Essay Example: How Does Your Public Image Differs from Your Private Self

Every individual has a public image that differs from their private self. The variation will make other people fail to understand the true character of that person. Most people rate your appearance, what you say, and how you respond to various situations. However, you are the only one who knows the reason you have two different characters. Justly, an individual can find it challenging to form a healthy self-image especially when people like peers, family, and the community issues negative evaluations of that person. In that situation, the consequences are severe since that person can develop self-hatred. Poor self-image may be the result of accumulated and incorrect criticisms that the person collected as a child and made him or her to have a damaging view of their self. Mental Health America (p.1) puts forward that spending time with supportive people can build a healthy self-image. Furthermore, children are vulnerable to accepting false and negative judgments from authority figures because their level of competency in evaluating is minimal. Here, I will discuss how my public image differs from my private self.

Regarding my public image, I am always confident of myself. Gruber (p.1) asserts that developing a self-confidence attitude allows one to push their way from people telling them yes, or no. When I am with my friends or family, I tend to have certainty when doing things. For example, in one situation, when I used to live at a friends house, we decided to rearrange the living room. The television set was always positioned at one particular place. My friend wanted it changed, but did not know how to connect the wires that change the AV, PlayStation, and the one, which connects the cable. I told her that I can remove the wires and reconnect it once again. However, in my mind, I did not know how to change the wires because I have never done such a thing before. Before removing the wires, I was keen to know which wires connect to which part of the power and the television. Eventually, I managed to reconnect all the cables when we changed the television to another location in the living room. I did not tell my friend or show any signs that I did not know how to perform the task. My self-confidence does not come in when I am with friends, but also people who I do not know. I have never understood why I have so much belief in myself when I am in front of people. However, I like it because it makes me feel happy that I can create an impact on a situation.

Concerning my private self, I always wonder if I have done things the correct way. Universal Class (p.1) indicates that the brain gives messages that affect peoples attitudes in areas such as lack of self-confidence. In life, some people are born with confidence while others have to work for it. As for me, I work for it. That is the reason when I am alone I tend to have a difficulty trusting myself to do things. I always feel like I do not have someone to back me up. During my experience at my friends house, when changing the position of the television I had no doubts in my mind that I had done the wrong connection. At home, in one particular situation, when I was my mother, she asked me to cook chicken masala wet fry. She had to go and visit a friend and expected the food to be ready for dinner. When cooking, I had doubts on the amount of spices and salt to put on the food. I had to consult google to be better at cooking. When she came back, as we were sat at the dining table, I kept asking whether the salt was enough, the food was spicy, and if it tasted good. From a personal perspective, I think that when I am alone, my self-confidence diminishes because of the constant doubts I have. Nevertheless, I believe that I am confident in front of other people because of the crowd mentality.

In summary, it is apparent that I have two different characters. One is for the public and the other is for the time alone. Some people affirm that having a double image is a waste of energy. Nevertheless, according to my view, having a different public and private image is important because the society will always find something to say regardless of how we behave. I call it fitting in the society. As for me, I do not see myself changing my double side anytime soon because it has helped me maintain my friends and keep close relationships with my family and peers. Besides that, I like people to guess the nature of my character. More so, I like it when people enjoy my presence. If one of my friends or relatives is talkative, I will act that way, and if he or she is reserved, I will act in that similar way. Overall, individuals should have a public image, which differs from their private self to survive in this judgmental society.

Works Cited

Gruber, Karl. The Importance of Self-confidence. Livestrong.com. 2015. Accessible at https://www.livestrong.com/article/138172-the-importance-self-confidence/

Mental Health America. Ideas for Building a Healthy Self-Image and Improving Self-Esteem.N.d. Accessible at http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/ideas-building-healthy-self-image-and-improving-self-esteem

Universal Class. The Relationship between The Brain and Self-Confidence. Accessible at https://www.universalclass.com/articles/self-help/the-relationship-between-the-brain-and-self-confidence.htm