Fakers

Mae Clendenning

MYP Personal Project

Spring 2011
 Table of Contents

Introduction: Preparation & Planning Stage.............................................................................3

Investigation & Development Stage.........................................................................................7

Processing & Analyzing Stage.................................................................................................8

Creation & Evaluation Stage.....................................................................................................9

Conclusion: Analysis of Process & Outcome...........................................................................11

Bibliography...............................................................................................................................13

Appendices...............................................................................................................................14
 Introduction: Planning & Preparation Stage

My projects goal was to grasp a better understanding and a better viewing on the ‘Fakers’

around us and why they do it. What I mean by ‘Fakers’ is people who go through their day-to-

day lives and always show a smile, yet are crumbling and dying on the inside. I planned to

create a better understanding for myself and others via some artistic creation. To start this

project, I asked myself, why do people fake their emotions and how can I see through them?

What inspired me to choose this topic was personal experience and the motions and

actions of people I pass by on a daily basis. Having an ability to sense a person’s true emotions

is quite a blessing bestowed upon a person. Fortunately, I am one of a handful that has this

ability. Over the years, I have been able to detect the truth and falseness of a person’s well-

being. Sometimes, though, I think of this ability as a curse. I do not always want to know how a

person is feeling. Sure, I want to be there for a person in their time of need, but I don’t want to

just drag it out of them. When grasping a person’s true emotions, I can’t help but feel a bit guilty

for not helping them out. Sometimes, I try and deny I have this ability and go on living an

average teenage life. This goes unsuccessful for there is always a sense that is tugging at my

insides. This ability was a major influence on choosing my topic. Most likely without it, I

would have chosen a commonly used subject.

As stated previously, my personal rationale was my ability to detect a person’s true

emotions. Another contributor would be personal experience. Many times throughout my life,

both past and present, I have been a victim of being a Faker. For me, and many others I have

come to find out, I was a Faker so as to not be a burden to my friends or worry them. I wished

for them to not have to deal with the problems I have faced. Because of these thoughts in my
head, I smiled, laughed, and acted just like every other teenager one would see on the side of the

street (save the drugs and alcohol). With my ability, I could tell that my friends, too, felt the

same way and so they also hid their true emotions. From time to time, I would bring up an

emotion that was buried beneath us all, and the masks fell. Anger or sadness would rise up,

causing a fiasco that none of us would have ever thought to happen. It is also because of the

want to avoid any conflict most summon a facade. These moments in my life was a great boost

towards choosing this topic.

Moving on, from my goal and question, the outcome I expected was quite close to the

one that I achieved. Since it is quite common for a person to be a Faker, I expected that just

about 64% of people between the ages of 13 and 21 do not show their true emotions. In

actuality, about 87% of people between the ages of 13 and 25 do not reveal their true feelings.

This came as quite a shock to me, for I never could really see any adult suppress themselves.

With this being said, no, I am not around many adults to actually try out my ability on them. I

never have really had the thought of an adult being a Faker. Now that I think about it though,

adults are looked up to by many kids. If something were to happen to them, the child might see

them in another view. So I guess I could understand their need to have a facade. This now

makes me wonder, what do adults do to get those suppressed emotions out? Are they like some

teenagers who visit a place where it is higher than a personal level and is their wings? Or do

they suppress them until they just burst? The questions start to roll and I now wish to further my

research into these studies and grasp a better understanding of the psychological field of

emotions.

Before choosing a topic, my English teacher provided a list of Areas of Interactions in

which our topic had to land in. As she was explaining, my eyes immediately landed on Health
and Social Education. My topic had quickly popped into my head. I looked over the other Areas

of Interactions and then realized that my topic could also go under Community and Service as to

how people’s relations are with one another. My topic rests under Health and Social education

based on the fact of its psychological awareness and the health contributors it brings. When

researching, I found that suppressing emotions can age a person faster than what they should be

and it can overwork one’s body, leaving a lack of energy in its place. My topic could also rest

under Community and Service because of the relations and interactions between people. If one

cannot develop a sort of relation, a void begins to grow within them. Their skills that could lead

to a better society begin to deteriorate while they just send out the same emotion (to cover up the

ones they wish not to show) everyday. Also, with this same emotion coming out, a sense of

reality is being lost within a person. The person cannot tell what is real and what is not if they

keep having an act.

On another note, I have to say that I did not have an outline to follow throughout the

project. The Processing Journal questions were the only things that kept me on track as to what I

was doing some of the time. My plan to complete this project was just to wing it. For me, if I

use an outline of any sort I tend to fall astray from it or just change it so often that I wouldn’t be

able to understand half of the things I put. If I wing it, I have a spark of energy for the first part,

but then a peaceful one as I start to think as to what to actually do next in the project. That is

usually how I schedule everything. It is a sense of balance in my own mind. It helps keep my

from scattering everything that I have done all over the floor. That is just who I am, though, a

person who is so disorganized in an area that it is organized.

When it came to my product, I tried to do something artistic or different. Unfortunately,

with myself being new to the area, I did not really have anyone that could help me out. The first
choice was to create a video. This video would consist of me following a fellow student around

as they lived their day-to-day life. Some of it would be acting, yes, but it would only be because

it had to grasp my topic. It would be A Day In The Life Of A Faker. It is simple, yes, but I like

anything within the Arts. Another product I wished to produce was a collage of my friends

smiling. Around their pictures would be masquerade, venetian, and opera masks, along with

multiple eyes. These eyes would symbolize the Gateway to the Soul of a person. The Gateway

to the Soul is a key element when trying to sense a person’s true feelings. Finally, my third

choice was to write a book. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to actually create an

entire book, so I only wrote six chapters. The book is called Masquerade. It’s about a girl (first

person POV) and basically going throughout life with a smile on her face, laughing like most

others, but crumbling down on the inside. Then, she commits suicide (well, actually, that’s at the

first part). She then has a second chance for her life and she’s able to help others that are just like

she was. There are still a few kinks in it, but it is pretty swell nonetheless.

When it came to the questions that motivated me into creating the product, there was not

any. I knew from the start that I wanted to do something artistic and something that I have a

passion for so the three product choices were immediately on the list. If I had any questions, I

guess it would just be on the wording or who would be in the whole product. Other than those,

there was not any.

As stated before, I did not have a plan. What would have been vital was definitely

having more time. With my life at the moment, I do not really have any time to do research or

start typing anything. Time is the key component in creating my project, and I unfortunately did

not have enough of it. Most likely if my life was not as hectic as it is now, I would have

probably been able to have grown much more within the experience.
 Investigation & Development Stage

With knowing how sensitive my topic is, I went to the one website where I know many

are or have been Fakers: SixBillionSecrets.com. Here, I was able to get in contact with many

users and question them on their lives and why they fake their emotions. From this, I was able to

conclude that many did not reveal themselves because they did not wish to burden their friends

or their ‘friends’ did not really care for them at all. Some said that they did not have anyone to

go to. This shattered my heart to pieces. Upon hearing this statement, I yearned to just give

them a long hug, showing that I cared for them. Because of SixBillionSecrets, I was able to have

my question answered by thousands of heartbroken people throughout the world.

Again, I did not brainstorm anything. One of my sayings is ‘don’t think, just do’, and I

do just that. I knew that I would need to seek professional help if I wished to acquire true

answers. I turned to people I have passed by earlier in life and they agreed to helping me. With

these professionals, I would be able to have a psychological view of a person’s train of thought.

Another resource of mine would have to be my friends. Some are Fakers and some are not. I

have been able to have their own view on Fakers and their thoughts of why people do it. The

ones who are Fakers were able to explain to me in detail what their life story is and what brought

them into becoming a Faker. As stated previously, SixBillionSecrets was a great reference to

turn to when receiving information. I tried looking into books, but none really circulated around

the area that I was in.

My primary resources were the many users of SixBillionSecrets and everyone that I

interviewed. If counting them all, then that would make about seven primary sources in all. My

primary sources each gave me their own input of Fakers. My two blasts from the past gave me a
psychological viewing of a person’s mind which helped a great deal. My friends had their own

inputs and stories as to what brings them to that level. SixBillionSecrets brought forth views that

I never really thought of until summoned before me. All of these were great contributors. When

trying to get from one source to the next, none of them really connected. Sure, my friends were

talking about each other, but there wasn’t a connection through them all. All of these sources

were a great step forward when trying to achieve my goal. They played an important role as to

what sense went where.

There were not really any techniques I was learning. I just used the direct approach.

That’s what I usually use. If one wants to get a point across, they have to get straight to the

point. If not, one could wander away.

Processing & Analyzing Stage

After gathering my information, I tried to think on how I would try and apply them to my

product. What I decided to do was try and place as much of it as possible in the main character

and scatter them towards minor characters throughout the story. I tried to put as much sense of

reality possible within the book. Since suicide and being Fake is a sensitive subject, I had to

tread lightly to bring forth a satisfying product.

I didn’t really need to use any additional resources for my topic. Since my topic is pin

pointed on one spot, there wasn’t really a place to turn to get great information. So, my seven

original sources were all that I used. Some of the information that I gathered I realized later on

that they were irrelevant to the topic itself. Sure, it had some connection, but not enough to

really have made a marking. Some questions asked in the interviews and the answers that came

didn’t really stick to the topic. They were all over the place. I take blame for this for I should
have created questions earlier instead of just winging it. With all the sorting and adjusting, I did

have to make adjustments to my product. I had to scratch items out, rearrange words and even

had to start a chapter over for it all to come together.

None of the information that I gathered really surprised me as much as I had hoped. This

outcome was expected. My thoughts and outlook never really changed except when it came to

the adults being Fakers. Other than that, nothing really changed.

With my findings, I am able to create the main character within the book and create

others around her. I am able to form her mind around the information that people can relate to

on a personal level. A reader is going to be able to place themself in the situations that the

character faces. I’m hoping that if they do this, they are able to think of other ways to assess the

situations before Kit, the main character.

Creation & Evaluation Stage

Usually when I write, I get a spark of inspiration or a spark of an idea and I just start

writing. Then, my hand has a mind of its own. I get lost in my own little world when I start to

write. Ideas race through my head as I write down the story and briefly pause to think over a

next part. After the brief time passes, I just zoom on into the finish line. There aren’t any steps

taken when it comes to my writing. Many prefer to have an outline made so they have an idea as

to where there writing is going to hit. That would be my greatest obstacle since I would change

things ever so often. There are only two steps for me: 1. spark and 2. go.

I didn’t really find anything new within myself when it came to writing Masquerade. I

think the reason is that this topic is on such a personal level that I’m writing the book on a

personal level as well. I have to connect with my writing on a closer level than most so I am
kept engaged with it and can hit points clearly. I can’t take the time to think of a scene where I

can’t connect with it. It’s just impossible for me to. There has to be a connection for me to

write. If there’s not connection, no writing. Even if it’s on a petty level such as being a straight-

A student. Even if it’s just that, I am able to spark and go.

I did make minor adjustments when going through the process. I have had to rewrite a

whole chapter because it just did not belong in that part of the book. I have had to rearrange

words and adjust settings becuase of the major impact the new chapter created. If I hadn’t had

reread over the chapter, my book would have been lost. Information, such as what brought a

person to becoming a Faker, helped shape the characters within the story. They really bring a

light onto others who are being fake.

I honestly thought that the information from the professionals were going to help me

greatly. Now that I look at it, they barely put a dent within my product. It was just collected

information that didn’t really have a place to begin with in my story. If I had more time to write,

they might have had a role, but I can’t say for sure.

As I was creating, I didn’t really turn to my Area of Interaction for guidance. Once

again, I was just winging it, trying to keep focus on the task at hand and what it was over. In the

end, my few chapters of the book I am writing will be presented at the showcase and also a

collage of people smiling surrounded by many eyes.. I am pretty proud of my work.

Conclusion: Analysis of Process & Outcome

Impact of Project

This project has impacted me by showing me that I shouldn’t think of my ability as a

curse, but as a blessing in disguise into which I am able to help others much more than some are
not capable of. It showed me that not all that seems bad is actually bad. I have been able to use

my ability to sense true emotions as a great skill when working with this project. It helped out

greatly. I wish I did actually acquire a new skill while researching.

This project will help me embrace my ability to its true force. It’ll help me by nagging in

my brain that I’m not alone in situations, that others have gone through the same thing. It’ll be

nagging in my brain to help others more often and to get down to their real feelings.

Quality of Project & Product

I was able to stick strongly to my goal throughout the project. Since the subject is pin

pointed on one focus, it was quite easy to stay on track. Because of this, I was able to

accomplish my goal. I was able to grasp a better understanding on why people put up facades.

I would say that my product is somewhat reflecting the Area of Interaction I have chosen

and it somewhat misses the mark. The reason is that people have their own opinions as to what

is hitting the mark and what isn’t hitting it. It all just depends on their mindset. In various areas

it has hit the mark, and others it was off searching for Pluto. With this being said, the quality is

decent. I have been writing for quite some time and I have been getting feedback from people I

have sent out a few chapters to. I think the weakness of it all would, again, be time. Time is my

enemy. Another reason such little was written was that I kept on getting constant Writer’s

Block. Those got me big time.

If I had to do it over again, I would definitely try and schedule more time to get the work

done. I’d cut my sleep habits by a few hours and I’d start doing some homework at school.

Since I would already have a general idea as to what the book is about, it’d save major time.

Strengths and Weaknesses

 My strength through it all would definitely be the connection on the personal level. I

think that if I didn’t have it, I would have completely lost on the subject. My weakness is time

and my time management skills. I spend too much time on one thing when I should be spending

time on another item. I definitely need to fix that.

 Bibliography

Ruggles, Joshua. Telephone interview. 3 March, 2011

Lyle, Katherine. Telephone interview. 3 March, 2011

Albiosdelipinia, Ashley. Telephone interview. 2 March, 2011.

Ryan, Andy. Telephone interview. 3 March, 2011

Rice, Karen. E-mail interview (confidential). 28 February, 2011

Anonymous. E-mail interview (confidential). 28 February, 2011

Spartz Network. “Six Billion Secrets”

SixBillionSecrets.com. Spartz Network,

2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2011 - present

 Appendices

Masquerade is about a girl ((first person POV)) and basically going throughout life with a smile

on her face, laughing like most others, but crumbling down on the inside. Then, she commits

suicide (well, actually, that’s at the first part and then it goes into her life…). She then has a

second chance for her life and she’s able to help others that are just like she was.