Thursday, July 19, 2012

Split Personality

There are a couple of people that I know who truly seem to have a type of multiple personality condition. The person that they are at work is completely different from the person that they are on the outside. I don't just mean that they are more responsible or serious at work, I mean that their mannerisms, their rhythm of speaking, the way they carry themselves, their gait, and even how they laugh, is markedly different. If you had me describe the "work" person to one of their friends on the outside, I don't think they would have a clue who I was talking about.

I wonder if this is a symptom of insecurity, that they feel the need to act all formal and wooden to impress others or convince their peers of their professionalism and their rank. As I have seen who they are outside of work, it almost feels that their work version is a pretense, like a green actor who is going through some method acting exercise. However, I do not necessarily get the sense that they are pretending. It is almost as if they arrive at work and put on a costume that they believe is expected of them or they have become conditioned to wear for some reason.

For better or worse, I am the same regardless of the situation I find myself in. Maybe it is just that I don't know any better. But the truth is, it is difficult enough for me to be around other folks, that I do not think I have it within me to try to master more than one persona. Do you exhibit any level of split personality?