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The Authentic Personality: A Theoretical and Empirical Conceptualization and the Development of the Authenticity Scale

DOI:10.1037/0022-0167.55.3.385
Authors:
Alex Mathew Wood at The London School of Economics and Political Science
Alex Mathew Wood
P. Alex Linley
P. Alex Linley
John Maltby at University of Leicester
John Maltby
Michael Baliousis
Michael Baliousis
Michael Baliousis
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This paper was published as Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2008, 55 (3), pp. 385-399. It is available from http://psycnet.apa.org/?fa=main.doiLanding&doi=10.1037/0022-0167.55.3.385. Doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.55.3.385 Metadata only entry This article describes the development of a measure of dispositional authenticity and tests whether authenticity is related to well-being, as predicted by several counseling psychology perspectives. Scales were designed to measure a tripartite conception of authenticity, comprising self-alienation, authentic living, and accepting external influence, which was supported with exploratory factor analysis. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed that the factor loadings were invariant across sample, ethnicity, and gender. The scale showed substantial discriminant validity from the Big Five personality traits, nonsignificant correlations with social desirability, and 2- and 4-week test-retest correlations ranging from r = .78 to .91. Each subscale was strongly related to self-esteem and aspects of both subjective and psychological well-being. This article provides the first direct test of several theoretical models that view authenticity as integral to well-being.
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... Authenticity refers to being aware of and following one's true self. [15][16][17] Related to the focus on living an intrinsically motivated and self-concordant life, authenticity is associated with several adaptive outcomes, such as higher levels of subjective and psychological well-being, autonomy, workplace engagement and performance, and interpersonal harmony, [18][19][20][21] as well as lower levels of depression, anxiety, feelings of immorality and impurity, unethical behavior, job burnout, and turnover intention. [22][23][24][25] Although authenticity has rarely been empirically examined, it is likely related to less academic cheating. ...
... [22][23][24][25] Although authenticity has rarely been empirically examined, it is likely related to less academic cheating. First, according to the definition of authenticity, authentic people usually prefer to behave in accordance with their true self, 15,17 which inherently decreases their tendency of exhibiting "faking good" cheating behavior that directly hinders their pursuit of an authentic self. Second, according to the essential moral self-hypothesis, authentic people generally tend to view their true selves as morally virtuous and are motivated to behave in ways aligned with ethical standards, [25][26][27] indicating a lower likelihood of engaging in unethical and immoral cheating behaviors in a learning context. ...
... This was assessed using the 12-item authenticity scale (three dimensions, four items for each): self-alienation (eg, "I feel as if I don't know myself very well"), authentic living (eg, "I live in accordance with my values and beliefs"), and accepting external influence (eg, "I am strongly influenced by the opinions of others"). 17,21 Participants responded on a seven-point Likert scale (1 = does not describe me at all, to 7 = describes me very well). For ease of interpretation, an average authenticity score was calculated, with items anchored on "self-alienation" and "accepting external influence" reverse coded. ...
Mastery Approach Goals Mediate the Relationship Between Authenticity and Academic Cheating: Evidence from Cross-Sectional and Two-Wave Longitudinal Studies
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2023
Purpose Prior studies revealed several beneficial aspects of being authentic, such as higher subjective well-being, more harmonious interpersonal relationships, and better workplace performance. However, how authenticity relates to unethical cheating behaviors in the academic context remains to be seen. Based on the literature review, the present study hypothesized that authenticity may be negatively linked to academic cheating through the mediating path of mastery approach goals. Methods In Study 1, 250 college students self-reported their demographics and academic performance, and completed the scales of authenticity, academic cheating, mastery approach goals, and social desirability. In Study 2, 111 college students completed the same measures as in Study 1 at two different time points (5 months in between). Results In Study 1, the results indicated that authenticity was positively associated with mastery approach goals, and both were negatively associated with academic cheating. After controlling for the confounding effect of gender, age, academic performance, and social desirability, mastery approach goals were identified as a mediator in the authenticity–academic cheating relationship. In Study 2, the correlation result confirmed the association patterns found in Study 1. Moreover, cross-lagged analysis supported the directionality proposed in the mediation model. Conclusion The findings identified the mediating role of mastery approach goals in the link between authenticity and academic cheating, supporting the motivated cognition perspective of personality, the motivational model of academic cheating, and the self-determination theory. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research were provided.
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... The authentic-self reflects the degree to which an individual's behavior aligns with their internal states, such as beliefs and values (Wood et al., 2008). The authentic-self can be conceptualized as a goal that individuals may pursue-that is, authentic-self pursuit. ...
... can determine what they need to satisfy their core needs (Balderjahn et al., 2021). Since authentic-self entails aligning with one's inner "voice" (Wood et al., 2008), recalibrating one's needs is essentially a process of learning about the authentic-self. Furthermore, an authentic-self pursuit reminds individuals that their fundamental intrinsic values are being upheld, motivating them to behave accordingly (Sedikides et al., 2019). ...
Consuming for the authentic‐self: How exposure to death‐related information facilitates voluntary simplicity?
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Despite the growing prevalence of voluntary simplicity as a consumption value embraced by brands in recent years, limited research has empirically explored the antecedents of voluntary simplicity. This study addresses this research gap by investigating the impact of death‐related information on voluntary simplicity. Through five studies, we demonstrate that exposure to death‐related information increases voluntary simplicity (Studies 1, 2). This increase occurs because consumers exposed to death‐related information are motivated to pursue their authentic selves (Studies 3, 4). However, we further reveal that this effect disappears when the message appeal of death‐related information is emotional (Study 5). Our findings suggest that brands can implement communication strategies highlighting voluntary simplicity when consumers are exposed to death‐related information.
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... 13 Conversely, those with an internal attributional style, who attribute events to their own actions, may engage in more adaptive social comparison strategies and demonstrate higher levels of self-acceptance, thus potentially protecting against depression and anxiety. 24 However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has yet examined the potential moderating function of attributional style in these associations. ...
The interplay of self-acceptance, social comparison and attributional style in adolescent mental health: cross-sectional study
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2023
Background Adolescence is a pivotal stage vulnerable to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Although self-acceptance and social comparison are known to affect adolescent mental health, their interactive and moderating roles are not fully understood. Aims To explore the role of self-acceptance, social comparison and attributional style in predicting these mental health outcomes among adolescents in clinical settings. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 242 adolescents. Participants completed measures assessing self-acceptance, social comparison, attributional style and mental health outcomes (depression and anxiety). Mediation models and multi-group analysis were used to examine the relationships among these variables. Results Our findings demonstrated a significant relationship between self-acceptance, social comparison, depression and anxiety ( r s = 0.32–0.88). Specifically, lower self-acceptance and higher social comparison were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety. Additionally, individuals with external attributional tendencies reported higher depression (Cohen's d = 0.61) and anxiety ( d = 0.58) compared with those with internal tendencies. Mediation modelling showed that social comparison is a mediator between self-acceptance and depression (effect size −0.04, 95% CI −0.08 to −0.01) and anxiety (effect size −0.06, 95% CI −0.10 to −0.02). Crucially, multi-group analysis showed that the impact of social comparison on mental health outcomes varied significantly based on attributional style. Conclusions These findings underscore the importance of considering self-acceptance, social comparison and attributional style in understanding and addressing mental health challenges during adolescence. This could inform the development of targeted interventions to promote mental health and well-being among adolescents. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings in diverse populations and to explore the underlying mechanisms in greater detail.
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Authenticity Negotiation: How Elite Athletes (Re)Present Themselves as Personal Brands
Article
  • Jan 2023
Projecting authenticity is crucial for athletes engaged in personal branding. Prior scholarship has emphasized the “frontstage” of authenticity: what tactics athletes use to present themselves and how audiences perceive such tactics. But it has not yet examined the “backstage”: why athletes pursue authenticity and the strategic considerations involved in such ongoing self-presentations. Using a constructivist grounded theory that draws on interviews with 30 elite athletes engaged in personal branding, we unpack these backstage processes, which are not straightforward but entail an ongoing cycle of authenticity negotiation. Our model of authenticity negotiation identifies conflicting authenticity demands and constraints imposed by various actors, which athletes attempt to resolve over time using a range of authenticity management tactics. By modeling the backstage processes in authenticity negotiation, our research integrates, contextualizes, and suggests extensions to the existing frontstage work on authenticity. It offers guidance to athletes and practitioners on managing athlete brands and stakeholder collaborations.
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Stakeholder Existential Authenticity and Corporate Social Responsibility
Article
  • Nov 2023
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) research has been slow to address the impacts of CSR on stakeholders, especially in terms of the mechanisms explaining how CSR translates into positive stakeholder outcomes. We introduce a new mechanism into this literature – stakeholder existential authenticity (SEA) – that helps explain how stakeholder participation in CSR can enhance stakeholder wellbeing through the experience of being authentic. We develop an original conceptualization of SEA and integrate this into a model explaining the relationships between CSR participation, SEA, eudaimonic happiness, and subjective wellbeing, as well as the moderating effects of individual stakeholder attributes and CSR activity design. We explain our contributions to the literature on society‐centric CSR, authenticity in CSR, CSR implementation, and authenticity in management more broadly, before suggesting directions for future research and outlining the practical implications of our study.
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Transformative Leadership: Exploring the Ethics of Care for Contemporary Organizational Dynamics
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Full-text available
  • Sep 2023
In this article, one discusses the concept of "ethics of care" as a foundation for rethinking leadership and organizational practices in contemporaneity. In a rapidly changing socioeconomic landscape, traditional leadership paradigms face unprecedented challenges. Drawing on insights from thinkers of significant relevance to post-modern organizational studies, such as Foucault, Spinoza, Nietzsche, and Winnicott, one explores the foundations of "ethics of care". Our exploration begins with Foucault's "Hermeneutics of the Subject", transitions to Spinoza's philosophy of self-empowerment, delves into Nietzsche's critique of traditional morality, and immerses itself in Winnicott's psychoanalysis of maturational development. Together, these authors provide a robust basis for investigating the "ethics of care" in contemporary leadership, offering elements for analyzing central factors in the construction and sustenance of organizational environments conducive to well-being, creativity, and innovation. In summary, one aims to unveil the implications of the "ethics of care" in shaping approaches to leadership, organizational culture, and management that align more closely with the challenges of the ongoing transition to digital society and economy. Additionally, one seeks to bridge gaps between theory and practice, providing practical insights for the development and application of leadership practices that are more horizontal, equitable, and sustainable.
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Identity Authenticity and the Paradox of Resilience to Traumatic Stress
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p style="text-align: justify;">Research and statistics show that two-thirds of people manage to survive traumatic stress without serious or lasting mental health problems. This means that most people are resilient to traumatic stress but attempts to predict resilience based on individual personality traits are usually unsuccessful, and making accurate predictions about who will be resilient and who will not is difficult. The article considers three proposals for resolving this prognostic problem: first, abandoning consideration of stability as a personality trait in favor of stability as a process of flexible self-regulation; second, considering behavior in a model of non-linear interaction between personality and situation, postulating that human behavior is determined by personality trait parameters, situation characteristics and the outcome of their combination; and third, choosing determinants and correlates of stability, focusing on consideration of major personality traits, such as authenticity. The potential value of studying authenticity in the context of traumatic stress resilience is argued coherently: evidence for the high resource capacity of authenticity is presented; the subject concept of authenticity is proposed; similar studies from previous years are reviewed; trait authenticity and state authenticity are compared; the topic of authenticity in first responders is addressed.</p
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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Political Imprisonment: The Role of Mental Defeat, Alienation, and Perceived Permanent Change
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  • Feb 2000
An interview study of 81 former political prisoners investigated whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is related to the way individuals process the prison experience. In contrast to participants without PTSD, those with chronic or remitted PTSD were more likely to perceive mental defeat and an overall feeling of alienation from other people. Chronic PTSD was also related to perceived negative and permanent change in their personalities or life aspirations. The groups did not differ in their attempts to gain control during imprisonment. Evidence for a relationship between political commitment and PTSD was mixed. The results suggest that mental defeat, alienation, and permanent change are related to PTSD after interpersonal trauma and may need to be addressed in treatment.
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Comparison of Five Rules of Determining the Number of Components to Retain
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The performance of five methods for determining the number of components to retain (Horn's parallel analysis, Velicer's minimum average partial [MAP], Cattell's scree test, Bartlett's chi-square test, and Kaiser's eigenvalue greater than 1.0 rule) was investigated across seven systematically varied conditions (sample size, number of variables, number of components, component saturation, equal or unequal numbers of variables per component, and the presence or absence of unique and complex variables). We generated five sample correlation matrices at each of two sample sizes from the 48 known population correlation matrices representing six levels of component pattern complexity. The performance of the parallel analysis and MAP methods was generally the best across all situations. The scree test was generally accurate but variable. Bartlett's chi-square test was less accurate and more variable than the scree test. Kaiser's method tended to severely overestimate the number of components. We discuss recommendations concerning the conditions under which each of the methods are accurate, along with the most effective and useful methods combinations.
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Trait self and true self: Cross-role variation in the Big-Five personality traits and its relations with psychological authenticity and subjective well-being.
Article
  • Dec 1997
In 2 studies, college students evidenced differing levels of the "Big-Five" traits in different roles, supporting social-contextualist assumptions regarding trait expression. Supporting organismic theories of personality, within-subject variations in the Big Five were predictable from variations in the degree of psychological authenticity felt in different roles. In addition, two concepts of self-integrat ion or true selfhood were examined: 1 based on high consistency of trait profiles across roles (i.e., lowself-concept differentiation; E. M. Donahue, R. W. Robins, B. W. Roberts, & O. P. John, 1993) and 1 based on high mean levels of authenticity felt across roles. The 2 self-integration measures were found to be independent predictors of psychological and physical well-being indicating that both self-consistency and psychological authenticity are vital for organized functioning and health.
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Using the Implicit Association Test to Measure Self-Esteem and Self-Concept
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  • Dec 2000
Experiment 1 used the Implicit Association Test (IAT; A. G. Greenwald, D. E. McGhee, Be J. L. K. Schwartz, 1998) to measure self-esteem by assessing automatic associations of self with positive or negative valence. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that two IAT measures defined a factor that was distinct from, but weakly correlated with, a factor defined by standard explicit (self-report) measures of self-esteem. Experiment 2 tested known-groups validity of two IAT gender self-concept measures. Compared with well-established explicit measures, the IAT measures revealed triple the difference in measured masculinity-femininity between men and women. Again, CFA revealed construct divergence between implicit and explicit measures. Experiment 3 assessed the self-esteem IAT's validity in predicting cognitive reactions to success and failure. High implicit self-esteem was associated in the predicted fashion with buffering against adverse effects of failure on two of four measures.
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