Have you been in a situation where you had to act interested even though the conversation was terribly boring? Perhaps walk away from a tragic event even if you were very concerned? Or be happy even though you felt miserable?

This apparent ironic struggle between 2 or more states of consciousness is the epitome of our complex minds. The ability to transcend personalities with opposing or complementary moral values is known as “Differentiation” or “Dissociation”. Providing this environment is a buffet of personalities called the “Ego-states”.

Apart from the major personality that we consciously carry on a daily basis, there are hordes of other hidden “Egos” or minor personalities that we constantly assimilate into. Some of them are like primal instincts that we react intuitively; others are more like temporal masks that we wear and discard based on a given situation.

While reading on such topics, I imagined seeing a bunch of people where we could see beyond their human shell into their “Ego-states”. Some would appear ironically docile, while others would be deceptively conceited. Knowing that everyone is a multiplicity of personalities, do you feel happy, sad, or perhaps both?