I became intrigued by how SCD can indicate the masking behavior of individuals within their various role identities.
SCD(Self Concept Differentiation) is a tendency to see oneself as having different personalities in different social roles such as a student, daughter/son, worker, spouse and friend.
In “The Divided Self”, the study revealed that most participants had low to moderate SCD, while a few with high SCD exhibited severe masking behaviors between their different identities.
This paper supports Block’s(1961) theory that people with high SCD are denoted as “interpersonal chameleons, with no inner core of identity, fitfully reacting to all ways to all people.”
I instantly remembered the podcast I watched about Sociopathy.
Sociopathy is an informal and outdated term for antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Some common signs of Sociopathy are a lack of empathy, lying and impulsive behavior.
But high-functioning sociopaths are very good at masking these behaviors and showing their different selves in different roles.
How Sociopaths Actually Work - Podcast by Patric Gagne, the author of “Sociopath: A Memoir”
In this Podcast, Patric Gagne, talks about her whole life from childhood as someone who is diagnosed as a sociopath.
As told in the podcast,
“From a young age, she knew there was something different about herself. She didn’t feel emotions the same way other kids did. To avoid stigma and to fit in, she learned to hide her true self. She tells Business Insider about breaking into homes and stealing cars to relieve the pressure of hiding.”
As recounted by Patric Gagne in the video, as a child, she was unable to feel the emotions of others, which left her uncertain about how to react or empathize. This created a different identity for her to the outside world, especially her school, as someone who is outgoing and funny, while in reality, she is not.
This made me wonder whether the study based on SCD, can be extended to study the masking behavior in personality disorders ?
Can a high SCD in growing kids/adults be an early indicator of Sociopathy or any other personality disorders?
Only a research can answer!!