Masking and Camouflaging in Autism
Social pressures can influence Autistic people to change their behaviour & act in a way to satisfy the non-Autistic people that are around them.
Masking, or camouflaging, means that an Autistic person hides or does not show their preferences and sense of self, because of the needs of other people. They may not trust their instincts and may change how they act because of what is expected by non-Autistic society.
Masking is a very common experience for Autistic people trying to fit in to non-Autistic society. When Autistic people mask, they find ways to “pass” as non-Autistic in everyday social interactions. Autistic people can do it to try to prevent others from seeing social differences, by pretending to be non-Autistic.
In masking, an Autistic person tries tremendously hard to make things easier for non-Autistic people, so they can be understood, be accepted or not stand out. For instance, some Autistic people may actively stop their “stimming” when they are out in public.
Stimming is repetitive or unusual movements or noises. Stimming helps some autistic children and adults manage emotions and cope with overwhelming situations.
Masking means that Autistic people end up accommodating non-Autistic people. Since this takes a lot of effort, it can greatly affect their mental health.
Masking is associated with anxiety, depression, perfectionism and poor self-image. It can be exhausting to mask, and people can even lose their identity because they are trying to be someone they are not.
Many Autistic people find that they have been masking so hard and for so long that they have no idea who they are underneath. Other times, Autistic people might not realise how much they are masking, especially if they are not diagnosed until much later in life.
The need to mask or camouflage may lead an Autistic person to believe that their achievements are not authentic and that they are an imposter. This may be because others are seeing achievements or skills that happened when the Autistic person was acting in a way that they thought people wanted them to act.
Autistic people may accept that anything less than typical, or usual, is “less than.” This internal battle can be distressing.