The True Self and Psychological Health: Emerging Evidence and Future Directions Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • AbstractA variety of philosophical and psychological perspectives converge to suggest that a happy and meaningful life is the product of living in accord with ones true self. This idea similarly appears throughout literature, film, and folk wisdom. The current paper examines both theoretical and lay conceptions of the true self and reviews the empirical evidence that supports its role in psychological health, with a particular emphasis on current research that demonstrates that both the accessibility and ease of thinking about ones true selfconcept is associated with the experiences of meaning and satisfaction. The merits of different approaches to defining the true self, measurement issues, and directions for future research are discussed.

published proceedings

  • SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS

altmetric score

  • 24.5

author list (cited authors)

  • Schlegel, R. J., & Hicks, J. A.

citation count

  • 110

complete list of authors

  • Schlegel, Rebecca J||Hicks, Joshua A

publication date

  • December 2011

publisher