"Being quiet to avoid conflict."

This is absolutely on point, and something I personally suffered with for a while. I always knew there was -some- value in being quiet, but, when not utilised wisely, it can easily become that form of social camouflage as you put it.

It's important to find a certain balance here, at least for people who struggle with this one. Sometimes, I'll stay quiet ONLY for the time it takes for different functions of my brain to kick in; in order to turn a reaction into an adequate response.

Emotional reactions to things you might disagree with, for example, can sometimes be more damaging to the flow of your communication than the silence. It only takes a few seconds to overcome your own reactions and formulate that response, so my focus now is on staying quiet (for a few seconds) in order to speak my mind more effectively, and not get caught up in this false assumption that I must have my responses ready in an instant.

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"To put on a facade is to form two separate identities, one that is our true self, and another that is the ideal self we project outwards to the world."

This reminds me of the etymology of 'Persona' (personality?) ... The social mask we put on, the "acceptable face."

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I'm glad I found your content, through Raymond L Burton. Happy to connect with you, and I'll be diving into more of your content shortly.