double identity
Two lives lived
A double identity is a person's maintenance of two separate personas, typically with one concealed from most people.
The term appears in discussions of superheroes who live ordinary lives, spies operating under cover, or anyone leading a secret parallel existence: He maintained a double identity for years—respectable accountant by day, card shark by night.
The phrase emphasizes deliberate compartmentalization rather than mere complexity of character.
- alter egoA secondary persona
- Jekyll and HydeDual-natured person archetype
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- shadow selfUnconscious rejected aspects
- hidden selfConcealed true identity
hidden agenda · mask · biculturalism · doppelgänger · code · pseudonym · Clark Kent · deception · compartmentalization · two-faced · dissociation · dual citizenship · cognitive dissonance · intersectionality · role-playing · undercover · alias · persona
- deception storiesconfidence games
- doublesdoubles, twin, twins, duplicate, duplicates
- Oscar WildeThe Importance of Being Earnest, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Salome, An Ideal Husband, The Happy Prince
- Gialloblack gloves, masked killer, straight razor, stylized violence, whodunit
double identityauthentic self
One's genuine identity
real self · open book · transparency · what you see is what you get · authenticity