Persona

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A persona (plural personae or personas) is a strategic mask of identity in public,^[1] the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character.^[2] It is also considered "an intermediary between the individual and the institution."^[3]

Persona studies is an academic field developed by communication and media scholars.^[4] The term “persona” has been discussed by sociologists Robert Park^[5] and Erving Goffman^[6] in the 1950s. It is a tool to become persons by constructing the conception of our role and connecting the inner conception to the outer world as individuals.^[7] Yet, the terminology of identity and personae has been applied loosely and both imply the impressions of self and social performances in their works.

The word derives from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask.^[8] The usage of the word dates back to the beginnings of Latin civilization.^[9] The Latin word derived from the Etruscan word "phersu," with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον (prosōpon).^[10] It is the etymology of the word "person," or "parson" in French.^[11] Latin etymologists explain that persona comes from "per/sonare" as "the mask through which (per) resounds the voice (of the actor)."^[12]

Its meaning in the latter Roman period changed to indicate a "character" of a theatrical performance or court of law,^[13] when it became apparent that different individuals could assume the same role and that 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.