Mask or Persona (Persona) — an archetype, according to C. G. Jung, the social role that a person plays in fulfilling the requirements addressed to him by society. This is the public face of the personality, perceived by others, it hides the true essence of the person’s personality.
“The mask is a functional complex that arises to satisfy the need for adaptation or to provide some other comfort, but by no means identical to the person as such.” K.G. Jung
According to M. Jacobi, for a person who is in harmony with both the environment and his own life, the Mask is just a thin protective shell that helps his natural relationship with the outside world. At the same time, says James A. Hall, an undeveloped Persona makes a person very sensitive, he feels threatened even in ordinary interactions with others.
Jung took the name for the archetype from the ancient theater, where the actors called the mask applied to the face persona.