ANNOUNCER: Good Evening and welcome to tonight's episide of 'Personality Matters' the show which aims to help us understand ourselves and others so we can live happier lives and enjoy healthier relationships. Please welcome your host, renowned Psychologist, Dr Helena Czajka.

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HELENA: Thank you to our live studio audience and to our TV viewers for joining me for tonight's fascinating discussion. Individuality. What is it? Who do we regard as individuals? What qualities separate individuals from the rest of us? Are we all individuals? And, where does this individuality come from - does it originate in our basic character from birth, or is it created by our life experiences and relationships?

It is necessary to understand the concept of individuality, so that we will be more tolerant and able to open our mind to new and interesting relationships with others.

You sir, in the front row, how would you describe individuality?

MAN 1: Um…. er….I don' t know how to definr it, but I can distinguish individuals from everybody else.

HELENA: Well, can you give me an example of an individual?

MAN 1: Sure, I am an accountant in a big financial institution, and one of my colleagues comes to work dressed in loud shirts, mismatched ties and fluorescent green sneakers. He's really good at his job even though he is so different.

HELENA: Thankyou, sir. Madam, can you give me an example of an individual?

LADY: I think Michael Jackson is an individual. He's so talented yet so strange. everyone knows him and is amazed by him.

HELENA: Thankyou. Let's get another opinion. How about you in the back row sir?

MAN 2: I think Princess Diana is an individual because she was different to any other royal. She had everything - beauty, money, fame - but she was willing to risk it by rebelling against the royal family. She will always be remembered for that.

HELENA: Thankyou. OK one more idea from the young girl in the front row. Who do you think of as being an individual?

GIRL: My Aunty Lilly is an individual because she is different and funto be with. She acts differently to all my other relatives.

HELENA: Well, we all seem to have different ideas about who we regard as individuals and that is why it is extremely difficult to define individuality. It is, however, very important that we understand individuality and the reason why a person is an individual. Many people are afraid of individuality. Some are afraid of expressing their own individuality. Others are afraid to get close to people who do express their individuality because they are scared of anything that they don't understand.

Tonight I will be interviewing two very different individuals. I hope to gain an insight into why they behave the way they do and why they have become the people they are. My aim is to find out if a person is born with their individuality or if it is created as a result of their life experiences.

Please welcome tonight's guests John Smith and Elvis Lennon.

John Smith and Elvis Lennon enter.

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Hello John, Hello Elvis.
John, tell us about yourself.

JOHN: Well, I'm 35 years old, married with two children and a huge mortgage. I am a Lawyer and I work in a big Law Firm in the city.

HELENA: Elvis, we will get to your interesting dress sense in a minute. What can you tell us about yourself?

ELVIS: I am also 35 years old. I was in John's class in Law School and graduated as a Lawyer but I've never worked as a Lawyer. I've never been married and as far as I know, I don't have any children.

HELENA: You both have a little in common, like your age and education, but you are clearly very different individuals.
John, do you enjoy your work and your life?

JOHN: I can't say I'm passionate about it or that I really love it, but I earn good money and so I am able to afford a good lifestyle. I travel and have a nice car and house. I love my life because I have a beautiful wife and great kids and I do everything for them.

HELENA: Elvis, even though you have a Law Degree you have never worked as a lawyer. So what work do you do?

ELVIS: I never intended to work as a Lawyer when I enrolled in Law. I wanted to undersand the Law so that I could use that knowledge to do things that really interested me. I am a Human Rights Activist. I get to travel the world, meet interesting people and get great satisfaction out of helping those in need.

HELENA: John, Elvis was in your class at University. What was he like back then?

JOHN: When we started University Elvis was known as Bradley Jones. At the end of our first year he decided that his name was boring, so he officially changed it to Elvis Lennon. No one was surprised because he was always very different to the rest of us. Elvis always came to class dressed outrageously and was very outspoken. Very few of us mixed with him or really got to know him. Nobody knew what happened to him after we finished University. There were two words we used to describe him - individual and smart. I suppose we were afraid to get to know him because we did not understand him.

HELENA: Elvis, did you realise that people thought you were different?

ELVIS: I was not different, they were! It really did not worry me. I was always happy and comfortable with my life. I enjoyed university, and never thought about how the other students perceived me.

HELENA: You are wearing very interesting clothes tonight, Elvis. The bright yellow jacket and purple and orange striped trousers are certainly an interesting combination, Do you usually dress this way?

ELVIS: I dress to please myself. If I am wearing clothes that make me happy, I will be better company. It just so happens that yellow, purple and orange are my favourite colours, and since tonight is a special occasion, I decided to wear them.

JOHN: I wish I was brave enough to wear my favourite colours. I love purple because the colour makes me feel relaxed and happy, and I've always wanted to wear purple shirts to work. But in my office, the uniform is strictly white shirts and grey suits. If I wore purple, I would stand out like a sore thumb and every one would think I'd gone mad. I would just feel too self-conscious.

ELVIS: I can't understand that. I would feel self-conscious if I was not comfortable in what I was wearing! I believe that if you feel good and happy in what you are wearing, if it is really you, then you have no reason to feel self-conscious, because what other people think does not really matter.

HELENA: Elvis, you are obviously a free spirit. What was your upbringing like? Were your parents wandering hippies or were you raised in suburbia?

ELVIS: I had an extremely happy childhood. My mother stayed home and looked after the children, and my father worked in a bank. So, I suppose you could say it was a normal upbringing with no major dramas. My parents were firm, but they always gave me the freedom to express myself. As long as I was not hurting myself or anybody else, they saw no reason to stop me doing what I wanted to do. So, as far as they were concerned I could wear whatever I liked, as long as I was comfortable and warm - no harm would come to myself or anyone else if I wore a red and pink vinyl jacket. When I decided to change my name, my parents had no objections. Again, it was something that made me happy and hurt no-one.

HELENA: You certainly have had an idyllic childhood and an interesting life. What about your upbringing John?

JOHN: My childhood was happy. My mother stayed home and my father was a Lawyer. It was always expected that I would become a Lawyer like my father. I loved drawing, particularly caricatures. I would have loved to have studied art and worked in publishing. I never even told my parents because I knew they would never allow it. I can't complain because Law has been good to me financially.

ELVIS: Yes, but there is obviously more to you than working in a Law Firm. You have a special talent and you should use it. I remember at University you were always making political jokes - maybe you could use your drawing talent and become a Political Cartoonist. Believe me, you will be much more content and I bet your family will be happier. Be brave, try it and I'm sure you won't regret it.

HELENA: That sounds like great advice Elvis. Thank you both for sharing your lives with us and for giving us the chance to get to know you. You are both fascinating individuals.

Applause.

John and Elvis exit.

HELENA: Tonight we have met two very different people. Elvis is easily recognisable as a unique individual. He simply does not conform as can be seen by his clothes and his attitude to life. But as we have seen, he is a very good person who is happy with his place in life. John, at first, seems to be typical of mainstream society. He does nothing to draw attention to himself and leads a normal happy life. Tonight, though, we saw that John does have special talents and interesting views. The difference between Elvis and John is that John has suppressed his individuality all his life.

Elvis is obviously a special individual. He was probably born with special qualities, but it was the fact that his parents gave him the freedom to express his individuality that gave him the confidence to become such an interesting and happy person.

It would be interesting to see how many of us live our whole life suppressing our individuality because we are afraid of not being accepted, or because we are afraid it will prevent us from becoming successful. I think we would find that there are many people like John, because we were all created differently and so we must all be individuals.

I hope that tonight we have learned to cherish our individuality. My wish is that we will all be less afraid of people who are different so that we can all be more tolerant. Then the world will be a happier place.