? Can you ever truly know someone else? How accurately can you ever represent yourself? I imagine this stuff is relevant to a lot of the gender/body dysphoria/dysmorphia type conditions. People have varying relationships with their meat shells. As I don't understand the science (if it is actually scientific...), I consider it a framework rather than solid fact. I reckon it applies to more than just humans though: dogs certainly present themselves in vastly different ways depending on the context. Each of us in this forum has developed a persona, based on what we write, who we talk to, our display pictures, etc. I've deliberately tried not to reveal things about myself (gender, age, where I live, sexuality, etc), partly because I like the idea of not being judged on them, and partly because I'm interested to see what impressions develop in their absence. That might sound self-absorbed (and perhaps it is), but I also like to explore the impressions I develop of others based on limited information Anyway, "persona" might be worth Googling/Wiki-ing!
