Why don’t we know more about the minds of authentic people?

Abstract

By definition, authentic people presumably do not fall prey to the self-evaluation biases which pervade human social cognition yet a close look at the existing literature suggests this presumption is ill-founded. For example, only a few studies have examined whether people feel more authentic when they make decisions which express their true selves in the face of social pressure. In contrast to theories of authenticity, studies find that feelings of authenticity are either unrelated or unexpectedly decreased in relation to decisions which draw on the true self. Furthermore, behavioral and neural research do not consistently find that feelings of authenticity arise in the absence of self-serving biases.We propose that we know a lot less about the thoughts of an authentic person than is widely believed and some of the core assumptions may be wrong. We posit specific methodological considerations and research questions which need to be addressed before it will be possible to conclude whether core assumptions about social cognition and authenticity have robust empirical support (or need to be revised). A research program which illuminates the relation between social cognition and authenticity will be helpful for understanding the manner in which a person's thoughts contribute to the experience of authenticity and its benefits.

Positive—More than unbiased—Self-perceptions increase subjective authenticity.

“…If authenticity emerges in relation to the self-concept, as our theoretical perspective states, the construct is inherently subjective. Our view also clarifies how antecedents to self-rated authenticity should function, a topic that has frustrated authenticity scholars (Beer & Brandler, 2021): What will predict an individual's experience of authenticity should stem from their self-concept in a given situation.…”

“…Our core contribution is to the authenticity literature. Despite a proliferation of interest in authenticity as a psychological construct, we know surprisingly little about its antecedents (Beer & Brandler, 2021). Indeed, the psychological field of authenticity has been criticized for being built on a foundation of unsupported constructs and rife with conflicting findings (Baumeister, 2019).…”

“…This is particularly troubling given the multitude of psychological benefits to experiencing authenticity, including greater well-being (Sutton, 2020), meaning in life (Lutz et al, 2023), and engagement with work (Bailey et al, 2022). In an effort to reap its beneficial outcomes, psychologists have called for greater scrutiny and generative theories about the antecedents of experienced authenticity (Beer & Brandler, 2021). Thus, one goal of the present work is to theoretically examine the unbiased path to authenticity and propose an alternate, positive avenue to increasing authenticity.…”

Positive—More Than Unbiased—Self-Perceptions Increase Subjective Authenticity

“…This is particularly troubling given the multitude of psychological benefits to experiencing authenticity, including greater well-being (Sutton, 2020), meaning in life (Lutz et al, 2022), and engagement with work . In an effort to reap its beneficial outcomes, psychologists have called for greater scrutiny and generative theories about the antecedents of experienced authenticity (Beer & Brandler, 2021). Thus, one goal of the present work is to theoretically examine the unbiased path to authenticity and propose an alternate, positive avenue to increasing authenticity.…”

Are You for Real? Perceptions of Authenticity Are Systematically Biased and Not Accurate

“…Theoretically, a person is authentic when their behavior is genuine, that is, their behavior reflects their true inner qualities and feelings (Beer & Brandler, 2021; Kernis & Goldman, 2006; Ryan & Ryan, 2019). As a multidimensional construct, authenticity can be thought of as an individual difference, with some individuals being generally more authentic than others (“trait authenticity”; e.g., Wood et al, 2008).…”