Do we change who we are as we portray different roles?
I am on a business trip for the military. A treat on this trip was dinner with a close friend. He and I started our careers at the same time and early on were very close. We had fallen out of touch and it was nice to catch up. Something happened last night that started me thinking about our personalities as they relate to the roles we play.
For the most part I have always considered myself quite unassuming and mild mannered. I have my moments but for the most part I go out of my way to avoidconflict and drama.
Last night John and I went to dinner. We invited several of his team to accompany us to a local German Restaurant that is very popular. I called ahead and made reservations. When we arrived they had “lost” our reservation. I acquiesced and told them that we would wait on the table. When I told him what had happened, he retorted, “You were the last person I thought would put up with that.” Where is all the swag from the guy that I know?” That immediately put me in military mode. I went back up to the hostess explained again that we had reservations and insisted that we were the first large table to be seated. This time she graciously gave in and in less than 5 minutes we were at our table. As my buddy took his seat next to me he said, “that’s the guy I know’.
This got me thinking. My personality is decidedly different when in uniform than when I am not in uniform. For all the talk of combined our male and female aspects in one being I couldn’t help but wonder. I am different when en femme? I know my physical mannerisms are different, but do I mentally shift gears when dressed. My wife has pointed out that aspects of my personality that rarely come out in guy mode seem to shine in my posts here. Am I schizoid or is this just normal?
What do you think? Do different personality aspects come out when you are dressed or are you just the same ohhhy gooey wonderful person inside with just a different outer coating.