Do you wear a mask?

littlegreenman

This is a guitar forum! We're all socially inept geeks who manage to maintain a veneer of uber-cool extrovert behaviour via the medium of 6 string cool

dafuzz

monquixote said:

I suspect you might say

• You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.
  
• You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.
  
• You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage.
  
• While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them.
  
• Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you.
  
• Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside.
  
• At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.
  
• You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations.
  
• You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof.
  
• You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.
  
• At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved.
  
• Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic.
  
• Security is one of your major goals in life.
  

Yay Barnum! I use this crap on girls

guitarcookie1

At work I can be as confident as you like, but at home I'd rather hide away with my cats..

richardhomer

monquixote;507769" said:

I suspect you might sayYou have a great need for other people to like and admire you.

You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.

You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage.

While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them.

Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you.

Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside.

At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.

You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations.

You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof.

You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.

At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved.

Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic.

Security is one of your major goals in life.

Having read all that, I've decided to not contribute to this thread....

monquixote

richardhomer said:

Having read all that, I've decided to not contribute to this thread....

Why's that then?

richardhomer

monquixote;507987" said:

richardhomer said:

Having read all that, I've decided to not contribute to this thread....


Why's that then?

All of the above!

Philly_Q

I was also a very shy, quiet kid - especially after I moved schools mid-year at the age of 10 or 11, it took quite a while, years really, to settle in.

It did occur to me when I went to university that I could pretend to be confident and adopt a different "new personality".... but in fact I became even more introverted and barely spoke to anyone for three years.

It was only when I started work and had to interact with people that I became a little more confident.

I'm not so bad nowadays but even at 50 I can't really make "small talk" with strangers in a social situation.  I need some kind of proper framework - like work or a shared interest - to be able to make conversation.  It's like I never really matured in that particular side of life, I'm still that introverted kid.

chillidoggy

A while ago, I was shocked when the guitarist in our band (one of the nicest, calmest guys I've ever met in my life) admitted that he was a naturally shy person. When I pointed out he very often stands up in front of an audience playing face-melters, he said he hides behind the guitar. I'd never considered that before.

Phil_aka_Pip

WYSIWYG

Philly_Q

chillidoggy said:

A while ago, I was shocked when the guitarist in our band (one of the nicest, calmest guys I've ever met in my life) admitted that he was a naturally shy person. When I pointed out he very often stands up in front of an audience playing face-melters, he said he hides behind the guitar. I'd never considered that before.

A lot of actors say they're naturally shy.  I guess there's a sense of freedom in getting away from your "real" self by pretending to be someone else on camera or on stage.

Unless they're just acting when they say that....:-S

xSkarloey

richardhomer;507980" said:

[quote="monquixote;507769"]I suspect you might sayYou have a great need for other people to like and admire you.

You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.

You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage.

While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them.

Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you.

Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside.

At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.

You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations.

You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof.

You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.

At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved.

Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic.

Security is one of your major goals in life.

Having read all that, I've decided to not contribute to this thread....
[/quote]

Hey Richard! Good to see you mate.

You've taken your '335' mask off.



Personally I don't wear a mask. I tend to go for either a stocking over the face, a balaclava with eye holes or a crash helmet, depending on the job.

stickyfiddle

I reckon almost everyone has masks, and anyone who says they doesn't is often grumpy and abrasive.

I have at least 4 - "work", "extended family", and "gigging". And my real self, which comes out at home and with close friends. I'm noticeable different in each of these situations.

I'm often extremely shy but have got good at pretending to be confident, which really is just a question of practice. I remember having to stand and give a 5 minute talk in front of 30 odd kids when I was about 13. Absolutely frickin terrifying. Now I could do it no problem. I'd still be nervous, but wouldn't let it show as long as I well prepared. 

Still shit at small talk though, even with people I know. 

RocknRollDave

Interestingly, Bonnie Langford was on the radio yesterday and this subject kind of came up. For those of you a little younger in the tooth than I, she is known for playing confident, bubbly (to the point of annoying) characters on stage and screen. Yet she admitted yesterday that she's naturally quiet and reserved and the loud characters are an act, something she has to consciously do rather than just be.

To answer the question myself, I'm not very good at masks, really, and I see that as a flaw rather than a strength. As @stickyfiddle says, that does at time probably make me a bit prickly and grumpy. I'm not an aggressive person, I'm not one for "calling a spade a spade", I just tend to clam up...which doesn't help me or anyone else.

mike_l

stickyfiddle said:

I reckon almost everyone has masks, and anyone who says they doesn't is often grumpy and abrasive.

I'm grumpy and abrasive, ad defo wear masks. Not many people actually get to see the real Mike.

 

VimFuego

/\ /\ though the flensing knife is always nicely sharp.

stickyfiddle

mike_l said:

stickyfiddle said:

I reckon almost everyone has masks, and anyone who says they doesn't is often grumpy and abrasive.

I'm grumpy and abrasive, ad defo wear masks. Not many people actually get to see the real Mike.

You'll note I didn't say those with masks weren't also grumpy & abrasive

My wife will vouch for that..!

mike_l

VimFuego said:

/\ /\ though the flensing knife is always nicely sharp.

I've never heard Mr.Stabby called a "flensing knife" before.

Nor Mr. Slicey.

holnrew

I'm not grumpy and abrasive, but people might mistake my silence for arrogance.

monquixote

I read a book a while ago which said something along the lines of thinking you wear a mask or have an internal persona is just a form of self deception.

For example if you are rude and abrasive to people, but feel that deep down you are a nice person then what evidence are you basing that on. In reality if you act like a dick you're a dick and you are just kidding yourself.

Similarly if you act in a confident way all the time, but don't feel internally that you are a confident person then ultimately you are a confident person because confidence is nothing more than acting in a way that makes people believe you are confident. The internal doubts are just the same thing everybody has. 

It might seem a bit harsh, but I've actually found it quite useful to my thinking about the world.

RocknRollDave

monquixote said:

I read a book a while ago which said something along the lines of thinking you wear a mask or have an internal persona is just a form of self deception.

For example if you are rude and abrasive to people, but feel that deep down you are a nice person then what evidence are you basing that on. In reality if you act like a dick you're a dick and you are just kidding yourself.

Similarly if you act in a confident way all the time, but don't feel internally that you are a confident person then ultimately you are a confident person because confidence is nothing more than acting in a way that makes people believe you are confident. The internal doubts are just the same thing everybody has. 

It might seem a bit harsh, but I've actually found it quite useful to my thinking about the world.

That's really interesting. Speaking with someone recently who regretted doing something which had caused a lot of hurt, they said to me "I don't know what I was thinking, it's just not me to do something like that"..  which of course is double-think, unfortunately, because you DID do it, ergo it IS something you would do. I get what he was saying, but I think a certain element of it is distancing yourself from the action and hence the blame.