Multiple Selves (Multiple Personas)

Multiple selves (or multiple personas) refers to the different ways that individuals interact with the different situations and circumstances in their lives.

For example, a person takes on these different styles of interactions as a parent, as an employee, as a friend, as a son or daughter, or as a spouse. Think about if you answered your phone with a businesslike voice and it was your best friend, however she didn't even recognize you until you identified yourself because of the difference between your "businesslike" persona and your "friend" persona. This, however, is not the same as dissociative identity disorder in that the individual does not lose track of his own identity or personality, it simply involves the modifications of reactions and interaction patterns with the world.