What Are My Masks?

As teens become more familiar with their own masks, they discover how they and those around them use masking to get by in everyday life. We all slip in and out of a number of roles each day. We all wear masks according to what we're doing and with whom we're interacting. A teen naturally acts like a different person when she's with her grandmother than she does when she's hanging with her friends. She doesn't behave the same way toward her principal as she does toward her little sister. Masks can help or hinder the way a person relates to the world - depending on how they're used.

What's your mask? When do you wear it?

"Whenever there are more than three or four people in a room, I put on the quiet, reserved mask," one teen volunteers. "But when it's just me and Cheryl, I'm the cut-up."

They think about what their masks do for them: "My 'responsible-young-leader' mask got me that summer camp job," or "Whenever I wear the 'I-can-take-it' mask, the guys don't pick on me as much because I don't make as fun a target."

What are the costs? What does your mask cover?

"I don't have as much fun hanging with my girlfriends when I'm wearing the quiet reserved mask."

"When I act like a tough guy, I don't let the guys see that their comments really hurt. Maybe if they had a choice, they'd rather know when they're hurting my feelings."

"My 'responsible-young-leader' mask makes me feel like a faker. I feel like I just put it on to impress my parents. I wish they could be impressed by me instead of by a mask I put on."

What matters most in this process is that teens are looking inside themselves for the answers. Nobody can get them from simply being told. Those magical "Aha!" moments come from within.

Much of the content of this website is excerpted from the book The Seven Biggest Teen Problems And How To Turn Them Into Strengths - Copyright © 2006 by Bobbi DePorter. All rights reserved. No part of the content of the website may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. SuperCamp®, Quantum Learning® and Learning Forum® are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.