We tend to be drawn to it at an early age; many remember their first introduction to the theater was a play seen or performed in early elementary school, or seeing a parent or older sibling in a play.

It is a socially accepted way to fulfill the need for attention and approval, and I think most would agree that the sound of applause is thrilling, empowering, and can feel addicting.

That said, the theater also tends to attract people with great needs, who try to use it to validate themselves, and are tremendously insecure as a result. They audition and take every job they don't get as a personal rejection, a comment on who they are. They sabotage themselves in their search for a career, finding excuses to not attend another audition because they cannot face another rejection; needy people frequently do not get cast because their "need" for the job is so obvious, and no one wants to have someone that needy to worry about.

After all, needy people aren't truly behaving like professionals, because they have an ulterior motive; they need to hear approval constantly and crave attention. Hiring a needy person is akin to getting a job as a babysitter for a demanding child.

Acting, or any performing, also can confuse those with a fragile self-esteem; all too often performers confuse their performances and talent with their identity. They are what they do. They hear that they are talented; when they are performing they are told they are wonderful. It is understandable that they are confused!

Such people, needing validation and attention, who pursue this career in show business, frequently become bitter and resentful that they have to convince people to like them, to hire them, etc. Thus, they sabotage themselves precisely for the same reason they chose this career in the first place!

If I seem a bit harsh, it is only to paint a stark picture of the psychological makeup of many performers. Most performers have some feelings of insecurity about their place in the business - it is a business without much security.

It may be useful to ask yourself how this might apply to your life why are you in this business, and are you "too needy"? If the answer is yes, don't be discouraged. This is where some good psychotherapy can help, to build your self-esteem, to learn skills to turn down that needy "voice" in your mind that constantly craves attention, and to help you differentiate between your own identity and your "performing self".

As you explore this website, you may have the natural reaction to resist and say to yourself "This really doesn't apply to me; I'm different." However, this website has been designed to be a tool for you to use, to help you to step back and assess where you are in your life and in your business. You may even be right, this may not be you, you may be different, but then again you are reading this now, so maybe you aren't that much different, after all. Just relax, read and explore and decide how much of this you can use.

A version of this article appears on Backstage Experts:
https://www.backstage.com/magazine/author/robert-curtiss/