Superheroes and superheroines: the secret identity
All throughout my life I have been able to look at people and see amazing and unique powers that they seem to be mostly unaware of, or they seem to be using them (or be used by them) in unconscious and distorted ways.
Almost everyone had a bit of unrecognized and alienated super-man or super-woman in themselves, almost tired of trying to come out, locked in the prison of a – more or less – dull but socially acceptable identity.
The conflict between the true self and social self is not something new in the world of psychology, but it is a most unknown topic to the public at large.
In ancient days, rites of passage were employed to awaken individuals to their true nature. This led to the death of the child identity, in order for the true self of an adult being to emerge.
In today’s consumer society we have many people going around with no clue of who they are, focused on protecting their infantile social self that never got a chance to develop and accommodate their true identity.
This is why truly great people are a thing of the past, and instead we celebrate and worship the mediocrity of celebrity and politicians.
At the same time, everyone on this planet has the potential to be a great man or woman, including yourself. Yes, you! You have it in you and probably it has been crying to come out for a long time now.