Home Executive Transformational Equine Appreciation About Connect Media
Newsletter Store Login
FM Transformational Coaching Logo
← Back to all posts

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 essay introduces the “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.

Read the full essay here 

 

 

Responses

Join the conversation
t("newsletters.loading")
Loading...
The Happiness Shortcut
The past week has been filled with articles promising “simple” routes to happiness. One in particular - a Washington Post piece summarizing a six-year Cornell study - argues that helping others might be the shortest way to increased well-being. The idea is appealing: turn outward, contribute, and the psyche steadies. Yet the argument also reveals a familiar pattern. We keep mistaking purpose f...
Easy Wisdom
Why Modern Insight Feels Deep But Avoids Judgment     This essay examines how contemporary culture confuses the appearance of wisdom with the practice of judgment. A short video from philosopher Slavoj Žižek video - in which four contradictory statements all sound equally profound - became the spark for a reflection on how easily insight turns into a stylistic effect rather than a form of unde...
Purpose, Meaning, and the Cult of "Why".
  We’ve been told that if we just “find our why” everything else will fall into place. But clarity isn’t the same as truth, and a slogan can’t carry the weight of a human life. In my work with leaders and professionals, I see how seductive this formula can be, and how quickly it unravels. Purpose and meaning are not the same thing. Purpose points forward, giving us projects and direction. Mean...

(almost) Everything is Context

“(Almost) Everything is Context” is Federico Malatesta’s journal for long-form reflection on what makes a meaningful life. Each edition examines identity, leadership, and transformation through neuroscience, psychoanalytic thought, and lived experience. A space for readers navigating reinvention and rethinking success beyond performance.
© 2025 FM Transformational Coaching™
Footer Logo
Powered by Kajabi

Join Our Free Trial

Get started today before this once in a lifetime opportunity expires.