What is Alter ego?
{{About|the Latin term|The German term|Doppelgänger}} An '''alter ego''' (''other I'' in [[Latin]]) means '''another self''' – a second [[personality]] within a [[person]]. It is also referred to as a '''double life'''. ==Naming== The word ''alter ego'' was first used in the 19th century. It was [[Invention|invented]] by [[Psychologist|psychologists]] when discussing [[dissociative identity disorder]]. ''[[The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]]'' has an example of alter ego. Mr. Hyde is Dr. Jekyll's [[evil]] alter ego, the same person with different personalities. ==In literature== The term has seen common use in popular [[fiction]], such as [[Comic book|comic books]], for the secret identity of a [[superhero]], [[vigilante]] or crimefighter. The character would do this without others knowing that he or she is fighting [[Crime|crimes]]. Examples of characters with alter egos include: * [[Superman]]: His alter ego is Clark Kent * Bruce Wayne: His alter ego is [[Batman]] * Peter Parker: His alter ego is [[Spider-Man]] ==In music== In songs, an [[artist]] may use an alter ego. For instance: * Slim Shady is the alter ego of [[rapper]] [[Eminem]] * [[Ziggy Stardust]] was an alter ego of [[David Bowie]] * [[Marilyn Manson (musician)|Marilyn Manson]] is the stage name of [[Brian Warner]] ==Related pages== * [[Psychoanalysis]] * [[Id, ego, and super-ego]] [[Category:Psychiatry]] [[Category:Psychology]] [[Category:Human behavior]] [[Category:Latin words used in English]]