The Myth of the "Authentic Self"

by Federico Malatesta

May 18, 2025

The "Authentic Self" is a self-help mantra, a social media buzzword and a book title, but it's also a deeply flawed idea. It is indeed a framework as popular as it is misguided.

It overlooks the complexity of human identity formation, the interplay between individual agency and social structures, and the psychological intricacies of how we come to perceive ourselves.

This article will delve into this “Authentic Self” model, offering a critical examination and a brief overview of contemporary philosophical, psychological, and neuroscience perspectives. By doing so, it aims to highlight the complexity of the concept of “Self” and the nuanced discussions required for a comprehensive understanding.

As the article is rather lenghtly, I will summarize its content both here and on my LinkedIn Newsletter over the next two weeks.

Access and download below the full essay.

The Myth of the "Authentic Self"

Hope you enjoy the read.
Federico

Responses

Join the conversation

t("newsletters.loading")

Why (almost) Everything is Context

Imagine running 100m in 13.47 seconds Look, I get it. You're unimpressed. I can practically hear the skepticism. 'Local jog?'. 'Amateur hour at the community track?'. 'My grandma could do better.' 'I could do that after a six-pack.'! 'Is he bragging?' you ask. But hold on. What if I told you that 13.47 seconds is a world record? A world record held by a 70-year-old man. Seventy! And here's ...

Cognitive Biases

Working with a coaching client on cognitive biases, so I thought it would be helpful to summarize the most important ones in a short series for anyone interested in this topic. But what is a cognitive bias? Our brain's operating system is riddled with bugs. These cognitive biases, like malware infecting our neural network, distort our perception, hijack our logic, and screw with our decisionma...

The Fallacies of Pathos

Fallacies of Pathos are arguments that rely excessively on emotions to persuade the audience, without sufficient supporting evidence or logical reasoning. They exploit our natural emotional responses to manipulate our judgment and sway us towards a certain conclusion, even if the argument itself might be weak or flawed. One of the earliest categorizations of these fallacies is illustrated in...

The Myth of the "Authentic Self"

Responses

Join Our Free Trial