▁character ▁mask ▁() ▁is ▁a ▁pres cribed ▁social ▁role ▁that ▁serves ▁to ▁conce al ▁the ▁contradict ions ▁of ▁a ▁social ▁relation ▁or ▁order . ▁The ▁term ▁was ▁used ▁by ▁Karl ▁Marx ▁in ▁various ▁published ▁writ ings ▁from ▁the ▁ 1 8 4 0 s ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 8 6 0 s , ▁and ▁also ▁by ▁Friedrich ▁Eng els . ▁It ▁is ▁related ▁to ▁the ▁classical ▁Greek ▁concepts ▁of ▁m imes is ▁( imit ative ▁representation ▁using ▁analog ies ) ▁and ▁pros op op oe ia ▁( imp erson ation ▁or ▁person ification ) ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁Roman ▁concept ▁of ▁persona , ▁but ▁also ▁diff ers ▁from ▁them ▁( see ▁below ). ▁The ▁notion ▁of ▁character ▁mask s ▁has ▁been ▁used ▁by ▁ne o - Mar x ist ▁and ▁non - Mar x ist ▁soci olog ists , ▁philosoph ers ▁and ▁anth rop olog ists ▁to ▁interpret ▁how ▁people ▁relate ▁in ▁soci eties ▁with ▁a ▁complex ▁division ▁of ▁labour , ▁where ▁people ▁depend ▁on ▁trade ▁to ▁meet ▁many ▁of ▁their ▁needs . ▁Marx ' s ▁own ▁notion ▁of ▁the ▁character ▁mask ▁was ▁not ▁a ▁fixed ▁idea ▁with ▁a ▁singular ▁definition . ▁ ▁Vers us ▁social ▁mask s ▁As ▁a ▁psych ological ▁term , ▁" character " ▁is ▁tradition ally ▁used ▁more ▁in ▁contin ental ▁Europe , ▁while ▁in ▁Britain ▁and ▁North ▁America ▁the ▁term ▁" person ality " ▁is ▁used ▁in ▁approximately ▁the ▁same ▁context s . ▁Marx ▁however ▁uses ▁the ▁term ▁" character ▁mask " ▁analog ously ▁to ▁a ▁the atr