The effect of acting upon the human mind

Abstract

Acting is the art of wearing a temporary mask and portraying another character's life, thoughts and values. However, if one is not careful, this mask may become permanent. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between acting and psychology. More specifically, it focuses on the perceived effects of how character roles may affect the actor's personal identity. A total of four experienced actors were chosen through opportunity and snowball sampling methods and each respondent agreed to attend a semi-structured interview conducted by the researcher. The findings suggest that local actors are unlikely to experience identity confusion, however, they have all worked on roles which left temporary effects on them. The present situation of acting in Malta has also been discussed. The data presented in this study is valuable information for psychology in Malta as it is still undeveloped.