Mad Polly, I do hope I am not one of the ones 'stuck up their own arseholes' (What an unpleasant expression)
LittleHawk, I agree with what you say, in that as we are social creatures we create a persona to present to others and eventually become that role. But in my case, IF I relinquished the role and showed my innermost true self, it wouldn't be better, it would be worse, because I (like many others I suspect) am not all that nice 'underneath', and would blurt out hidden opinions and behave in an uncivilised fashion. I constantly monitor and modify my inner personality in order NOT to hurt or offend my fellows. I don't see the different roles of others as a threat, on the contrary, I regard them as interesting and stimulating. They don't trigger aggression in me, (but sometimes they can hurt if they're too vicious!)