Erm... sorry if the title's kind of strange but its the best i can think of.
Nowadays, it is very difficult to find a person who shows/expresses how he/she really feels. I'm not really sure if the above sentence makes sense, so here's an example. Something may cause person A to be sad, but when in school, person A acts as though there is nothing bothering him/her. In short, one 'masks' their emotions. More commonly, one masks the personalities. If you don't really understand, try the following activity. Find a 'target'. wait until that person is with their group of friends, then start talking to him/her. take note of their attitude and personality. Then, wait until your person of choice is alone, then start talking to him/her. In most cases there is a VERY LARGE difference in personalities. BUT WHY?????
one of the reasons is probably because being in a group makes on 'braver'. when in a group, one may be more rebelious, and perhaps rude. therefore, when you converse with these poeple alone, they are usually quieter and calmer.
my next proposed reason is somewhat related to the above reason. when your friends are people with a better reputation or in a way, cooler than you, you may tend to subconsiously be like them. For example, if your group of friends are well-known with a high reputation, under influence of peer pressure, you may end up like them. However, when you are alone, you go back to being your normal, natural self.
My next point compares people when they are in crowded places (eg. school ) and not-so-crowded places (eg. home). In school, some people may be afraid of being bullied or being taken advantage of. therefore, they act tough to 'ward off predators'. However, they may in fact be nice people.
If you've noticed, the above points are all about making one tougher, cooler, etc. However, there is a last reason that i can think of, why people would mask their true emotions/personalities. It is to seek attention. I don't think i need to elaborate much on this because pretty much everyone does this. Its just whether you realise it or not. I believe that watching people act childish is really irritating Most of the time. Sure, it entertains us for a while... laugh a bit... then it starts to get annoying. I don't understand how those people acting childish can even stand themselves. If it were me, i would have found myself irritating.
I probably shouldn't sidetrack so much, so let me get back to the main point. If you have survived the previous few paragraphs, here is your reward! the moral of my 'story' : Apprearances can be deciving, do not judge a person by your first impression of them.
P.s. WOW what a long post i've just typed....
