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REFLECTION: UNRAVELING THE MASK OF A PERSONA

A Qualitative Research Presented to the Faculty of Senior High School

Manila Central University

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements in Practical Research 1

Dianne-Joy V. Bartonado

Jordanne Louise L. Basectin

Trixia Marie Q. Cipriano

Stiven Blair N. Gucela

Irish D. Lapitan

STEM 11-1

March 2019
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ABSTRACT

Masking one’s personality is one of the most pressing issue in our today’s

society and is also the center of criticism nowadays. This phenomenon affects a

lot of people mentally, emotionally and socially. Masking one’s identity affects a

person’s function in terms of decision making and one’s relationship to other

people. This research is conducted to apprise everyone that there is a possibility

in every person to undergo this kind of situation may feel the urge to hide their

real and original persona inside their head. For that reason, it is important for the

society to be aware of masking and its effect to each and every person. The

purpose of this study is to know if people are aware of the masking that takes

place inside them and to the surrounding people. Also, we conducted this

research to present the causes of masking, its positive and negative effects to

people, and to make their perspectives better towards it. This research paper

also focuses on unfolding the real identity of an individual and on how they deal

with the masking that takes place.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, the proponents would like to give thanks to our Almighty God

for giving them good health, strength, wisdom, guidance and understanding

throughout the research, and for being an inspiration to make it fruitful and

successful. The proponents would like to give their deepest gratitude to all the

following individuals who have been part from the start and until now who have

given the researchers tons of effort to finish this study. To Ms. Janice Roman, the

researchers’ professor for her extended time, exceptional knowledge,

incomparable guidance and encouragement that really help and guide the

researchers in creating the “Reflection: Unraveling the Identity of a Persona”. As

well as the respondents for giving their precious time, and for friends and

relatives who shares relevant and accurate information that are necessary for the

improvement of this study. Lastly, to the researchers’ beloved parents and

families, Mr. and Mrs. Bartonado, Mr. and Mrs. Basectin, Mr. and Mrs. Cipriano

and Mr. and Mrs. Gucela, Mr. and Mrs. Lapitan for their love, guidance, support,

prayers and understanding during the entire duration of the research.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page i

Abstract ii

Acknowledgement iii

Chapter I: The Problem and Its Setting

Introduction 5

Background of the Study 7

Statement of the Problem 11

Significance of the Study 11

Scope and Delimitation of the Study 12

Definition of Terms 17

Chapter II: Review of Related Literature and Studies

Chapter III: Research Methodology

Research Design 18

Respondents of the Study 19

Research Instruments 20

Gathering of Data 21
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I. Preparation Stage 22

II. Administration Stage 23

Bibliography 24

Appendices 25
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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

This chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the

problem and purpose conceptual framework, scope, limitation and delimitations

and definition of terminologies.

INTRODUCTION

According to Nagare (2013), people are all wearing a mask. He said that

once in our lives, we already wore a mask to hide our true identity. Beneath that

mask is the true identity that sometimes, we, ourselves, failed to recognize. He

also stated that people are all trying to conceal a part of their selves that they

don’t accept or they fear to be not accepted by the people around them. It is the

part of a person that he/she do not want the world to see because he/she might

receive rejection. Also, Sparks (2015) stated in her article in the Psychology

Today entitled “The Masks That We Wear” that all people are wearing a mask,

specifically the emotional masks. We are just different in the kind of mask that we

use, and how and when we are using it. In her article, she also stated that even

all people are wearing a mask, we we’re not born with masks. People are all

putting them on and take it off.

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In a movie of 2005 entitled V for Vendetta, it is said that "You wear a mask

for so long, you forget who you wear beneath it". All people are said to be

wearing a mask (Nagare, 2013) and sometimes, this mask is completely hiding

the person from the real persona that he has. Over the years, society have set

standards that became a main reason for a person to hide his true colors. But the

researchers believe that there are some deeper reasons that are still waiting to

be found. There is a reason why people are said to be smiling despite of having

an emotional struggle within their selves. There is a bigger symbol why some

people are treating and reflecting different attitude to different people. There is a

reason why people are wearing a mask. Through extensive review of literature,

films, television programs, and culture of the society in the Philippines, this

research aims to unfold the issue that many people experience, but only few are

aware.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Masks are objects that are normally worn in order to disguise and protect

oneself. They might even be worn as a part of a performance - usually used for

both ceremonial and practical events. The word "mask" dates back from the

1530s from the word "masque" which means "covering to hide or guard the face".

One German author also claims that this word derived from the Spanish "más

que la cara" which can be translated literally as "more than the face" or "added

face", which later on evolved to "mascara".

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On the other hand, Masking is a process wherein an individual conceals or

"masks" his personality in order to comply with the standards of the society. It

was first used to describe the act of hiding or concealing as defined by Paul

Ekman (1972) and Friesen (1969). Developmental studies have shown that

masking has evolved from simply acquiring this behavior into concealing one’s

emotion by another emotion. Normally, it is used to alter a negative emotion with

a positive one.

In Western psychology, one’s personality defines the self. The word

“personality” came from the Greek word “persona” which means mask. This

concept came from the custom of the Greeks where actors use masks in

portraying different personalities and character in theatres. This refers to the face

one shows to the public.

However, this is different from Maskenfreiheit which is a German word that

confers freedom from wearing a mask. In this aspect, an individual cannot be

blamed for the actions he created - it displays anonymity. According to Konnikova

(2012), when someone wears a mask, and in turn conceals his face along with

his identity, it causes him to remove his inner sense of responsibility as well.

The same goes for critics who hide behind their pennames. They express their

thoughts well into words by hiding their true identity. This gives them the capacity

to convey their narratives without any restraint.

Around 1909, Sigmund Freud gave credence to the idea of the mask

through his Psychoanalytic theory. This study shed light to the three levels of
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awareness of the mind. It can be understood through a model of an iceberg. The

tip represents the conscious; it holds all the things that we are aware of. Just

below the surface is the preconscious where it holds mental elements that we are

not aware of but we can attend to. It holds information that are easily retrievable.

And lastly, the biggest region which is buried deep in the sea is the unconscious.

This contains our instincts that are repressed, making them difficult to retrieve.

He also proposed that the human behavior results from the interaction of the

three provinces of the mind: The id, the ego, and the superego (Feist & Feist,

2008). The id acts as the “Pleasure Man”, it aims to address and satisfy one’s

wants and need immediately. The superego, on the other hand, functions as the

“Moral Man” for its goal is to regulate what should be done and what should not

be done. This is also known as the conscience which strives for the ideal

principle of conduct. Lastly, the ego is the “Decision Maker”. Its main objective is

to bring balance to the situation. It aims to satisfy the id in a way where it would

not anger the superego. In summary, his theory of repressed emotions gave rise

to the idea of having a “second self” – a mask worn to help cope up with the

stresses and pressure of life.

Freud’s theory was also supported by another psychoanalyst, Carl Jung.

He proposed the archetypes which are developed elements of the collective

unconscious. Here, he mentioned the persona or the outward face we present to

the world. It covers our real self and he described it as the “conformity”

archetype. This is the public role one displays to others which is someone

different from who we really are.

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People act depending on how they view and relate to their surroundings.

There are circumstances where one feels the need to mask in order to adjust and

adapt to a certain situation. As claimed by Hall (2012), there are different types of

mask that a person wears in order to avoid rejection: The Avoidance Mask is

used when someone wants to avoid pain and protect himself. While the

Functional Mask is worn when one wants to feel accomplished. By wearing this,

you still know your feelings but are temporarily shielded from the public. The

People Pleaser Mask, however, is used to make others happy so that they will

less likely attack you in your vulnerable state. A scenario that will explain this

further is how people act on social media. They tend to show only the positive

events in their life. One famous application that proves this is Instagram. People

have been sharing their selfies where they look flawless, along with their travel

photos which are labelled as “Instagram-worthy”, thus, where the famous term

originated. They share only what is good online. Meanwhile, the Mask of Anger

protects an individual from vulnerability by displaying a strong emotion. The same

goes for wearing a Happy Mask where one protects himself by pretending to be

happy all the time. This way, the public assumes that a person sees the world as

a rainbow, where everything is vibrant and not even a storm can cloud over it.

Masking is something that anyone can admit to doing for masks provide

emotional protection. It has been considered as a survival technique.

Although, one outcome that can be observed by doing this occurrence

results to the Imposter Syndrome, leading us to feel uneasy knowing that the

world is going to know us. This study has been observed by Dr. Pauline R.
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Clance and Dr. Suzanne A. Imes in their 1978 article based on the experiences

of High-Achieving Women where their professional excellence has been

acknowledged by those surrounding them, but when asked about their

achievements they claimed that it is purely out of luck. This phenomenon is the

effect that one encounters when guilt eats their conscience and they feel that

they are a fraud by using a mask.

Nowadays, it is easy to conceal one's identity through masking - switching

to different personalities when exposed to a variety of people. Each and every

one of us have done this, especially during situations where we are required to

interact with other people. Because of the curiosity on how people hides in a

mask and what are the reasons behind it, the researchers will be exploring the

surroundings and behavior in the society where masking occurs. As according to

Nagare (2013) that all people are wearing a mask, the people in the

surroundings, as well as the characters in literary works can portray masking in

different ways. The researchers will use those ideas to gather information about

masking and to arrive in a conclusion that is beneficial and educational for the

readers of the research.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Masking is a kind of personality that shows different characters, usually

the good and the bad side of the person. It can affect the attitude of an individual

on how they treat other people if they cannot control their bad or even their good
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personality; this is the reason why most people misunderstand the situation of

people experiencing masking and it causes negative impact on ordinary people.

This research aims to know how hiding one’s real identity helps one to survive in

the society. In order to answer the main problem, the following are the sub-

problems of the research:

1. What motivates a person to hide behind a mask?

2. What does it take to unfold the true identity of a persona?

3. What are the positive and negative effects of wearing a mask?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

According to the study of Pinhas et al (1999), images portrayed in mass

media created different standards for the society. Our study helps people to

understand the ideas regarding the masking that happens to each and every one

of us. This research’s objective is for people to have knowledge on how masking

helps a person to deal with the standards and survive the society which we are

living in.

As students, this research brings a big significance to the researchers for it

has a wide range of new knowledge to give us. While conducting a thorough

study, there are a lot of ideas we can get which we can use in our everyday lives.

And lastly, conducting this research will also help us improve our skills in

conducting a research.
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To Medical Practitioners, specifically in the fields of Psychology and

Sociology, this study is significant since this fields deal with human interaction

and human behavior. And as we know, masking is involved and has something

to do on how one can interact with the surrounding people and how one’s mind

functions that results to his or her behavior.

Lastly, Future Researchers can use our study as a base or guide for a

new related topic that they will use for their own research.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

I. SELECTION

The selection process starts by researching about literary works and

movies which satisfies the criteria of our study. By looking at the synopsis of a

movie and summary of a literary work, the researchers will find a protagonist who

manifests a certain characteristic of hidden identity or personality. Also, the films

and works may contain dramatic irony where the readers or the audience are the

ones who know the truth about the protagonists while in the story, the other

characters does not know about him changing his personality when the character

is alone.

II. BUDGET
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The researchers are currently students from Manila Central University,

who are taking the STEM or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

strand. Because of this, the researchers have only limited budget for conducting

the study. The researchers did not provide a budget for buying books,

magazines, and journals related to our study because the researchers decided to

use the books in the library and to use the help that the internet offers.

Regardless of having a limited budget, the literature, films, books, and other

information from the internet that we used in conducting the study is critically

examined to provide our evaluators and readers a complete and credible data.

Also, the researchers ensured that the study will be accomplished on time and

will be presented with complete and relevant information. The table 1.1 shows

the budget of the researchers for conducting the study.

Materials/Act Cost

Printing Php 200.00

Tools used for taking notes and draft Php 100.00

while evaluating related literature, such

a paper and pens

Food for Researchers Php 300.00

Transportation Php 200.00

Total: Php 800.00

Table 1. Budget
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III. TIMELINE

The researchers have a limited time to conduct the study. Regardless of

having a limited time, this is not a hindrance for the researchers not to conduct

the study well. With extensive meetings and arguments, the study is conducted

by the researchers with full effort and presence of mind. Below is the Table 1.2

that shows the timeline in making this research.

Activity November December January February March

2019 2019 2019 2019 2019
Introducing the
Research as a
subject
Proposing a title for
the research
Approving the title
for the research
Start of working for
Chapter 1
Conducting a
research through
internet for
Chapter 1
Completion of
Chapter 1
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Consultation
Revising the
Chapter 1
Checking of
Chapter 1
Creating a
framework of the
study
Start of working for
Chapter 2
Reading the related
articles, books, and
journals
Completion of
Chapter 2
Start of working for
Chapter 3
Creating a concrete
method of studying
the topic based on
the theories in the
framework
Completion of
Chapter 3
Table 2. Timeline

IV. PARAMETERS
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Our study titled “Reflection: Unraveling the Mask of a Persona” states that

an individual wear a mask in order to avoid social rejection. Masking helps build a

barrier to another person by disguising as someone that is socially acceptable.

Through extensive review of literature, films, television programs, and culture of

the society in the Philippines, this research aims to unfold the issue that many

people experience, but only few are aware. This study also discusses the reason

why a person prefers to hide behind a mask, and how one can unfold the true

identity of a persona by evaluating reoccurring themes of some characters in the

book, film, television programs, and specific group pf people in the society and

with the application of Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory. Moreover, this aims to

weigh the positive and negative effects that wearing a mask could bring. On the

other hand, although the research mentioned the study of related disorders such

as Multiple or Dissociative Identity Disorder, it is not used as a guideline to

choose the characters that will be evaluated by the researchers.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

 Masking - is a process wherein an individual conceals or "masks" his

personality in order to comply with the standards of the society

 Persona - refers to someone's character that is presented to or perceived

by others

 Mask - a manner or expression that hides one's true character

 Maskenfreiheit - refers to the ability to grasp freedom brought by wearing

a mask
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 Identity - the characteristics determining an individual

 Psychoanalysis - is a type of therapy that is subjected to release

repressed emotions and memories of a client that would lead them to

catharsis or healing

 Archetype - refers to a typical example of a specific idea

 Impostor syndrome - is a psychological pattern where an individual

doubts his accomplishments and has a fear of being labelled as a "fraud"

 Society - is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction,

or a large social group sharing the same geographical or social territory,

typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural

expectations

 Reflection - serious thought or consideration

 Disguise - give (someone or oneself) a different appearance in order to

conceal one's identity

 Experience - fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge

through direct observation or participation

 Thoughts - an idea or opinion produced by thinking, or occurring suddenly

in the mind

FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

The research framework states a particular set of ideas, concept or belief

which used in order to form a support in a structure of the study. A theoretical

framework in this study is based on an existing theory that provides a general or

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broader set of ideas in a various aspects of a phenomenon. The researchers

focused on the ideas of Semiotic and Psychoanalytic Theory in the field of

psychology which explain the behavior and personality that is shown by an

individual. On the other hand, a conceptual framework consists of interconnected

concepts that organize ideas with the use of constructed model to illustrate the

relationship between theories to the main variable of the researcher’s study. This

framework will serve as a guide in the entire process of the research study.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Structuralism is a method of interpretation of human culture elements like

human cognition, behavior, culture, and experiences that reflects patterns

underlying structures of signification. This methodology was pioneered by

Ferdinand de Saussure, who developed a branch of linguistics called “Structural

Linguistics”. Although there were no published or written articles about his study,

there were notes recovered from his students between the years 1908 up until

1909. According to him, it consists of the Sign or the basic element of language.

He said that it contains both the signifying element and its meaningful content.

The Sign is subdivided into two groups namely the Signifier and the Signified.

The Signifier is the sensible part of the verbal sign-- it is the part accessible to the

senses of the human body. Meanwhile, the Signified is the meaning or the

interpretation that is added to the signifier. These two are combined in the mind
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resulting in understanding the meaning. The bond between the two is arbitrary:

any word can be used to signify anything. However, structuralism and linguistics

can be differentiated. First, it is concerned with any sign system that has

language-like properties. Secondly, it directs attention in choosing texts and the

meaning of texts.

On the other hand, Semiotics is the formal study of signs and symbols as

opposed by a French literary critique, Roland Barthes, in his published work

"Elements in Semiology" in 1964. His writings on Semiotics helped establish

structuralism. Semiotics started out first as an academic study of the meaning of

words in Linguistics, and then moved to the examining people’s behaviour in

Psychology and Anthropology. It also made its way into becoming an inquiry in

culture and the society in Sociology and Philosophy, and followed its path in

assisting with the analysis of cultural products in films, literature, and art as a

form of critical theory. In the recent timeline, it has also become a methodology

for researching.

One of the main themes of Barthes in his study was the importance of

avoiding the naturalisation of a social phenomenon. In Semiotics, denotations

and connotations are terms used to describe the relationship between the

signifier and the signified. The Denotative Sign is a descriptive system which is

the result of the signifier image and the signified concept combined. While the

Connotative Sign is one that has lost its historical meaning. Overall, the Semiotic

Theory is an interpretative proposition.

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As McQuail (2010) defines Structuralism as the construction of meaning in

texts and contains 'structures of language', consisting of myths, narrative, or

signs. The relation of it with semiotics is that it can be defined as the more

specific version of structuralism. Semiotics explains the science of signs within

social life. It refers to the theory of linguistic system of meanings. In relation to

Ferdinand de Saussure's Structuralism, he called Semiotics as "Semiology". In

this sense, signs could either be verbal or non-verbal, as the same goes with the

patterns observed in Structuralism.

On the other hand, Sigmund Freud’s “Psychoanalytic theory” focuses on

personality organization and personality development. He introduced the model

of the mind in 1923, in his work entitled The Ego and the Id. It explains how an

individual’s personality develops and why they react in specific manners. He

proposed three structures of the human mind, each one reaching different

reactions and conclusions for every scenario. These three structures are the Id,

the Ego, and the Superego. The Id is the most primal of the three. It acts

exclusively on impulse and with the sole objective of sating basic human desire.

It will only listen to a person’s urges and desires, ignoring morality and anything

similar. It operates unconsciously, meaning that the individual has no control over

the decisions of the Id. The Ego focuses on rational decision-making. In terms of

consciousness, it is in between the consciousness and the unconsciousness,

having characteristics of both. The Superego focuses on morality, and is entirely

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conscious. Because these three structures make their decisions on entirely

different bases, conflict can arise.

If the Id is the dominating structure of the three, then an individual would

most likely act in their own best interest. They would often commit selfish actions

and may even commit acts unfit for a civilized society. On the other hand, if the

Ego was to dominate, an individual would make more informed decisions, but if

they were to entirely forgo the other structures, the final decision could end up

being seen as heartless. Then, if the Superego was to dominate, one would often

make kind gestures. Though, if they disregard the other structures, their actions

may be ill-informed and may not be the smart thing to do, or they may become

too selfless and neglect themselves.

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I. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

In this study, the researches would use the Structuralism and Semiotics

theory as proposed by Roland Barthes and combine it with the ideology of the

Psychoanalytic Theory of Sigmund Freud. Both of the theories will be helpful in

unfolding the phenomena of masking as analyzed both in films, and literature.

In the process of examining the occurrence of masking and why it occurs,

the Structuralism and Semiotics theory will be a guide in recognizing the main

themes of reoccurring event by means of repeated patterns. While the

Psychoanalytic Theory will focus on the mask and the persona; two of which

heavily relates to identifying the id, ego and the superego present in the pattern

of events. By looking into the presence of the structures of the brain, as defined

by Freud, this study will be able to discover the way masking is used in different
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situations, more specifically by means of literature and film analysis. As this study

aims to explore the concept of ‘masking’ and ‘persona’ this study uses two

conceptual models to carefully analyze these two signifiers.

MASK (Independent Variable) PERSONA (Dependent Variable)

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter deals with a review of some related literature and studies

relevant to the study. The review of studies on parental involvement, students’

achievement and attitude in science have opened an avenue of understanding

that would lead to the solution of the problems set in the study.
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MASKING

Masking in general is defined in this study based on the Psychoanalytic

Theory of Sigmund Freud. Masking is being developed by the presence of id,

ego, and superego of a person. According to Lumen Learning (n.d.), this theory

focuses on personality organization and personality development. It explains how

an individual’s personality develops and why they react in specific manners. He

proposed three structures of the human mind, each one reaching different

reactions and conclusions for every scenario. These three structures are the Id,

the Ego, and the Superego. The Id is the most primal of the three. It acts

exclusively on impulse and with the sole objective of sating basic human desire.

It will only listen to a person’s urges and desires, ignoring morality and anything

similar. It operates unconsciously, meaning that the individual has no control over

the decisions of the Id. The Ego focuses on rational decision-making. In terms of

consciousness, it is in between the consciousness and the unconsciousness,

having characteristics of both. The Superego focuses on morality, and is entirely

conscious. Because these three structures make their decisions on entirely

different bases, conflict can arise.

If the Id is the dominating structure of the three, then an individual would

most likely act in their own best interest. They would often commit selfish actions

and may even commit acts unfit for a civilized society. On the other hand, if the

Ego was to dominate, an individual would make more informed decisions, but if

they were to entirely forgo the other structures, the final decision could end up
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being seen as heartless. Then, if the Superego was to dominate, one would often

make kind gestures. Though, if they disregard the other structures, their actions

may be ill-informed and may not be the smart thing to do, or they may become

too selfless and neglect themselves.

MASKING IN LITERATURE

 Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) - Foreign Literature

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a short novel written by

Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson wrote his allegorical novel after experiencing

a nightmare, describing the story as ‘a fine bogey tale’. Historically, he wrote this

novel during the Victorian Period, when the imperialistic reign of Queen Victoria

was held. By the time this short novel was first published in 1886, Queen Victoria

had been on the throne of England nearly fifty years and the codes of Victorian

morality has been well established. Victorian morality is generally understood to

refer to values that requires sexual restraint, a lack of patience with crime and

criminality, and austere and rigorous behavior in general. However, while the

purported to conduct themselves according to such rules, immorality and sordid

behavior lurked beneath the surface. In connection with this, the story depicted

that it would be easier to simply distill and remove the part of someone that

longed to indulge in immoral behaviors, and this is by using a mask.

In the story, Dr. Henry Jekyll is a scientist, while searching, for a way to

separate his good self from this bad impulse. He created a potion that will

transform himself into a man without a conscience and with evil deeds, which is
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Mr. Hyde. Eventually, the transformation gets out of control, he soon needs

potion simply to retain his humanity. When he runs out of ingredients for those

potions, Dr. Jekyll realizes that he will change into Mr. Hyde permanently. At the

last part of the story, when he knew that he will be Mr. Hyde forever, he

committed suicide wherein a letter was next to his body. The letter revealed the

truth that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were the same person and he uses potions to

transform into another character. On the second letter that was found, Dr. Jekyll

writes that purpose of his transformation was to separate his good and bad side.

He also stated that he thought that he could control it using the potions, but

eventually, the transformations got out of control and he would transform

involuntarily without the aid of potions.

Our study, entitled “Reflection: Unraveling the Mask of a Persona”, states

that one person may wearing his own mask because he or she is afraid of social

rejection and that he or she wants to be socially accepted. Just like in the story,

Dr. Jekyll has a good reputation with the society but also desires to do some evil

deeds. A potion was used by Dr. Jekyll to hide this desire which served as his

“mask” in the story.

Dr. Jekyll uses this mask to separate his good side to his bad side. The

potion helped him to transform into someone as Mr. Hyde, which has a very evil

side and who does so many heinous crimes and deeds. But as Dr. Jekyll fulfills

this desire of him to be evil as Mr. Hyde, the society and the people around him

still knows him as a very reputable man. But at the end of the novel, when the

things goes wrong with Dr. Jekyll, his true identity was revealed. This ending
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somehow proves a saying that most Filipinos believe in, that no secret can be

hidden forever, and with this, everybody knew at the end that someone who is

very reputable just like Dr. Jekyll can also be a great monster like Mr. Hyde.

 Darna (1947) - Local Literarure

Darna is a fictional superhero appearing in Filipino comics. The character

was created for Pilipino Comics by the writer Mars Ravelo and artist Mars

Redondo. She was one of the most popular Filipino superheroes and appeared

in many films and several television series though the decades which have far

overshadowed her actual comics tenure.

One incarnation of Darna’s story relates that she is a deceased

extraterrestrial girl who was crippled at the beginning and named as Narda. This

makes her uncomfortable because the people around her treats her as useless,

helpless person except for Ding who was her brother. Until one day, she found

out a magic white stone which transforms her into a mighty warrior and enabling

her to fly and walk to save others. And with this, she became a popular, great

and admired superhoes by everyone, not knowing that she from a disabled girl

who was criticized by the others. Even those people who is close to her and who

was teasing her “useless” as Narda admires Darna so much, that they evenly

praise the hero in front of her and teases her after. As Darna, she stands up for

those who cannot fend for themselves and fights against both common criminals

as well as greater forces of evil, most famously the snake-haired woman

Valentina.
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In our study with this famous comic story rendition, we can say that Darna

also uses a mask to hide herself and to be accepted with others, alongside with

helping them. As a victim of discrimination with her own condition, she may also

wanted to be accepted and honored with others along with her being helpful and

selfless. With the help of her mask, she have achieved this respect and

admiration as she hides her true character as Narda and portrait herself as

Darna.

MASKING IN FILMS

 The Mask (1994) - Foreign Film

The Mask is a 1994 American fantasy superhero comedy film starred by

Jim Carrey. It focuses on the transformation of Stanley Ipkiss from being the

lame, pathetic and incompetent bank clerk into a trickster that can alter his

surroundings to his will just by wearing a wooden mask. The possession of the

mysterious mask transforms him to his inner personality—a cartoon romantic wild

man.

Stanley is a bank clerk working at the Edge City bank. On the other hand,

Dorian Tyrell, a gangster that owns the Coco Bongo Nightclub, send his singer

girlfriend Tina Carlyle into the bank of Stanley to be a spy for their plan to rob the

bank. Stanley is attracted to the singer and she seems to feel the same way

about him. Since Stanley couldn’t go to the nightclub, he found a wooden mask

near the city’s harbor and wore it. The lame Stanley then transformed into a
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green-faced suited trickster. He was able to give revenge and scare off the group

of street gang that tried to rob him.

By means of wearing the mask, he was able to get back at everyone who

took advantage of him as Stanley, and eventually wins the interest of Tina. He

was able to transform into someone completely opposite of the characteristics of

Stanley. Moreover, he acted in such a way that his old self wouldn’t be able to do

so.

In relation to the study, masking has helped Stanley in showing his inner

and hidden self. He was able to protect his city and his love interest at the same

time. Masking was a way for him to know his real identity. At the end of the story,

he confronted Tina while wearing a mask. In return, Tina said that he didn’t need

the mask to be special to her. Stanley then decides to discard the mask at the

same place he found it, and Tina throws it in the water before kissing Stanley.

Due to masking, Stanley was able to be conscious that his worth cannot

be only seen when he is in the identity of another person. Hence, he found out

his value through the process of it and used it to embrace his true character.

 Love, Simon (2018) - Foreign Film

Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon) have presented a movie that focuses on the

life of a character named Simon, a closeted gay teen who is trying to balance his

life which includes his family, friends and his anonymous online friend that he fell

in love with. In the movie, it was shown that he has a happy life and a complete
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family that is very supportive and bonded to each other. Thus, this caused him to

hold back from telling the truth about his sexuality.

In the film, Simon’s father usually jokes about him getting a girlfriend

which made him think that it might not be okay with his father if he knew that he

is homosexual. As Malchiody said, masking can be used to conceal emotions

that are not generally approved by other people. To gain acceptance, one hides

emotions and feelings which he thinks is socially unacceptable. Thus, masking

has occurred as the character wanted to conform to what he thinks his parents

wanted him to be. Keeping from his parents and friends makes him feel more

comfortable and masking has helped him in avoiding all his fear from happening,

Fear of what other people would say and the fear of his own family judging him.

MASKING IN TELEVISION PROGRAMS

 Rhodora X (2014) – Local Television Program

Rhodora X is a story about rivalry between two sisters. One of them is

afflicted with DID or the Dissociative Identity Disorder. Rhodora has an abused

childhood after being abducted, which caused her to develop another personality

within. After she was saved and reunited with her family, she starts to manifest

symptoms of DID. The other personality lives in Rhodora is known as Roxanne, a

smart woman but also scheming and manipulative. She hates Angela and will do

everything to get what Angela has.

About to be married, Angela was framed and imprisoned. She escaped

and end up in an ancestral house. She planned a revenge to Rhodora after

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finding out that it is Rhodora who framed her, not knowing that Roxanne and

Rhodora are one and the same person.

In comparison to Dr. Jekyll in the story of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and

Mr. Hyde, Rhodora has a two different personality living inside her. Mr. Hyde and

Roxanne are both evil persons, they are doing bad things to the people who are

important to their other personalities, Dr. Jekyll and Rhodora. The only difference

is that Dr. Jekyll develops the other identity in him because of his strong curiosity

and motivation to separate these two sides of his character. He reasoned with

himself that if he could do this, then he could eradicate the unhappiness that

exists in the "darker self ". So he produces a potion and mistakenly created an

evil man instead of a good one. While on the Rhodora X, she develops her other

identity from the trauma she experienced in abuse and kidnapping. It only

manifest after she was saved.

The researchers relate the story of Rhodora X to masking as it reflects that

having a mental disorder such as DID or Dissociative Identity Disorder can be the

possible result of masking or hiding one's personality. The more that a person

wears a mask and hides his or her true personality and intentions, the more it can

lead to mental disorders. Also, the researchers saw the relation in hiding a mask

to protect the person's reputation, as Rhodora needs to create a new personality

within her self just to protect the good reputation that the people are execting her

to be.

MASKING IN SOCIETY
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 Filipino Culture and Sexual Identities

The Philippines is a country where the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and

Transgender community is openly accepted by the public. By June 2013, It was

accounted for by Inquirer.net that an overview was directed by the Pew Research

Center, which results made the Philippines rank 10 out of 17 nations as a

standout amongst the most gay-accommodating nations in light of the nation's

abnormal state of open acknowledgment of gay people. However, not everyone

experience the same acceptance as others. This concludes to the “coming out of

the closet” or simply “coming out” process of the said community.

Being gay is something that is not new to the country. Amidst the warm

embrace of acceptance shows the other side where discrimination, exclusion,

and gender-based violence are rampant. This is the reason why some choose to

hide in the dark, masking their true identity into something that is socially

acceptable.

With the presence of rejection, criticisms and bullying, they tend to hide

their sexual orientation by acting straight. For instance, Charice Pempengco, a

famous Filipino singer, experienced hardships throughout her identity crisis. At

her early years, she knew that she is different from other girls in her age. She

would often be seen wearing boyish clothes and playing with toys that are for

“boys”. Her mother would get angry at her for such and insist that she wears

dresses especially when joining a singing contest. Her mother forces her to be a

girl and believes that being a lesbian is unlucky. Due to this, Charice would follow
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her mother and veil her gender by wearing fancy dresses, putting make-up and

acting girly.

Another example can be concluded from the famous Filipino literature

Noli Me Tangere where readers and analysts assumed that Simoun and Elias

have a secret affair. While Simoun is away from Maria Clara, he met Elias, whom

helped him in performing his revenge. They are said to have a deeper

understanding with each other and are only hiding it because Simoun have a

reputation to hold in the small town of San Diego.

In the pursuit of being able to fit in the standards of the society, people

would mask their individuality in exchange for approval. In the study of Conejos

et al (2015), the Filipino culture based its conservative attitude on the influence of

our religion and the church. Our religious beliefs greatly influence our actions and

must be “morally correct”.

MASKING AS A PERSONALITY DISORDER

 Multiple Personality Disorder

Some people are not contented with themselves because they think that

they don't live up the standards. That is the reason why they would try to live like

the kind of person that they want to be and totally forget who they really are.

According to The Freeman (2016), some individuals are so uncomfortable with

themselves that they long to be a different person. They hate themselves

because they don't live up to their standards. Some of these individuals would
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even momentarily forget who they are and live the kind of person they desire they

were.

SYNTHESIS AND CRITIQUE

Masking can be seen in many works. It can be in the literature, films,

television programs, and in the society. In every character of the literary works,

there is a particular reason why masking occurs. First, masking can be the result

of social pressure. Based on the literary works mentioned in this chapter, most of

the characters are hiding in a mask because of the fear of being rejected by the

society. Society is playing a big role on how a person acts and express himself or

herself in a particular situation. Second, masking occurs because the character is

protecting his or her reputation. Based on the Psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund

Freud, a person has an id, ego, and superego. The contradiction of these three

elements may lead to the destruction of the character’s reputation. That is why

this character hides in a mask to cover all the evil desires that may affect his or

her reputation. And lastly, masking can result to a serious personality disorder.

There are characters that have been addicted in wearing a mask and they

already forgot their true identity, this is the time that masking is already a

personality disorder.
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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter deals the research design, the participants of the studying,

sampling technique, the research instruments, the data gathering procedure and

statistical analysis.

RESEARCH DESIGN

Qualitative research design employing critical analysis was used in

evaluating the topic and related literature of the study. According to Southeastern

Education (n.d.), critical analysis is a subjective writing where the researcher was

able to look for the deeper meaning of variables present in the content and

analysis pertains to the breaking down of details and parts of the study to create

a more concrete meaning. Also, critical analysis is a planned, careful critical

evaluation of a piece of research work against the prespecified criteria to judge

the strengths and weaknesses of the research study. Critique should be

balanced, where alternative suggestions must be provided to further enforce the

strengths and eliminate the weaknesses of the study to improve overall quality of

the research project (Sood, 2015).

In studying the topic, the researchers used the two parts of creating a

critical analysis – the critical reading and critical writing. Critical reading means

evaluating the sources of the information and reading between the lines of the
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text (Freeman, 2017). The researchers applied critical reading in studying the

literary works related to the topic. It includes looking for symbols present in the

text to appear in complete justifiable analysis and to choose the characters in the

literary works that are applicable to the topic. Furthermore, the researchers used

critical writing in transferring the researchers’ analysis to the research paper. The

literary works that have been critically reviewed are based on the guidelines of

critical writing.

SAMPLING METHOD

The method used by the researchers in sampling and evaluating the

literary works is by using critical thinking. The events happened in each

characters of the literary works will be evaluated by actual watching and reading

three to five times. The researchers will also be guided by Structuralism and

Semiotics, and Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory. Also, the researchers will

provide guidelines in studying and identifying where masking occurred in each of

the literary works.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

This study is based on the concept of structuralism specifically semiotics.

In this aspect, the method of analysis and interpretation will focus on

relationships between elements that reflect patterns. This research will follow
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Barthes' theory where every ideological sign can be either a Denotative sign

system or Connotative sign system and the study will dig deeper onto the

correlation of the signifier and the signified. The study aims to figure out the

interconnection between semiotics and psychoanalytic theory in relation to the

idea of masking within literature, films, television programs, and society.

Masking was defined in the study as the concealment of one's natural

personality and real emotions to conform to what is considered as socially

acceptable behavior. According to Pollock (2013), mask is usually considered as

a technique to transform personality through temporary and representational

extinction of identity. Thus, masking was represented and displayed iconically in

several forms of arts such as literature.

In films and television programs, every character’s role has a deeper

meaning on what they portray in the story that manifests different traits and

personalities towards the person who are they talking to. According to Metlic

(2017), she stated that the mask signifies a second face; transform carriers and

hides one’s identity of the persona that was used on various situations, such as

having a conversation with an evil spirit, conciliate nature, or secure success in

war or during hunt. In lieu with this, people may experience different

characteristics from themselves and also the people around them.

In society, some people are not contented with themselves because they

think that they don't live up the standards. So they would try to live like the kind of

person that they want to be and totally forget who they really are. According to

The Freeman (2016), some individuals are so uncomfortable with themselves

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that they long to be a different person. They hate themselves because they don't

live up to their standards. Some of these individuals would even momentarily

forget who they are and live the kind of person they desire they were

Guided by the idea of semiotics and psychoanalytic theory, literary works,

films, and television programs will be evaluated by taking note of the

protagonist’s dialogues, change in behavior depending to the people who

surrounds him/her, consistency in his/her physical attributes, how often the

character's mood changes, and the recurring events that causes masking to

occur to the persona.

 Rubrics for Literature Character Analysis

LITERATURE PHYSICAL SOCIAL

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES

Title: Strange Case of Dr.

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Year: 1886
Protagonist: Dr. Henry
Jekyll

Title: Darna
Year: 1947
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Protagonist: Darna

 Rubrics for Film Character Analysis

FILMS PHYSICAL SOCIAL

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES

Title:
The
Mask
Year: 1994
Protagonist: Stanley
Ipkiss

Title:
Love,

Simon
Year: 2018
Protagonist: Simon

 Rubrics for Television Programs Character Analysis

TV PROGRAMS PHYSICAL SOCIAL

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES

Title: Rhodora X
Year: 2014
Protagonist: Rhodora
Vasquez/ Roxanne
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 Rubrics for Society Character Analysis

IN SOCIETY PHYSICAL SOCIAL

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES

Filipino Culture and

Sexual Identities
Title: Sexual Identities of
the LGBTQ Community

GATHERING OF DATA

This study will analyze the recurring themes in the selected literary works,

movies and television programs. Also, with the guide of semiotics and

psychoanalytic theory, the researchers will find patterns, similarities, and

symbolisms or connotation. Lastly, the study aims to figure out how masking is

portrayed in a protagonist or the signifier.

I. PREPARATION STAGE

The selection process starts by researching about literary works and

movies which satisfies the criteria of our study. By looking at the synopsis of a

movie and summary of a literary work, the researchers will find a protagonist who

manifests a certain characteristic of hidden identity or personality. Also, the films

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and works may contain dramatic irony where the readers or the audience are the

ones who know the truth about the protagonists while in the story, the other

characters does not know about him changing his personality when the character

is alone.

II. ADMINISTRATION STAGE

The amount of times to read the works and watch the films would be

around three to five times. The researchers will study the films and literary works

as reference by looking at the thematic clusters since recurring themes and

similar connotations of the protagonists’ moves will signify how masking is really

portrayed. In terms of the protagonist’s physical attributes, we will look for, the

character’s eyes, the character’s mannerisms and recurring body language, and

the way how the character dresses. The social attributes to be focused on are

what kind of emotion the character often shows alone and when with others, how

comfortable the character is when interacting with other people, the tone of the

character’s voice, the consistent dialogues that the character delivers in front of

other people.
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