PERSONA: THE ARCHETYPAL MASK
PERSONA: PRIMITIVE MASKING
| In our book
we talk about the different between the primitive mask and the persona of
modern man. Generally speaking the primitive masking ceremony referred to a
broad continuum of religious beliefs and concepts aimed at transferring the transpersonal
powers of the tribal god/gods into the community shaman or priest. As a
semi-divine being with the attributes of a god, the masked shaman performed
healings, exorcisms and counseled individuals. In addition to these masking
rituals, the mask also played a major role in rites of passage and funerary
functions. Whereas with the modern persona, to quote Joseph Campbell,
"...adaptation to social environment supercedes any spontaneous associations
with a divinity within. Translated psychologically, this means that
the modern persona has no direct link with the unconscious, realm of the gods."
The pictures below are from different cultures: The Pre-Columbian Quimbaya Gold mask--LEFT--was used in funeral rites. The Japanese Shojo No mask--CENTER--is one of the masks from the traditional Japanese No theater. The red face refers to a character with an alcoholic problem. The Tsimshian Beaver mask (pronounced like chim-she-an)--RIGHT--represents the sacred significance given to the beaver by the tribe. The Tsimshian are coastal Indians of British Columbia. |
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PERSONA: THE INDIVIDUAL MASK
| Persona is a term derived from the Latin meaning mask. Our adaptation to the demands of the outer world depends upon our relationship to it. A healthy persona is a necessary grounding rod to be worldly and to project a self-confident image. A weak persona often denotes the introverted, solitary and shy personality who is maladjusted or awkward in social settings. Below is an excellent example of a weak persona from the classic 1963 movie, The Nutty Professor starring Jerry Lewis. The movie still shows chemistry professor Julius F. Kelp about to perfect his magic potion. This elixir will turn him into the handsome, arrogant and overly self-confident night club singer Buddy Love. Neither the professor nor his alter ego--night club singer--have a well adjusted persona. | |
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PERSONA: CELEBRITY MASKS
| Perhaps the most famous example of the power of a celebrity persona is Football legend and former movie star O. J. Simpson. He was arrested in 1994 and found not guilty in 1995 for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Despite incredible evidence tying him to the crime scene including DNA matching blood samples the jury found O. J. not guilty. The picture left is an O. J. Trading Card showing him with and without his persona. | |
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PERSONA: THE COLLECTIVE MASK
| In Chapter
Three of our book
we talk about the collective aspect of persona as defining the veneer of
civilization. One of the signs of a crack in the veneer is either
over-identification or under-identification with the persona.
Over-identification results in loss of individual human values, paranoia, pigeon-holing and rigid conformity.
Examples: The compulsory training and conditioning of Germany boys into an army of unfeeling Hitler youth demanded the sacrifice of any vestige of personal identity--B&W pictures--LEFT. The CENTER photo is from the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It shows young Chinese men--Red Guards--at a 1966 rally with their Mao bible in hand known as The Red Book. Under-identification can result in negative fantasies, narcissism and violent self-inflation. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine killers are examples (right photo). The escalating violence in the last decade at schools and in the workplace exemplifies both extreme sides of the persona. Polarization of any archetype results in a psychological melt down. |
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