Authenticity (psychology): Underrated, Overrated?

[Rafael Thundercat]

i would add Shame as a blockage to Authenticity. How many time I stop myself from acting from my values because I feel ahshamed for some reason. Again there is always the component of "Other" or the "Other who sees me" and I restrain myself from being myself from shame of what other will think, act of feel about it.

Some points on Shame:

Shame is a profound disruption of human being, fundamentally altering how a person experiences existence, time, and reality itself. While psychology treats shame as an emotion, philosophy and metaphysics view it as an existential crisis—a sudden, painful exposure of the self's vulnerability before the universe.Here is a breakdown of the metaphysical dimensions of shame:1. The Fragmentation of Being (Ontology)In a normal state, your conscious mind and your physical body exist in harmony. Shame violently shatters this unity.The Self as Object: Shame forces you to instantly see yourself from the outside. You cease to merely be; you become an object of judgment.The Desire for Non-Being: The immediate metaphysical reaction to intense shame is the urge to disappear, shrink, or cease to exist ("I wanted the earth to swallow me up"). It is a temporary flight toward non-existence.2. The Trap of the Present (Temporal Distortion)Shame fundamentally alters how you experience time.The Frozen Present: While anxiety looks to the future and grief looks to the past, shame traps you in an agonizing, eternal now.Immobility: The moment of exposure feels inescapable, paralyzing your ability to move forward or imagine a future free from the stain of the shameful event.3. The Power of "The Other" (Intersubjectivity)The French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre famously analyzed shame through the concept of "The Look" (le regard).Loss of Universal Mastery: Before being seen, you are the center of your own universe. When someone looks at you with judgment or pity, their consciousness re-centers the universe around them.Alienation: You realize you cannot control how you exist in the mind of another person. Your identity is suddenly held hostage by an outside observer.4. Cosmic Disconnection (Alienation from the Whole)At its deepest level, shame carries an existential weight of unworthiness.The Broken Threat: It whispers the metaphysical lie that you are fundamentally flawed, broken, or a mistake.Exile from Belonging: Guilt says, "I did something bad" (a mistake of action), but shame says, "I am bad" (a mistake of being). This creates a sense of cosmic exile, convincing you that you do not rightfully belong to the fabric of reality or the human community.

 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4wmi9o7PQB8ikytGk8LVvO?si=gVe3puHSQYuN_NZSjjrw6w&utm_source=copy-link

 

Edited 13 hours ago by Rafael Thundercat

[Olaf]

@Olaf I forgot to be more authentic when approaching today, shit hehe. I got too much in the zone. 

[Lyubov]

Authenticity is when you are living aligned with truth, that’s at least my view on it. Not living aligned with familiar limiting beliefs, running around the maze of confusion.