Do You Think You Wear a Mask?

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I think I wear a mask. Hardly anyone sees my true personality because I'm so quiet. I often like I have no personality and am "barely living".

I hope this is not gimp masks were talking about here or there are alot of strange people on this forum.

If were talking about a metaphorical sense i guess its not so bad

Exactly. You hit on the core question. This is exactly why I asked about masks in the first place.

NTs wear masks that they seem to believe themselves. It's not "acting." It's a whole different persona they've built up for a given scenario. Sometimes, these personas grow to dominate their life. They can't control them. It seems that the masks are unconscious for them. They have so many masks that they don't know who they really are usually. That's why they go in for therapy and seminars and things.

What I hear from aspies here is another matter. They seem to be describing "acting" to hide their autistic deficts and behaviors. It's something that they do on purpose, consciously. I do it, too, but the real GroovyDruid is right there under the surface directing things, and there's very little change in the persona. The change is more surface: how much I talk, how polite I am, how much I control my body language, etc. This is far different from what I understand of NT masks.

Is what I'm seeing real, or have I got it wrong?

This is me.

Basically my entire life has been devoted to fitting in.
So much so I wouldn't even look at the real me until relatively recently. Complete and total denial.

.......And it's exhausting.

GroovyDruid, you got me right on the head of the nail.

(Thinks back to what was just said, and thinks "hey, ow")

I'm too passionate a person at times to even bother trying to fit in anymore, I devote that energy to not going insane and whatever else. I admit I repress myself when with certain people and in certain situation as to not get in trouble. I do admit that my personality can seemingly change from day to day, but that's just my inconsistent perosnality, not masks, being rotated.

cut from GroovyDruid "What I hear from aspies here is another matter. They seem to be describing "acting" to hide their autistic deficts and behaviors. It's something that they do on purpose, consciously. I do it, too, but the real GroovyDruid is right there under the surface directing things, and there's very little change in the persona. The change is more surface: how much I talk, how polite I am, how much I control my body language, etc. This is far different from what I understand of NT masks."

Your right about Nts masks being different, their mask is more subconsiously, unless there with people they don't like but want to impress, then they work on the mask. But otherwise they don't need hardly any control, the work and home scenerio is so true.

This thread explains my husband very well, he has moods, but he is the same person all the time, no mask. Wether we are alone in the bedroom or out with friends or at home, he is the same, the same with Claire, she can have some mood swings but she is still herself, no acting or pretending to be any different. and she doesn't see the point. At least I know what I see is what I got, no pretense. no mask.

But I think an aspie with a lot of contact with the world would put on this mask, and it's sad that we live in a society where people are accepted if they are the same . so aspies feel they need to be accepted, so I understand why they do it.