An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different personality. Additionally, the altered states of the ego may themselves be referred to as alterations.
A distinct meaning of alter ego is found in the literary analysis used when referring to fictional literature and other narrative forms, describing a key character in a story who is perceived to be intentionally representative of the work's author (or creator), by oblique similarities, in terms of psychology, behavior, speech, or thoughts, often used to convey the author's thoughts. The term is also sometimes, but less frequently, used to designate a hypothetical "twin" or "best friend" to a character in a story. Similarly, the term alter ego may be applied to the role or persona taken on by an actor[1] or by other types of performers.
Cicero coined the term as part of his philosophical construct in 1st-century Rome, but he described it as "a second self, a trusted friend".[2]
The existence of "another self" was first fully recognized in the 18th century, when Anton Mesmer and his followers used hypnosis to separate the alter ego.[3] These experiments showed a behavior pattern that was distinct from the personality of the individual when he was in the waking state compared with when he was under hypnosis. Another character had developed in the altered state of consciousness but in the same body.[4]
Freud throughout his career would appeal to such instances of dual consciousness to support his thesis of the unconscious.[5] He considered that "We may most aptly describe them as cases of a splitting of the mental activities into two groups, and say that the same consciousness turns to one or the other of these groups alternately".[6] Freud considered the roots of the phenomenon of the alter ego to be in the narcissistic stage of early childhood.[7]Heinz Kohut would identify a specific need in that early phase for mirroring, by another which resulted later in what he called the "twinship or alter ego transference".[8]
The title characters in Robert Louis Stevenson's thriller Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde represent an exploration of the concept that good and evil exist within one person, constantly at war.[9] Edward Hyde represents the doctor's other self, a psychopath who is unrestrained by the conventions of civilized society, and who shares a body with the doctor. The names "Jekyll and Hyde" have since become synonymous with a split personality or an alter ego that becomes capable of overpowering the original self.
In the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, the main character Edmond Dantes, after escaping from the Chateau d'If, assumes three alter egos: the count of Monte Cristo, the Italian abbe called Giacomo Busoni, and the Englishman Lord Wilmore. In the novel, the Count of Monte Cristo rewards those who had been good to him while punishing those who contributed in one way or the other to his imprisonment. He leads M. Danglars to lose all his fortune, M. de Villefort to his madness, Fernand Mandego to commit suicide, and others more to their fate.
Norman Douglas in the late 1890s wrote a short story, "The Familiar Spirit", about a man who became aware while drowning of a conformist second self – "the presence within him of this Spirit, his alter ego, which is bent on crushing his ambition".[10]
Published in 1905, the Scarlet Pimpernel is the prototype hero with a secret identity.[11] Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life: apparently just a wealthy fop, but in reality he is the Scarlet Pimpernel, a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking master of disguise and escape artist. By drawing attention to his alter ego, Blakeney hides behind his public face as a slow thinking foppish playboy (similar to Bruce Wayne (Batman)), and also establishes a network of supporters, The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, that aid his endeavours.[12]
In comic books, superheroes and their secret identities are often considered the alter egos. The archetypal comic book hero, Superman, assumes the identity of the "mild-mannered" newspaper reporter Clark Kent to live among the citizens of Metropolis without arousing suspicion. The Incredible Hulk comic book series further complicates this theme, as Bruce Banner loses control to the Hyde-like Hulk whenever he becomes angry, yet also depends upon the Hulk's superpowers to combat villains.
In the Indian Malayalam film Ustaad, written by Ranjith and directed by Sibi Malayil, Mohanlal plays the character of Ustaad, the alter ego of the character Parameswaran.
In Disney's Hannah Montana, Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cyrus), leads the life of a high school student, and the life of teen pop sensation Hannah Montana allowing her to get the best of both worlds. Likewise, Miley's friends, Lilly Truscott (played by Emily Osment) and Oliver Oken (played by Mitchel Musso), also lead the lives of high school students and are what make up Hannah's entourage, Lola Luftnagle and Mike Stanley III respectively.
Several famous musicians have adopted alter egos over the years, usually to indicate a new creative direction or a deep dive into their emotions removed from their popular stage persona—notable examples being David Bowie (with Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane) and Prince (with Camille).[13]Rolling Stone wrote Bowie's invention of Ziggy Stardust was "the alter ego that changed music forever and sent his career into orbit".[14] Particularly during the 2000s, several big-name singers dedicated album eras to reveal their alter egos, including Janet Jackson with Damita Jo, Mariah Carey with The Emancipation of Mimi, and Beyoncé with I Am ... Sasha Fierce.[15] Many rappers have also employed alter egos, notably Eminem (Slim Shady), Shock G (as Humpty Hump), Nicki Minaj (Roman Zolanski), and Tyler, the Creator (Tyler Baudelaire), among others. The rapper MF DOOM has used a lot of alter egos throughout his career, notably Madvillian, Viktor Vaughn, JJ DOOM and DANGERDOOM.
Darth Vader is considered to be the alter ego of Anakin Skywalker following his fall to the dark side of The Force.
In OMORI, the story revolves around a boy named SUNNY and his "alter-ego" OMORI.
In the 2023 Tamil Film Leo: Bloody Sweet actor Joseph Vijay plays the character Leo Das and his alter-ego Parthiban.
^Naversen, Ron (2015). "The (Super) Hero's Masquerade". In Bell, Deborah (ed.). Masquerade: Essays on Tradition and Innovation Worldwide. McFarland. pp. 217ff. ISBN978-0-7864-7646-6.
^Robb, Brian J. (May 2014). A Brief History of Superheroes: From Superman to the Avengers, the Evolution of Comic Book Legends. Hatchet UK.
^Kotrial, Utsav (August 30, 2018). "The Origin Stories of Music's Biggest Alter Egos". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
^"'Ziggy Stardust': How Bowie Created the Alter Ego That Changed Rock". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^Juzwiak, Rich (June 18, 2019). "Madonna: Madame X Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
January 14, 2024
alter, double, life, alternate, self, redirect, here, identical, stranger, doppelgänger, concept, african, american, studies, double, consciousness, other, uses, double, life, alter, disambiguation, this, article, possibly, contains, original, research, please. Double life and Alternate self redirect here For identical stranger see doppelganger For the concept in African American studies see double consciousness For other uses see Double Life and Alter Ego disambiguation This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed January 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message An alter ego Latin for other I means an alternate self which is believed to be distinct from a person s normal or true original personality Finding one s alter ego will require finding one s other self one with a different personality Additionally the altered states of the ego may themselves be referred to as alterations A distinct meaning of alter ego is found in the literary analysis used when referring to fictional literature and other narrative forms describing a key character in a story who is perceived to be intentionally representative of the work s author or creator by oblique similarities in terms of psychology behavior speech or thoughts often used to convey the author s thoughts The term is also sometimes but less frequently used to designate a hypothetical twin or best friend to a character in a story Similarly the term alter ego may be applied to the role or persona taken on by an actor 1 or by other types of performers Contents 1 Origin 2 In popular culture and fiction 3 See also 4 ReferencesOrigin editCicero coined the term as part of his philosophical construct in 1st century Rome but he described it as a second self a trusted friend 2 The existence of another self was first fully recognized in the 18th century when Anton Mesmer and his followers used hypnosis to separate the alter ego 3 These experiments showed a behavior pattern that was distinct from the personality of the individual when he was in the waking state compared with when he was under hypnosis Another character had developed in the altered state of consciousness but in the same body 4 Freud throughout his career would appeal to such instances of dual consciousness to support his thesis of the unconscious 5 He considered that We may most aptly describe them as cases of a splitting of the mental activities into two groups and say that the same consciousness turns to one or the other of these groups alternately 6 Freud considered the roots of the phenomenon of the alter ego to be in the narcissistic stage of early childhood 7 Heinz Kohut would identify a specific need in that early phase for mirroring by another which resulted later in what he called the twinship or alter ego transference 8 In popular culture and fiction edit nbsp Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde nbsp Fred Terry as the Scarlet Pimpernel alter ego of Sir Percy Blakeney in the 1905 West End production of The Scarlet PimpernelThe title characters in Robert Louis Stevenson s thriller Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde represent an exploration of the concept that good and evil exist within one person constantly at war 9 Edward Hyde represents the doctor s other self a psychopath who is unrestrained by the conventions of civilized society and who shares a body with the doctor The names Jekyll and Hyde have since become synonymous with a split personality or an alter ego that becomes capable of overpowering the original self In the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas the main character Edmond Dantes after escaping from the Chateau d If assumes three alter egos the count of Monte Cristo the Italian abbe called Giacomo Busoni and the Englishman Lord Wilmore In the novel the Count of Monte Cristo rewards those who had been good to him while punishing those who contributed in one way or the other to his imprisonment He leads M Danglars to lose all his fortune M de Villefort to his madness Fernand Mandego to commit suicide and others more to their fate Norman Douglas in the late 1890s wrote a short story The Familiar Spirit about a man who became aware while drowning of a conformist second self the presence within him of this Spirit his alter ego which is bent on crushing his ambition 10 Published in 1905 the Scarlet Pimpernel is the prototype hero with a secret identity 11 Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life apparently just a wealthy fop but in reality he is the Scarlet Pimpernel a formidable swordsman and a quick thinking master of disguise and escape artist By drawing attention to his alter ego Blakeney hides behind his public face as a slow thinking foppish playboy similar to Bruce Wayne Batman and also establishes a network of supporters The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel that aid his endeavours 12 In comic books superheroes and their secret identities are often considered the alter egos The archetypal comic book hero Superman assumes the identity of the mild mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent to live among the citizens of Metropolis without arousing suspicion The Incredible Hulk comic book series further complicates this theme as Bruce Banner loses control to the Hyde like Hulk whenever he becomes angry yet also depends upon the Hulk s superpowers to combat villains In the film and novel Fight Club the narrator has an alter ego he loses control of Tyler Durden In the Indian Malayalam film Ustaad written by Ranjith and directed by Sibi Malayil Mohanlal plays the character of Ustaad the alter ego of the character Parameswaran In Disney s Hannah Montana Miley Stewart played by Miley Cyrus leads the life of a high school student and the life of teen pop sensation Hannah Montana allowing her to get the best of both worlds Likewise Miley s friends Lilly Truscott played by Emily Osment and Oliver Oken played by Mitchel Musso also lead the lives of high school students and are what make up Hannah s entourage Lola Luftnagle and Mike Stanley III respectively In Pretty Little Liars Vivian Darkbloom is the alter ego of Alison Dilaurentis In Beavis and Butt Head Cornholio is Beavis s alter ego Several famous musicians have adopted alter egos over the years usually to indicate a new creative direction or a deep dive into their emotions removed from their popular stage persona notable examples being David Bowie with Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane and Prince with Camille 13 Rolling Stone wrote Bowie s invention of Ziggy Stardust was the alter ego that changed music forever and sent his career into orbit 14 Particularly during the 2000s several big name singers dedicated album eras to reveal their alter egos including Janet Jackson with Damita Jo Mariah Carey with The Emancipation of Mimi and Beyonce with I Am Sasha Fierce 15 Many rappers have also employed alter egos notably Eminem Slim Shady Shock G as Humpty Hump Nicki Minaj Roman Zolanski and Tyler the Creator Tyler Baudelaire among others The rapper MF DOOM has used a lot of alter egos throughout his career notably Madvillian Viktor Vaughn JJ DOOM and DANGERDOOM Darth Vader is considered to be the alter ego of Anakin Skywalker following his fall to the dark side of The Force In OMORI the story revolves around a boy named SUNNY and his alter ego OMORI In the 2023 Tamil Film Leo Bloody Sweet actor Joseph Vijay plays the character Leo Das and his alter ego Parthiban See also editAuthor surrogate Ego state therapy Gothic double Moniker nickname Mononymous person Pen name Persona Fursona Pseudonym Ring name Stage name Subpersonality True self and false self TulpaReferences edit Glenn Daniel Wilson 1991 Psychology and Performing Arts Taylor amp Francis ISBN 90 265 1119 1 Alter Ego Collins English Dictionary Complete and Unabridged 10th Edition William Collins Sons amp Co Ltd 2009 Retrieved 13 January 2013 J Haule Jung in the 21st Century II 2010 p 88 Pedersen David 1994 Cameral Analysis A Method of Treating the Psychoneuroses Using Hypnosis London U K Routledge p 20 ISBN 0 415 10424 6 S Freud Five Lectures on Psycho Analysis Penguin 1995 p 21 S Freud On Metapsychology PFL 11 p 172 S Freud The Uncanny Imago V 1919 p 41 H Kohut How Does Analysis Cure London 1984 p 192 3 I Ousby ed The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English Cambridge 1995 p 263 N Douglas Looking Back London 1934 p 274 Naversen Ron 2015 The Super Hero s Masquerade In Bell Deborah ed Masquerade Essays on Tradition and Innovation Worldwide McFarland pp 217ff ISBN 978 0 7864 7646 6 Robb Brian J May 2014 A Brief History of Superheroes From Superman to the Avengers the Evolution of Comic Book Legends Hatchet UK Kotrial Utsav August 30 2018 The Origin Stories of Music s Biggest Alter Egos Rolling Stone Retrieved November 16 2019 Ziggy Stardust How Bowie Created the Alter Ego That Changed Rock Rolling Stone Retrieved 19 July 2021 Juzwiak Rich June 18 2019 Madonna Madame X Album Review Pitchfork Retrieved November 16 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alter ego amp oldid 1186144501, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
