An ‘Alter Ego’ is said to be, in Psychology, our other Self, a second personality inside us, which may be the opposite of what our conscious Self or usually outwardly displayed personality is like. However, they don’t have to be opposites. Our Alter Ego is our most genuine Self, the one that is not defined by our particular cultural context, but, this doesn’t mean it doesn’t react and express itself in contrasting ways, same as our most consistently publicly displayed outer Self.
Alter Egos have always been dramatised in many books, comics and movies, producing with this dramatisation the idea that they are ‘a dark side’ that is not really part of the original persona, but rather an unnatural deviation. Whilst this may give way to very entertaining narratives, we need to distinguish what fiction is, which reflects the particular views/beliefs of the person that created it, or their ways to express those views, from what is our true reality. ‘Normal’, in terms of personality, is a subjective concept dependent upon a society’s particular moral and behavioural rules. It is not a universal life truth. Same as with how the concepts of ‘bad’ and ‘good’ are usually interpreted. They are defined by that particular society’s beliefs. Destroying and creating are the ultimate universal life truths behind every decision we make on a daily basis and they are both as natural as our survival instinct: They both come from that survival instinct. Thus, an Alter Ego is just the conglomerate of personality facets developed from our instinctual Self and its first responses, both creative and destructive, whereas our outer Self is the conglomerate of personality facets that either conforms or rebels against a particular culture or widespread societal norms and beliefs.
Needless to say that, throughout our lives, we’re constantly acting and expressing ourselves with all our personality facets, through both egos, alternating between them according to how we feel with regards to a particular set of circumstances, a particular environment, the phase we are in within our personal development, whether we are alone, with close ones or in public, or all of these and more. We are simple creatures, like all life is in its truest form, but capable of very complex mechanisms, like all life is, the moment it interacts with what it perceives as other life forms.
The quiz below is meant as fun entertainment. It is not meant to label you, to box you in, to define you. It is just meant to be thought-provoking though it only produces two results. The reason for this is that each result encompasses a myriad of complex mechanisms, which give way to a wide range of personality facets. Thus, and as you will see, it’s completely different to what other ‘Find out your Alter Ego’ quizzes out there are based upon.
Please go to What’s Your Alter Ego? to view the test
An original quiz by Syl R. Martin ©
