A persona (plural personae or personas), in the word's everyday usage,
is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is
derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical
mask.[1] The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word
"phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek
πρόσωπον (prosōpon). Its meaning in the latter Roman period
changed to indicate a "character" of a theatrical performance or court
of law,[citation needed] when it became apparent that different
individuals could assume the same role, and legal attributes such as
rights, powers, and duties followed the role. The same individuals as
actors could play different roles, each with its own legal attributes,
sometimes even in the same court appearance. According to other
sources, which also admit that the origin of the term is not
completely clear, persona could possibly be related to the Latin verb
per-sonare, literally: sounding through, with an obvious link to the
above-mentioned theatrical mask.
In the context of the social web, users create virtual persona which
are also termed internet or online identities. Personae in fan fiction
and stories written through the medium of the internet are often
utilised by authors as a means of subtle self-insertion.
Contents
1 In literature
2 In music
3 In psychology
4 In marketing
5 In user experience design
6 See also
7 Citations
In literature[edit]
In literature the term generally refers to a character established by
an author, one in whose voice all or part of a narrative takes place.
Poets such as Robert Browning, Ezra Pound, and
T. S. Eliot
.jpg)
T. S. Eliot are
strongly associated with such narrative voices, as is the writer Luigi
Pirandello. These writers understood the term slightly differently and
derived its use and meaning from different traditions. Examples of
Eliot's personae were
Prufrock

Prufrock and Sweeney. Pound developed such
characters as Cino, Bertran de Born, Propertius, and Mauberley in
response to figures in Browning’s dramatic monologues. Whereas Eliot
used "masks" to distance himself from aspects of modern life which he
found degrading and repulsive, Pound's personae were often poets and
could be considered in good part alter-egos. For Pound, the personae
were a way of working through a specific poetic problem. In this
sense, the persona is a transparent mask, wearing the traits of two
poets and responding to two situations, old and new, which are similar
and overlapping.
In literary analysis, any narrative voice that speaks in the first
person and appears to define a particular character is often referred
to as a persona. It is contrasted with a third-person narrative voice,
generally taken to be more objective and impersonal. There are
borderline cases, such as the “we” that occurs late in Edwin
Arlington Robinson’s poem “Eros Turannos” and functions
something like a chorus in a Greek tragedy, but in general any
identifiable narrator whose point of view or manner of speaking
clearly distinguishes him or her from the author is considered a
literary persona.
In music[edit]
David Bowie

David Bowie as
The Thin White Duke

The Thin White Duke at Maple Leaf Gardens,
Toronto

Toronto 1976
Usually the performers assume a role that matches the music they sing
on stage, though they may also be composers. Many performers make use
of a persona. Some artists create various characters, especially if
their career is long and they go through many changes over time. For
example,
David Bowie

David Bowie initially adopted a role as an alien Ziggy
Stardust, and later as The Thin White Duke.[2] More than just artistic
pseudonyms, the personae are independent characters used in the
artist's shows and albums (in this example, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy
Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Station to Station).
However, in music, a persona does not always mean a change. Some
authors have noted that Bob Dylan's charisma is due largely to his
almost stereotyped image, always with a harmonica, guitar, and with
his distinctive hair, nasal voice, and clothing.[3] The persona also
serves to claim a right or to draw attention to a certain subject.
That is the case of
Marilyn Manson
.jpg/440px-Marilyn_Manson_Live_in_Roma_25_july_2017-_44_(cropped).jpg)
Marilyn Manson and his interest in death and
morbidity, and Madonna and her interest in sexuality.[4]
The concept of persona in music was introduced by
Edward T. Cone in
his The Composer's Voice (1974), that dealt with the relation between
the lyrical self of a song's lyrics and its composer.[5] The concept
of persona can be used to refer also to an instrumentalist, like a
pianist and his playing style,[6] although the term is more commonly
used to refer to the voice and performance nuances of a vocalist in a
studio album or in a live concert. Examples include Maria Bethânia,
Elis Regina, Edith Piaf, Nina Simone, and also
Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger of The
Rolling Stones, who takes the guise of
Satan

Satan in the song "Sympathy for
the Devil" or of a housewife in "Slave". Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Band by The Beatles, presents a group persona,[7] including the
character
Billy Shears

Billy Shears "played by" drummer Ringo Starr.[8]
"Roman Holiday"
Nicki Minaj
.jpg)
Nicki Minaj switches between her fast-paced Roman Zolanski persona to
his mother, Martha, during this 30 second sample of "Roman Holiday".
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Artists such as Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and
Beyoncé

Beyoncé popularized the
use of personae in the performance of pop music.[9] Jo Calderone, the
persona of Lady Gaga, performed at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Jo
represents a drag male persona, and is often used in the performance
of her song, "You and I".[10] Nicki Minaj, a bubblegum rapper, employs
multiple personae, ranging from what she calls the Harajuku Barbie
persona to Roman Zolanski, a Polish homosexual. The personae were
heavily used in her sophomoric album, Pink Friday: Roman
Reloaded.[11][12] The persona of
Beyoncé

Beyoncé Knowles, "Sasha Fierce",
appears on the album I Am... Sasha Fierce. According to Beyoncé,
Sasha is her wilder side, emerging during high octane stage
performances and serving as a sort of scapegoat for "unladylike"
behavior.[9][13]
In psychology[edit]
Main article:
Persona

Persona (psychology)
According to
Carl Jung

Carl Jung and the Jungian psychology, the persona is also
the mask or appearance one presents to the world.[14] It may appear in
dreams under various guises. People may choose to wear a social mask
or "persona" to make themselves appear more socially desirable. This
is used to impress members of the opposite sex or to make new
friends.[15] People can have multiple personas that they use in
various situations, this can include work, being with friends, at
home, etc. Depending on the person stronger personas can be created
becasue they put a higher emphasis on social interactions. However
Carl Jung

Carl Jung warns about using personas to much fearing that one might
lose their own individuality to their persona. A study has shown that
this can be true to an extent, when taking a private self-rating test
there is a high correlation between how a person rates themselves and
how they present themselves in public, but its hard to tell if people
are accurately filling out the test or answering what they find
desirable.[16]
In a Study written by Danielle Jackson she claims that a persons
persona can range in healthiness, the more healthy a persona is the
more socially acceptable and consistent that person is. However once a
person starts to believe that they are their persona it can have
adverse affects on their personality.[17]
James Hillman believed that
once a person loses their identity to a persona they become an
Archetypal figure. By losing their "ego" their persona becomes their
personality in an Archetypal form. However when this occurs the person
becomes unstable and they are unable to act outside of their formed
persona. [18]
In marketing[edit]
Main article:
Persona

Persona (marketing)
Some marketing experts recommend creating a marketing persona that
represents a group of customers[19] so that the company can focus its
efforts.
Advertising businesses base some of their business models on internet
personas. They monitor pictures, browsing history and the ads people
surfing the internet generally select or choose to click, and based on
that data they tailor their merchandise to a targeted audience. Free
social network sites rely on advertising companies to maintain their
internet presence. They collaborate to develop terms of agreement over
sharing data such that both parties benefit from the information.
Therefore, internet personas run the risk of becoming a target for
fraudulent actions.[further explanation needed][20]
In user experience design[edit]
Main article:
Persona

Persona (user experience)
Personas are also used in User experience design, known as user
persona, and in Design for All.
Alan Cooper

Alan Cooper introduced personas in his
book The Inmates Are Running the Asylum (1998). Cooper play-acted
fictitious characters in order to help solve design questions.[21]
These personas need to be based on research and can also be described
in narrative form.[22] Andrew Hinton has observed that creating
personas has become synonymous with creating documents instead of an
"activity of empathetic role-play".[23]
Practitioners of Design for All and user-centred design have created
personas with disabilities, for example, as part of the book Just Ask:
Integrating Accessibility Throughout Design,[24] those by the European
R&D project AEGIS (available under Creative Commons),[25] and
those by the European R&D project ACCESSIBLE (available as
OWL).[26]
See also[edit]
Alter ego
Character mask
Costume
Doppelgänger
Stage name
Pseudonym
Nom de plume
Citations[edit]
^ Bishop, Paul (July 30, 2007). Analytical Psychology and German
Classical Aesthetics: Goethe, Schiller, and Jung, Volume 1: The
Development of the Personality. Taylor & Francis.
pp. 157–158. ISBN 978-0-203-96088-2. Retrieved August 27,
2013.
^ James E. Perone, The words and music of
David Bowie

David Bowie (Greenwood
Publishing Group, 2007), ppp. 39, 51, and 108. ISBN 0-275-99245-4
^ Paul Williams, Bob Dylan: performing artist 1986-1990 &
beyond : mind out of time (Omnibus Press, 2004), p.229.
ISBN 1-84449-281-8
^ Bhesham R. Sharma, The death of art (University Press of America,
2006), p.14. ISBN 0-7618-3466-4
^ Deborah Stein and Robert Spillman, Poetry Into Song: Performance and
Analysis of Lieder (Oxford University Press US, 2010), p.235.
ISBN 0-19-975430-6
^ Deborah Stein and Robert Spillman, p.106.
^ Kenneth Womack and Todd F. Davis, Reading the Beatles: cultural
studies, literary criticism, and the Fab Four (SUNY Press, 2006),
p.21. ISBN 0-7914-6715-5
^ Allan F. Moore, The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
(Cambridge University Press, 1997), p.75. ISBN 0-521-57484-6
^ a b Chace, Zoe. "Pop Personae: Why Do Some Women Perform In
Character?". NPR.com. NPR. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
^ Dinh, James (2011-09-28). "
Lady Gaga
.jpg/440px-Lady_Gaga_JWT_Montreal_BM,_2017-11-03_(cropped).jpg)
Lady Gaga Bends Gender, Minds With VMA
Monologue". MTV. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
^ Lizzy Goodman (June 20, 2010). "Nicki Minaj, the Rapper With a Crush
on Meryl Streep". New York magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
^ Dawson, Imani A. "
Nicki Minaj
.jpg)
Nicki Minaj Gets 'Revenge' With Eminem".
Rap-Up.com. Vibe Media Group. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
^ Jonathan, Cohen (November 26, 2008). "
Beyoncé

Beyoncé Starts 'Fierce' Atop
Album Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the
original on January 17, 2010.
^ Jung, Carl Gustav (August 1, 1971). Psychological Types. Collected
Works of C.G. Jung. 6. Princeton University Press.
ISBN 0-691-09770-4.
^ Leary, Mark R. (October 19, 2011). "Personality and persona:
personality processes in self presentation". 79.
doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00704.x.
^ Leary, Mark R. (October 19, 2011). "Personality and persona:
personality processes in self presentation". 79.
doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00704.x.
^
Persona

Persona of Anime: A Depth Psychological Approach to the
Persona

Persona and
Individuation. 2017. Unknown parameter auther= ignored
(author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter
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^
Persona

Persona of Anime: A Depth Psychological Approach to the
Persona

Persona and
Individuation. 2017. Unknown parameter auther= ignored
(author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter
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^ Rind, Bonnie. "The Power of the Persona". Retrieved May 5, 2009. The
identification and application of personas improved Development’s
efficiency and quality during the first development cycle in which
they were used. In addition, the use of personas significantly
improved corporate cohesiveness, focus and decision making at every
level.
^ Pike, Bob. "
Persona

Persona Management". Computer Fraud & Security. 2010
(11): 11–15. doi:10.1016/S1361-3723(10)70145-7.
^ Alan Cooper: "The origin of personas". Cooper Journal, May 15, 2008.
^ Kim Goodwin: "Getting from research to personas: harnessing the
power of data". Cooper Journal, May 15, 2008.
^ Andrew Hinton: "Personas and the
Role

Role of Design Documentation."
Boxes and Arrow, February 27th, 2008.
^ Shawn Lawton Henry: Just Ask: Integrating Accessibility Throughout
Design.
^ AEGIS: Personas.
^ ACCESSIBLE: Class: User
Authority control