Authenticity

A friend of mine recently sent me this quote from Paulo Coelho author of The Alchemist.

Maybe the journey isn’t about

becoming anything.

Maybe it’s about unbecoming

everything that isn’t really you, so

that you can be who you were meant

to be in the first place.

This concept of unbecoming captures what is commonly known as the “authentic self,” an idea that has multiple origins and meanings.

The word "authenticity" originates from the Ancient Greek word “authentikos,” meaning being genuine and doing something for yourself. In eighteenth-century France, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) argued that authenticity comes from the ‘natural’ self and that external influences cause inauthenticity.

Twentieth-century philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) suggested the authentic self is an identity we choose based on our awareness of mortality. He believed by confronting the fact of death, we access a deeper understanding of our ‘true self.’

Today, psychologists commonly refer to authentic self as the aspects of a person aligned with their core values, beliefs, and desires, where they act in ways that are true to their “inner self,” without feeling compelled to conform to external pressures or expectations. Essentially, it is being "true to one’s self."

This includes being: 

• Self-aware: Paying attention to thoughts, feelings, and motivations

• Consistent: Engaging in actions, words, and behaviors that are congruent with our internal self-concept

• Value-based: Making decisions and actions aligned with core values, even when challenging

• Acceptance: Owning all aspects of oneself, including flaws and imperfections

When do you feel like you are enacting your authentic self? When do you feel like the person, as Paulo Coelho says, who you were meant to be in the first place?

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