This presentation outlines a directed research project that hypothesizes that expressing multiple personas online can lead to a better understanding of oneself and a less frustrating life. The exploration of different perspectives through social media allows users to experience new viewpoints and further comprehend the complexity of their own identity. By setting aside preconceived ideologies and immersing themselves in this experience, people can become more tolerant of differences and emotionally mature. The research will examine the historical concept of multiplicity of self, the benefits of expressing different aspects of oneself, and how virtual worlds provide new platforms for this expression.

1. presentation 4
directed research
gabriel alves / professor tom klimkowstein

3. “Energy that is not expressed gets corrupted. It
has to be transformed, otherwise it will drag
you into darkness, not into light.”
Osho, The Sword and the Lotus. 4

4. HYPOTHESIS
This thesis presents the hypothesis that we are all made of multiple personalities and in or-
der to achieve a better understanding of ourselves, as well as a less frustrating life we
must express these personas in an online community. for us to be accepted by society we
tend to choose one fraction of our “self” as our main character, while the rest remains
repressed in our unconscious, leading to frustration and aggressiveness.
The exploration of the self in a less constrained environment such as a social media can
let users experience different perspectives and share them with others, leading to a further
comprehension and acceptance of the complexity of what constitutes them as a person.
Moreover, by letting one’s ideologies aside and emerging in this new experience, one is
able to be more tolerant to different viewpoints, leading users to become emotionally
more mature persons.

5. RESEARCH OUTLINE

6. introduction
• Etymology of the word persona
• The construction of identity. Lacan’s “The mirror effect”
• Repressing leads to aggression. Freud’s “Civilization and it’s discontents”
• Energy has to be transformed. Osho’s “The sword and the Lotus”
• The self is only a projection. Thandie Newton’s “Embracing othernesness”

7. The multiplicity of the self throughout history
• History of theater and the cathartic effect. the aristotelian catharsis.
• The true self in masked balls. One’s true desires, Breaking society structure.
• Historical Reenactment. Roleplaying, Historical facts, no script.
• RPG: Living trough alter egos. the art of story telling from the inside

8. The benefits of being many
• In the creative process. Shea Hembrey’s “How I became 100 artists”
• In therapy. Dr. Boffey’s “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Reinventing ourselves”
• In education. Sugata Mitra’s “Minimally Invasive Education”
• In moral construction. Philip Zimbardo”S “ The Lucifer Effect”

9. virtual worlds: new platforms of expression
• Social Media. user profiles and the new masked balls
• Avatars. rebuilding identity
• Games. Slavoj Zizek’s “Matrix and video games”- the true self

10. thank you