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In psychology and sociology, masking, also known as social camouflaging, is a defensive behavior in which an individual conceals their natural personality or behavior in response to social pressure, abuse, or harassment. Masking can be strongly influenced by environmental factors such as authoritarian parents, social rejection, and emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. Masking can be a behavior individuals adopt subconsciously as coping mechanisms or a trauma response, or it can be a conscious behavior an individual adopts to fit in within perceived societal norms. Masking is interconnected with maintaining performative behavior within social structures and cultures.[1]
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Masking has existed since antiquity, with authors like Shakespeare referencing it in fiction long before masking was formally defined and studied within psychology.[2] Frantz Fanon is credited with defining masking in his 1957 Black Skin, White Masks, which describes masking behavior in race relations within the stratified post-war United States.[1][3] Fanon explains how African-Americans, especially those of low social capital, adopted certain behaviors to resemble white people as well as other behaviors intended to please whites and reinforce the white man's higher social status.[3]
The black man has two dimensions. One with his fellows, the other with the white man. That this self-division is a direct result of colonialist subjugation is beyond question.
— Frantz Fanon, Black Skins, White Masks, [3]
The term masking was used to describe the act of concealing disgust by Paul Ekman (1972) and Friesen (1969).[4] It was also thought of as a learned behavior. Developmental studies have shown that this ability begins as early as preschool and improves with age.[5] Masking is mostly used to conceal a negative emotion (usually sadness, frustration, and anger) with a positive emotion or indifferent affect.[4]
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The social drivers of masking include social discrimination, cultural dominance, and violence. Elizabeth Radulski argues that masking is a cultural performance within Judith Butler's concept of performativity that helps individuals bypass cultural and structural barriers.[1]
Situational contexts
The causes of masking are highly contextual and situational. Masking may disguise emotions considered socially inappropriate within a situational context, such as anger, jealousy, or rage. Individuals may mask in certain social situations, such as job interviews or dates, or around people of different cultures, identities, or ethnicities.[4] Since different social situations require different performances, individuals often switch masks and exhibit different masking behaviors in different contexts. Code-switching, although associated more with linguistics, also refers to the process of changing one's masking behavior around different cultures in social and cultural anthropology.[6] Contextual factors including relationships with one's conversation partner, social capital (class) differences, location, and social setting are all reasons why an individual would express, suppress, or mask an emotion.[7]
There is a gendered disparity in masking behavior; studies show women mask negative emotions to a greater extent than men. According to psychologist Teresa Davis, this may be due to the greater social expectation for conformity placed on female gender roles, causing women to develop the skill to a greater extent than men during childhood socialization.[8]
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Autistic masking, also referred to as camouflaging, is the conscious or subconscious suppression of autistic behaviors or the compensation of difficulties in social interaction by autistic people with the goal of being perceived as neurotypical.[9][10] It is a learned coping strategy.[11][12]
Typical examples of autistic masking include the suppression of stimming and meltdowns, a common reaction to sensory overload.[11] To compensate difficulties in social interaction with neurotypical peers, autistic people might maintain eye contact despite discomfort, use rehearsed conversational scripts, or mirror the body language and tone of others.[9][10][11][13]
Masking requires an exceptional effort.[11][14] It is linked with adverse mental health outcomes such as stress,[15] autistic burnout,[10] anxiety and other psychological disorders,[15] loss of identity,[15] and suicidality.[10][15][16] Some studies find that compensation strategies are seen as contributing to leading a successful and satisfactory life.[9][17]
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Research suggests that there are noticeable differences in social camouflaging between males and females, with the claim that females are more prevalent in masking their personalities in social situations more than men. Due to the autism gender gap, the scenario in which autism within females is not as recognized as it is in males,[18] females often times have a harder time getting a diagnosis of autism at an earlier age, bringing a more pressured conforming to social cues and reciprocity to social situations, leading to higher cases of female autistic individuals masking more often. Not only this, but due to females with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) learning to mask at such early stages of life, many females will remain undiagnosed, or get a late diagnosis of autism.[19]
Environment also plays a role in autistic females learning how to mask themselves more than male autistic individuals. Females with ASD have a higher tendency to learn through a series of mimicking others, this would lead ultimately lead to females with ASD learning how to mask as if it was second nature.[20]
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Little is known about the effects of masking one's negative emotions. In the workplace, masking leads to feelings of dissonance, insincerity, job dissatisfaction, emotional and physical exhaustion, and self-reported health problems.[21] Some have also reported experiencing somatic symptoms and harmful physiological and cognitive effects as a consequence.[4]
Masking bring reports of loneliness from autistic individuals, due to the fact that many are having to suppress their true identity to conform to social standards. Masking can make it difficult to form real connections with other people, followed by statements that many feel as if they have lost their true identity as an autistic individual, feeling as if they are only playing a role for the majority of their lives.[22]
Though there are many disadvantages to masking for individuals, many report the benefits masking has brought for them. Such reports stated that individuals felt as if became easier to socialize, to uphold careers, build relationships, and even at times, were able to protect themselves.[23]
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