Authenticity (authenticos - Greek: "original", "genuine", "real", "main") is called conformity to the original or the original. The text of the translation, made or approved by the author, is authentic. Comments on the law given by its creator are considered authentic in law. But the broadest understanding of the category of authenticity is found in philosophy.
In the works of modern psychologists and psychotherapists, authenticity is considered as an integrative ability of a person. The tradition of this method goes back to the works of M. Heidegger and J.P. Sartra. C. Rogers, for example, defines authenticity as a person’s ability to reject the proposed social roles and the manifestation of real, unique to this person, thoughts, emotions and behavior. In this sense, authenticity becomes a necessary component of genuine communication, in contrast to the usual "rumors and chatter" (M. Heidegger), understood as a "perversion of the act of communication" and leading to a false understanding.
The psychological vagueness of the boundaries of the definition of authenticity leads to a terminological spread of category synonyms:
- fully functioning personality (C. Rogers);
- freedom (F. Allport);
- self-actualization (A. Maslow);
- self, holistic personality (F. Perls);
- congruence (J. Grinder).
The most correct psychological definition of authenticity can be recognized as a complete and holistic relationship of all psychological processes of a person that determine its functioning. A manifestation of authenticity is considered to be the experience of an individual experience that is not distorted by social protective mechanisms, involvement in what is happening and the direct manifestation of their emotions.
The coherence of thoughts and actions with emotions in modern psychology is usually called congruence, or coherence. Thus, the authentic person is congruent.
Gestalt therapy involves an awareness of the relativity of social mechanisms and behavioral patterns before achieving authenticity, or selfhood, leading to the assertion of one's own value and the need for the manifestation of any emotions. At the same time, this does not exempt a person from accepting responsibility for the authenticity of social behavior.
