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Alter ego
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<h2 id="origin">Origin</h2> <p><a href="/facts/Cicero/A37U7jaN">Cicero</a> coined the term as part of his philosophical construct in 1st-century <a href="/facts/Ancient_Rome/cGqIuxPd">Rome</a>, but he described it as "a second self, a trusted friend".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>The existence of "another self" was first fully recognized in the 18th century, when <a href="/facts/Anton_Mesmer/R8Ewh7wW">Anton Mesmer</a> and his followers used <a href="/facts/Hypnosis/3s0GqqJQ">hypnosis</a> to separate the alter ego.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> These experiments showed a behavior pattern that was distinct from the personality of the individual when he was in the <a href="/facts/Waking_state/eukTx8fQ">waking state</a> compared with when he was under hypnosis. Another character had developed in the altered state of <a href="/facts/Consciousness/IAxmgt6c">consciousness</a> but in the same body.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p><a href="/facts/Sigmund_Freud/KKIYbom9">Sigmund Freud</a>, throughout his career, would appeal to such instances of dual consciousness to support his thesis of the unconscious.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> 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".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> Freud considered the roots of the phenomenon of the alter ego to be in the <a href="/facts/Narcissism/Q2bT0HUY">narcissistic stage</a> of early childhood.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Heinz_Kohut/usUjh9CD">Heinz Kohut</a> 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".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="in-popular-culture-and-fiction">In popular culture and fiction</h2> <ul><li>The title characters in <a href="/facts/Robert_Louis_Stevenson/dpqRUyc0">Robert Louis Stevenson</a>'s thriller <i><a href="/facts/Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde/Gd15umjR">Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde</a></i> represent an exploration of the concept that good and evil exist within one person, constantly at war.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> Edward Hyde represents the doctor's other self, a <a href="/facts/Psychopathy/ES1HW8bu">psychopath</a> who is unrestrained by the conventions of civilized society, and who shares a body with the doctor. The names (Jekyll and Hyde) since become synonymous with a split personality or an <i>alter ego</i> that can overpower the original self.</li> <li>In the novel <i><a href="/facts/The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo/YN82CqGY">The Count of Monte Cristo</a></i> by <a href="/facts/Alexandre_Dumas/K5qTNg5J">Alexandre Dumas</a>, the main character <a href="/facts/Edmond_Dantes/NaNQHtvp">Edmond Dantes</a>, after escaping from the <a href="/facts/Chateau_d%2527If/WBtfbYNt">Chateau d'If</a>, 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.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Norman_Douglas/swJ1qqlA">Norman Douglas</a> in the late 1890s wrote a short story, "The Familiar Spirit", about a man who became aware while drowning of a conformist <a href="/facts/True_self_and_false_self/zVybFGEL">second self</a> – "the presence within him of this Spirit, his <i>alter ego</i>, which is bent on crushing his ambition".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a></li> <li>Published in 1905, the <a href="/facts/The_Scarlet_Pimpernel/6KGXlx5K">Scarlet Pimpernel</a>'s titular protagonist is the prototype hero with a <a href="/facts/Secret_identity/FXHvHeuA">secret identity</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life: He appears to be 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 who establishes a network of supporters, The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, that aids his endeavors. By drawing attention to his alter ego, Blakeney hides behind his public face of a thinking foppish playboy (similar to <a href="/facts/Batman/6ybzEQsH">Batman</a>, who hides himself as Bruce Wayne) <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a></li> <li>In <a href="/facts/Comic_books/xGFkPrMT">comic books</a>, superheroes and their secret identities are often considered the <i>alter egos</i>. The <a href="/facts/Archetype/FsGNSHUo">archetypal</a> comic book hero, <a href="/facts/Superman/1mQylpL6">Superman</a>, assumes the identity of the "mild-mannered" newspaper reporter <a href="/facts/Clark_Kent/1mQylpL6">Clark Kent</a> to live among the citizens of Metropolis without arousing suspicion. <i><a href="/facts/The_Incredible_Hulk_(comic_book)/JzMjFaHg">The Incredible Hulk</a></i> comic book series further complicates this theme, as <a href="/facts/Bruce_Banner/7lNCHsaW">Bruce Banner</a> loses control to the Hyde-like Hulk whenever he becomes angry, yet also depends upon the Hulk's superpowers to combat villains.</li> <li>In the film and novel <i><a href="/facts/Fight_Club/wxW4NKLo">Fight Club</a></i>, <a href="/facts/Narrator_(Fight_Club)/hjj2eru2">the narrator</a> has an alter ego he loses control of, <a href="/facts/Tyler_Durden/hjj2eru2">Tyler Durden</a>.</li> <li>In the Indian Malayalam film <i><a href="/facts/Ustaad_(1999_film)/HRb7alFV">Ustaad</a></i>, written by <a href="/facts/Ranjith_(director)/PpJRcJoC">Ranjith</a> and directed by <a href="/facts/Sibi_Malayil/3oJ6clPH">Sibi Malayil</a>, <a href="/facts/Mohanlal/3mnGUuLV">Mohanlal</a> plays the character of Ustaad, the alter ego of the character Parameswaran.</li> <li>In Disney's <i><a href="/facts/Hannah_Montana/w8GP9Cjo">Hannah Montana</a></i>, <a href="/facts/Miley_Stewart/U2e3X49W">Miley Stewart</a> (played by <a href="/facts/Miley_Cyrus/0luIt9v6">Miley Cyrus</a>), 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, <a href="/facts/Lilly_Truscott/NRQj8j6u">Lilly Truscott</a> (played by <a href="/facts/Emily_Osment/IuYLrJ02">Emily Osment</a>) and <a href="/facts/Oliver_Oken/NRQj8j6u">Oliver Oken</a> (played by <a href="/facts/Mitchel_Musso/EBKllnHX">Mitchel Musso</a>), also lead the lives of high school students and are what make up Hannah's entourage, Lola Luftnagle, and Mike Stanley III respectively.</li> <li>In <i><a href="/facts/Pretty_Little_Liars/mp5FqIxn">Pretty Little Liars</a></i>, Vivian Darkbloom is the alter ego of <a href="/facts/Alison_Dilaurentis/JjFuNEPE">Alison Dilaurentis</a>.</li> <li>In <i><a href="/facts/Beavis_and_Butt-Head/syAzPRHn">Beavis and Butt-Head</a></i>, Cornholio is <a href="/facts/Beavis/p3GMgWPJ">Beavis</a>'s alter ego.</li> <li>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 <a href="/facts/David_Bowie/7nMplAnf">David Bowie</a> (with <a href="/facts/Ziggy_Stardust_(character)/rNPGqK3c">Ziggy Stardust</a> and <a href="/facts/Aladdin_Sane_(character)/8ET4maUX">Aladdin Sane</a>) and <a href="/facts/Prince_(musician)/cSkbYHIA">Prince</a> (with Camille).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> <i><a href="/facts/Rolling_Stone/HhCFoJ9F">Rolling Stone</a></i> wrote Bowie's invention of Ziggy Stardust was "the alter ego that changed music forever and sent his career into orbit".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> Particularly during the 2000s, several big-name singers dedicated album eras to reveal their alter egos, including <a href="/facts/Janet_Jackson/J4ACIKyy">Janet Jackson</a> with <i><a href="/facts/Damita_Jo_(album)/CWhm2Y8r">Damita Jo</a>,</i> <a href="/facts/Mariah_Carey/DlaF3a03">Mariah Carey</a> with <i><a href="/facts/The_Emancipation_of_Mimi/qrkrJSwp">The Emancipation of Mimi</a></i>, and <a href="/facts/Beyonc%25C3%25A9/7FhLdAaS">Beyoncé</a> with <i><a href="/facts/I_Am..._Sasha_Fierce/Cv5V2txL">I Am ... Sasha Fierce</a></i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> Many rappers have also employed alter egos, notably <a href="/facts/Eminem/zXSQb1nS">Eminem</a> (Slim Shady), <a href="/facts/Shock_G/ebFKaBDJ">Shock G</a> (Humpty Hump), <a href="/facts/Nicki_Minaj/Ns8pdHKL">Nicki Minaj</a> (Roman Zolanski), <a href="/facts/Tyler%2c_the_Creator/oqXbXh8l">Tyler, the Creator</a> (Wolf Haley, Igor <i>et al.</i>), and <a href="/facts/MF_Doom/yhugfK2Y">MF DOOM</a> (<a href="/facts/Viktor_Vaughn/yhugfK2Y">Viktor Vaughn</a> and King Geedorah <i>et al.</i>)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Darth_Vader/gy1XBNa9">Darth Vader</a> is considered to be Anakin Skywalker's alter ego following his fall to the dark side of <a href="/facts/The_Force/Sgm5LjcW">The Force</a>.</li> <li>In the 2023 Tamil Film <i><a href="/facts/Leo_(2023_Indian_film)/g0BKEHWE">Leo: Bloody Sweet</a></i> actor <a href="/facts/Vijay_(actor)/eFfXMnQw">Joseph Vijay</a> plays the character Leo Das and his alter-ego Parthiban.</li> <li>The 2006 animated film <a href="/facts/Paprika_(2006_film)/BN07HG7f">Paprika</a> features a psychologist named Atsuko and her dream-self, Paprika.</li> <li>In the <a href="/facts/Malayalam_cinema/1EPIKdm5">Malayalam</a> Film <a href="/facts/Ustaad_(1999_film)/HRb7alFV">Ustaad</a> released in 1999, actor <a href="/facts/Mohanlal/3mnGUuLV">Mohanlal</a> plays both the characters ''Ustaad", an underworld don, and his alter-ego Parmeshwaran, a soft spoken businessman that leads a normal life.</li> <li>In the video game <i><a href="/facts/Elden_Ring/e5kCNtp8">Elden Ring</a></i>, one of the most important characters, "Miquella the kind" has an alter ego called "St. Trina."</li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Author_surrogate/lgHdzWbr">Author surrogate</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Demonic_Possession/HKnvsL4t">Demonic Possession</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Ego-state_therapy/3KIQ6WFN">Ego-state therapy</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Gothic_double/zNRM9HJP">Gothic double</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Heteronym_(literature)/5eBlf8VQ">Heteronym</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Moniker/o51t47pJ">Moniker</a> (nickname)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Mononymous_person/jhn54bST">Mononymous person</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Pen_name/0FB0nvKF">Pen name</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Persona/lMy54oWx">Persona</a> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Fursona_(fandom)/qxSL0Ahy">Fursona</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/facts/Pseudonym/A5EjmWxQ">Pseudonym</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Ring_name/Slq79cY8">Ring name</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Rebirth_(Buddhism)/AddRDvCB">Rebirth (Buddhism)</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Reincarnation/vITGGNlT">Reincarnation</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Schizophrenia/FMP4lQ57">Schizophrenia</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Stage_name/XcxhFfYw">Stage name</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Subpersonality/EXS57VQb">Subpersonality</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/True_self_and_false_self/zVybFGEL">True self and false self</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Tulpa/CNS0Jslp">Tulpa</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Glenn Daniel Wilson (1991). Psychology and Performing Arts. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 90-265-1119-1. <a href="90-265-1119-1" target="_blank">90-265-1119-1</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Alter Ego". Collins English Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 10th Edition. William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2013. <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alter+ego" target="_blank">http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alter+ego</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>J Haule, Jung in the 21st Century II (2010) p. 88 <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Pedersen, David (1994). Cameral Analysis: A Method of Treating the Psychoneuroses Using Hypnosis. London, U.K.: Routledge. p. 20. ISBN 0-415-10424-6. <a href="0-415-10424-6" target="_blank">0-415-10424-6</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Freud, S., Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis (Penguin 1995) p. 21 <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Freud, S. On Metapsychology (PFL 11) p. 172 <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Freud, S., 'The Uncanny' Imago V (1919) p. 41 <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Kohut, H., How Does Analysis Cure? (London 1984) p. 192-3 <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>I. Ousby ed., The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English (Cambridge 1995) p. 263 <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>N. Douglas, Looking Back (London 1934) p. 274 <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>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. <a href="978-0-7864-7646-6" target="_blank">978-0-7864-7646-6</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Robb, Brian J. (May 2014). A Brief History of Superheroes: From Superman to the Avengers, the Evolution of Comic Book Legends. Hatchet UK. <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Kotrial, Utsav (August 30, 2018). "The Origin Stories of Music's Biggest Alter Egos". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 16, 2019. <a href="https://rollingstoneindia.com/origin-stories-musics-biggest-alter-egos/" target="_blank">https://rollingstoneindia.com/origin-stories-musics-biggest-alter-egos/</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"'Ziggy Stardust': How Bowie Created the Alter Ego That Changed Rock". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 July 2021. <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ziggy-stardust-how-bowie-created-the-alter-ego-that-changed-rock-55254/" target="_blank">https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ziggy-stardust-how-bowie-created-the-alter-ego-that-changed-rock-55254/</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Juzwiak, Rich (June 18, 2019). "Madonna: Madame X Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 16, 2019. <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madonna-madame-x/" target="_blank">https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madonna-madame-x/</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>