About a decade ago.. (sure I sound very old when I say that but that’s beside the point and I’m not so old.. )I was immensely hooked on to a fiction book titled Tell Me Your Dreams. Written by the notorious author Sidney Sheldon, the story revolved around a lady with a curious “multiple personality disorder”. The book snared me so much, I’d read it walking down a street, in the train (flanked by over-sized aunties and wannabe cool gals) and even during college lectures. Being a slow reader, I always liked to take my own sweet time to complete a book to live the character’s life thoroughly. Doing so brought me much closer to it and its peculiar traits.
Coming to the book, it gave elaborate and incredible instances where the leading lady swapped personalities in a jiffy. As per the author, she did so because she faced a serious medical disorder famously known as the MPD (multiple personality disorder). As per the common definition, the terminology stands for a mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring identities that alternately control a person's behavior. It is accompanied by memory mutilation for important information not explained by ordinary forgetfulness.
Well, as much as the scientific and psychological definition sounds relevant, I feel it’s far from a disorder. Every individual on the face of this earth has multiple personalities. And we all use it to our advantage/benefit. Surrounded by so many people all the time leaves me with no choice but to observe their behavioral traits and what fun it has been! I have come to believe that we all have what they call alter egos/multiple personalities. All those mommies, daddies, sisters, brothers, friends, bosses, colleagues, relatives around you, look at them once again. Just stop for a moment and observe their behavioral transformations. They all have these layers of personalities crowded in there that show up in different situations.
As per the psychological definition, a person with MPD acts as a completely different person away from his/her original personality and even tells his/her name as different. We are no exception to it either. All of us have multiple personalities but it’s just that we don’t call ourselves different names in different situations. An MPD person may even cause harm, but don’t we cause harm to anyone in any given circumstances? Directly or indirectly. In physicality or otherwise. We all do so.
I worked with a media house in the creative department. While my job profile required me to write creatively, I took it a notch higher and studied the entire gamut of people I happened to come across. My observations only went on to prove my “We all are MPD cases” theory. For instance, my colleague would portray a completely different picture about his work in front of me and a stark contrast in front of my boss. And, my super boss had a yet another super contrasting image of my this colleague and his personality. While I too replicate my colleague’s behavior, but in much subtle format, my colleague plainly mastered the art and worked his way through a smart appraisal and a massive reduction in work scope.
Yet another colleague made me feel, he’s this super concerned, well-behaved guy who respects women like a promise he’s made to a dying friend; yet he managed to bitch about every person that walked by, tried to find out all that’s happening and not-so-happening in a gal’s life and most importantly dug out all the juicy gossips that floated around. And the best part was, the bosses and super bosses were mighty impressed because he portrayed to them that he did so only get work done from people and that he’s just another cute boy next door otherwise!
I exchanged vows with my long term boyfriend a month ago. While the happiness of being around him all the time means so much to me, all through the month, especially during the first few days after marriage, I came across a volley of MPD cases. Not around me, but within me. I had like a zillion personalities deeply entrenched. While I was this coy, obedient girl in front of my in-laws, I was much the pampered daughter in front of my parents. Quite like the one who swore not move a feather in either her parent’s or in-laws house. While I am the bratty sister, I am also that super cool friend who cares a damn about the world. While I am an affectionate niece, I’m also that witty colleague who will work her way through all odds. While I’m also the gal who will say she loves to wear Indian ensembles to make her folks happy, I am in fact the girl who only swears by international fashion trends.
Point is, we all try to portray ourselves in a certain way in front of certain people. We always want the best of us to come forth in different situations. We all hate being judged but end up judging others for what personality they have.
While we only play around adjectives like, sweet, funny, bratty, smart, witty, brash, bold et al to make an impression, we indeed forget what our true personality is. As a popular saying goes, You are yourself when you do things while you’re all alone. It’s only what you do while you’re alone that counts as your true personality. While I do agree with it to an extent, the thing is, even when we are alone, we have that subconscious feeling, that someone is watching us, like the way an actor feels when he/she is canning a scene for a film. That a silent audience in the theater must be watching him/her. It’s as if a film camera hidden somewhere around is capturing your every move. And there we go! All we do is confuse ourselves and goof up with the personality drama.
All said and done, we sure need to get out there and drop all those inhibitions we have about ourselves. All those fears we have are only causing us to be trapped further and further in this thick mesh of multiple personalities. We don’t know who we really are or what is the true essence of our personality. Where our true character belongs. Well, the answer also perhaps lies within us. All we need to do is introspect and stop using the term Multiple Personality Disorder. Cos hey, if you use it for others, guess what! You have it too!
