So I guess there's "masking" and "adapting." TFA doesn't seem to differentiate between the two.
I don't "mask" around people I'm comfortable with and know me well (friends and family), but I definitely "adapt" in situations where people don't know me well and I am eager to fit in and/or match their energy.
Occasionally you do have to "adapt" even with friends and family, depending on the situation. I like to crack jokes pretty much all the time, but if I did that when someone was describing something serious (a close relative dying, for example), that would quickly ruin a relationship.
Even neurotypical people do this, we put on different personas around different groups. Neighbors, co-workers, close friends, acquaintances, parents, kids. That's normal and healthy because all of those relationships are different. That doesn't mean your core personality is wildly different, just that your engagement with each of those groups is slightly different because the expectations are different.
bityard•26m ago
I don't "mask" around people I'm comfortable with and know me well (friends and family), but I definitely "adapt" in situations where people don't know me well and I am eager to fit in and/or match their energy.
Occasionally you do have to "adapt" even with friends and family, depending on the situation. I like to crack jokes pretty much all the time, but if I did that when someone was describing something serious (a close relative dying, for example), that would quickly ruin a relationship.
Even neurotypical people do this, we put on different personas around different groups. Neighbors, co-workers, close friends, acquaintances, parents, kids. That's normal and healthy because all of those relationships are different. That doesn't mean your core personality is wildly different, just that your engagement with each of those groups is slightly different because the expectations are different.