To Thine Own Self be True: An Examination into the Construct of Authenticity The concept of authenticity or being true to one’s self permeates modern day Western culture. Be yourself. Be true to yourself. Be your true self

The notion of being true to one’s self has been around for centuries and discussions of the concept of authenticity can be found across many disciplinary traditions. Although much has been discussed and written about being authentic or true to ones’ self, historical musings are broad and address different aspects of being authentic. Recent work in the fields of psychology and sociology has provided a clearer, cohesive and measurable description of the construct of authenticity. This paper provides a historical philosophical and psychological overview of the concept of authenticity, presents emerging themes within the construct, and outlines contemporary research that defines and measures it. Research on the correlation between authenticity and healthy psychological functioning is presented. This review also draws comparisons between the authenticity construct and Adlerian concepts and provides counseling implications. AN EXAMINATION INTO THE CONSTRUCT OF AUTHENTICTY 4 To Thine Own Self be True: An Examination into the Construct of Authenticity The concept of authenticity or being true to one’s self permeates modern day Western culture. Be yourself. Be true to yourself. Be your true self. Be authentic. Live authentically. People often speak of the need to find themselves or get in touch with who they really are. Messages promoting authenticity are written in classic literature and self-help books. These messages are found on television programs and songs on the radio. The authenticity message comes from diverse sources. Shakespeare writes, “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou cans’t not then be false to any man” (Trans., 1992, 1.2.70-72). Musician David “Ziggy” Marley propels the authenticity message when he sings, “Got to be true to myself” (2003) as does the contemporary rock band Audioslave with their lyrics, “And to be yourself is all you can do” (Cornell, 2005). Dr. Phil advises his viewers to “Be your authentic self. Your authentic self is who you are when you have no fear of judgment. ” (McGraw, n.d.). When asked what the secret to a successful talk show was Oprah Winfrey replied, “The secret is authenticity” (Rudolf, 2010). Cultural messages indicate that being authentic is important and worth pursuing. However, what does it mean to be authentic? How is authenticity defined and how is it measured? Is authenticity truly important, and if so, in what ways? Does authenticity come at a cost? The objective of this paper is to help answer those questions. This literature review examines the construct of authenticity. The paper presents the philosophical and psychological roots of authenticity and describes how authenticity is defined and measured in contemporary psychological work. The paper also reviews research showing the relationship between AN EXAMINATION INTO THE CONSTRUCT OF AUTHENTICTY 5 authenticity and healthy psychological functioning and presents threads linking authenticity and Adlerian concepts.