We've created a way of thinking, imposed by the limited educational paradigms that processed us, into splitting up our thinking into 'subjects' and then even further into subdivisions which we could probably refer to as 'sub-subjects'.
This applies to networking as much as it does to any other aspect of our existence, but I think the subject of networking gains an assist in how we further split up aspects of our lives and create a number of persona's that we believe suit us better in regard to 'survival' reflexes.

To illustrate: We will go to work and in our interactions among our work colleagues we will adopt a certain persona that we feel enhances our prospects in that environment, with qualifying modes of behaviour that assist in our survival within that environment. e.g., 'I will be as pleasant as possible in order to effect getting my work done in as efficient a way as possible without stepping on anyone's toes and compromising their ability to perform their professional function, and by so doing, effect a reasonable level of social acceptance within the group'. Here we have a self-imposed mode of behaviour that suits us in regard to survival in one set of environmental circumstances. To look at it in another way, it is a mode of behaviour that promotes the continuance of what we perceive to be an advantageous network in our lives and our degree of acceptance within it, in order to continue our momentum within that environment.

At lunchtime, we might head out for lunch, with just a few of us - a more intimate network within the larger professional web, hook up with one or two of our significant others and all of a sudden here we are within a related, but completely different network. We also appear to be behaving differently. We are more relaxed. We still watch what we say to a certain degree, because it's well known that Julie has a tendency to carry, quite inadvertently, the odd tale back to the professional network and this may well compromise our position in that environment. But, it's quite obvious that behaviour style has changed. We're more relaxed. It's quite obvious that it's a different network as the degree of separation is stressed by the gossip, only very slightly malicious in nature, that creates that distance between 'them and us' and a reasonable degree of this is initiated by Julie. Obviously, Julie needs to experience a greater degree of acceptance within the immediate network environment, whichever one it may be at the time. Understanding of the insecurity factor engenders acceptance.

So then after lunch we head back to work and switch back into that associated behaviour pattern and persona again until 'Knock-off Time' or 'Beer O'Clock' or whatever vernacular fits the required persona and we go home.

At home, behind closed doors and away from peering eyes we can feel safe in transposing into yet another persona, the one we keep for our immediate family network. We are much more relaxed again, but still paradigms are drawn on our behaviour mode according to the roles alloted to us by the modes of father, mother, teenage rebel, or whatever fits the bill, but the point is, in yet another network, our behaviour style shifts yet again and will again and again in any number of networks that we involve ourselves in during our everyday lives.

This is just one day during the week and it's far from exhaustive. We might go out to a restaurant one night and a club on another, with friends along for the ride on one of those occasions and the behaviour mode changes with each network and sub-net we involve ourselves in. And then comes the weekend, with yet another range of potentials with children's sport and/or dance activities.

We are the sum result of our network experiences.

We are totally immersed in a sea of social learning and resultant conditioning. Learning continuously, spurred on by the goads of survival, social acceptance, career and personal advancement, social reward within all of them, along with chasing our bents for more personalised knowledge pursuits and many, many other motivations.

And the sum total of these experiences create a continually evolving individual.

We have one powerful ally in the deluge.
Choice.
What networks have you personally involved yourself in?
What decisions based on association have *you* made, in order to shape yourself into the kind of individual that *you* deem to be socially acceptable.

Here's a brief outline of a person who is currently evolving the management networking structure of a major English bank, on principles learnt from his Quaker Grandmother.

http://magazine.uchicago.edu/1008/investigations/meet-and-greet.shtml

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