Authenticity, I suggest, is a continuum, a spectrum of stages, that may never end, since the self is a largely unknown thing, and that exploration of self, if done with regular determination, is always going to be revealing “new stuff”.
Jung developed his theory of autonomous complexes in 1908, through word association experiments at the Burghölzli psychiatric clinic in Zurich. By measuring subjects’ reaction times to stimulus words and noting hesitations, slips, and emotional reactions, Jung discovered patterns suggesting emotionally-charged “hot spots” in the unconscious.
The dual-mask system, part of the Theory of the DNA-Self could also explain the concept of life positions, as described in transactional analysis.
Carl Rogers’ phenomenological theory of personality and behaviour forms the core of his person-centred approach, viewing the individual’s subjective “phenomenal field”, as the primary determinant of behaviour and growth.
Almost all children suffer a sustained and often targeted string of traumatic micro, and macro-aggressions, from the moment they are born.
Our Theory of DNA-Self, includes the concept that, due to a small child’s ability to forget upsetting or uncomfortable moments, adults may well find that they actually have two masks. One will be hidden, and highly automated.
The interplay between behaviourism and the psychological mechanisms of avoiding personal truths and projecting blame as part of the phenomena we know as scapegoating, is multidimensional, changing from target to target, based on specific triggers and biases, originating from differing attachment needs.
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development proposes that children progress through four distinct stages of intellectual growth, each characterized by unique ways of thinking and understanding the world
Social interdependence theory is a foundational concept in social psychology that examines how individuals’ outcomes and behaviours are shaped by their interdependence with others in a group or relationship
Pattern recognition is not just a cognitive process; it is the brain’s way of saying, “Hey, I’ve seen this before – probably!”. At its core, every pattern is symbolic, and every symbol is a pattern, whether it’s a face in a crowd, a melody from a few notes, or the uncanny resemblance between your boss and a grumpy badger.