I have a contradictory sense of self.

So apparently I have a contradictory sense of self.

“Psychologists in America have interviewed ten male members of the Latter-day Saints Church (i.e. Mormons) who’ve grown beards despite their church preferring members not to have facial hair. Michael Nielsen and Daryl White argue the stories these men tell provide rich material for exploring issues of social control and individual identity.

“The researchers say these cases show men attempting to manage “contradictory senses of self”.

“Faced with unnecessarily invasive requests to shave, requests that sometimes took the shape of ultimatums, some men expressed resentment at having to choose between a mere show of compliance and deeply felt, even intimate identities: discomfort, embarrassment, and shame are exchanged for a token show of obedience, with resentment likely to follow.”

I didn’t realize I was so rich and complex.