{"id":3522,"date":"2025-09-11T13:18:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T18:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=3522"},"modified":"2025-09-11T13:18:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T18:18:27","slug":"to-thine-own-self-be-true-identity-and-authenticity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2025\/09\/11\/to-thine-own-self-be-true-identity-and-authenticity\/","title":{"rendered":"To Thine Own Self Be True: Identity and Authenticity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2025\/09\/pexels-brett-sayles-2388569-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" src=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2025\/09\/pexels-brett-sayles-2388569-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2025\/09\/pexels-brett-sayles-2388569-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2025\/09\/pexels-brett-sayles-2388569-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2025\/09\/pexels-brett-sayles-2388569-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2025\/09\/pexels-brett-sayles-2388569-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2025\/09\/pexels-brett-sayles-2388569-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2025\/09\/pexels-brett-sayles-2388569-2048x1363.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/studio-setting-2388569\/\">Studio Setting<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/@brett-sayles\/\">Brett\u00a0Sayles<\/a> is licensed under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/license\/\">CC BY 2.0 in pexels.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What does it mean to be authentic? Authenticity is frequently used to describe people or things that are believed to be genuine, sincere, consistent, or original. We evaluate both things (like music, television, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/maneet-chauhan_l_6638e857e4b00641c4961c65\">food<\/a>) and people (ourselves and others) on their authenticity, often assuming that some are inherently real or beyond artifice, while others are more artificial or contrived. However, sociologists and social scientists recognize the notion of authenticity itself as a powerful social construct: we <em>collectively<\/em> decide that people and things are (or are not) authentic.\u00a0We evaluate people in terms of their personal and social authenticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Personal Authenticity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Personal authenticity involves being \u201ctrue\u201d to one\u2019s self. But\u2026what is the <em>true self<\/em>? Sociologists and scholars have challenged the idea that we have a <em>true self<\/em>, arguing that we all play a variety of social roles (student, friend, employee, etc.) in different situations. As we take on these roles, some individuals believe their actions are real and genuine and others feel that they are just putting on an act. It is this subjective understanding of the true self that matters for personal authenticity, even if it is socially constructed or conditioned. When people <em>feel <\/em>that they are being true to themselves, they experience authenticity as an emotional response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Phillip Vannini and Alexis Franzese. 2008. <a href=\"https:\/\/compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/j.1751-9020.2008.00151.x\">The Authenticity of Self: Conceptualization, Personal Experience, and Practice.<\/a> <em>Sociology Compass<\/em> 2(5): 1621\u201337.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Erving Goffman. 1959. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/The_Presentation_of_Self_in_Everyday_Lif\/Sdt-cDkV8pQC?hl=en\">The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life<\/a><\/em>. New York: Anchor Books.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A desire to feel authenticity is a powerful motive for behavior. Sometimes we act with the specific goal of expressing our true self.\u00a0 For example, some get tattoos and body art to express their authentic selves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sarah Riley and Sharon Cahill. 2005. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/13676260500261843?casa_token=eirQ-eTURnIAAAAA%3A8uZ4_-NGGPs1RpLso4LUytaf655JEVlseCbWFMYTulsl_AHmYH8kH6lkizFkkS1PrNE1WFURqNiAsA\">Managing meaning and belonging: Young women&#8217;s negotiation of authenticity in body art<\/a>.\u00a0<em>Journal of Youth Studies<\/em>\u00a08(3): 261-279.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, societal pressures, from social norms to economic needs, may influence us to embrace behaviors that feel inauthentic. In the context of economic exchange, many roles require <em>emotional labor<\/em> (or, the management of feelings to create a certain emotional display). For example, flight attendants are expected to be friendly and helpful to the travelers\u2013even if the travelers are rude or unruly. For workers, engaging in emotional labor can feel like acting or maintaining an illusion, leading to feelings of inauthenticity and a sense of emotional numbness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Arlie Russel Hochschild. 1983. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucpress.edu\/books\/the-managed-heart\/paper\">The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human\u00a0Feeling<\/a><\/em>. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Social Authenticity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Individuals are a part of many different groups (unions, trivia teams, fandoms, religious groups, etc.) and social categories (age, race, class, and gender\/sexuality) and social authenticity is the idea of <em>truly belonging<\/em> to that group or category. Group members define certain characteristics as authentic and evaluate the authenticity of others based on those criteria. Authenticity can serve as a way to draw boundaries around groups, establishing who is <em>in <\/em>and who is <em>out.<\/em> For example, members of local punk scenes may display their authenticity through personal appearance, knowledge of punk music, and extensive vinyl collections\u2014setting them apart from \u201cposers.\u201d Outsiders\u2013or, individuals who fail to meet the authenticity criteria established by a group\u2013may be viewed as appropriating the culture of a group to which they don\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kembrew McLeod. 1999. <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/joc\/article-abstract\/49\/4\/134\/4108176?redirectedFrom=fulltext\">Authenticity Within Hip-Hop and Other Cultures Threatened With Assimilation<\/a>. <em>Journal of Communication<\/em> 49(4): 134\u201350.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>William  Force. 2009. <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1525\/si.2009.32.4.289\">Consumption Styles and the Fluid Complexity of Punk Authenticity.<\/a> <em>Symbolic Interaction<\/em> 32(4): 289\u2013309.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, group members may disagree on what it means to be an authentic member. When the authenticity of a group member is questioned, they may respond by challenging the validity of the authenticity standards used to judge them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Patrick Williams. 2006. <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0891241605285100\">Authentic Identities: Straightedge Subculture, Music, and the Internet.<\/a><em> <\/em><em>Journal of Contemporary Ethnography<\/em> 35(2): 173\u2013200.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Role of Race, Class, and Gender<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Being perceived as an authentic member of a social group can yield rewards, from the tangible reward of admission to a university to simply achieving group belonging. However, marginalized groups often face bias or unattainable expectations of what an authentic member of their group should be like. These expectations can be produced within groups or perpetuated externally, through institutions like schools or the media. For instance, socially constructed notions of an authentic Asian American student or Black woman can exclude those who may not conform to these expectations, while also reaffirming sweeping generalizations about these groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tiffany Huang. 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/00380407231202975\">Translating Authentic Selves into Authentic Applications: Private College Consulting and Selective College Admissions<\/a>. <em>Sociology of Education<\/em> 97(2): 174\u201392. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Amanda Koontz and Jenny Nguyen. 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/00380253.2019.1711256?casa_token=crviYn4CakUAAAAA%3AhPgWwpHhOu3S3mlz-xmwayPOOjUqdEvYMm2EfmNYZWn1hAAUWSO2ywzSEXvx4mvV1A39UC8I3eNmvA\">Hybridized Black authenticity: Aspirational lifestyle ideals and expectations of the self-disciplined Black woman in essence<\/a>. <em>The Sociological Quarterly<\/em>\u00a061(3): 448-473.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marie Sarita Gayt\u00e1n. 2008. <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0891241607309621?casa_token=wyd16mA9JBEAAAAA:BTOkIrQ4SlHSW7tJIxoDW94nDsDbglAwWaB9th18Q14qiwfybliO4qhrF4tlsHRR0ani9FWddDHhng\">From Sombreros to Sincronizadas: Authenticity, Ethnicity, and the Mexican Restaurant Industry<\/a>. <em>Journal of Contemporary Ethnography<\/em> 37(3): 314\u201341.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The relationship between perceived authenticity and social acceptance is especially vital in professional life. For instance, people of color in White-dominated professions face unique pressure to prove themselves as \u201cauthentic\u201d because whiteness is an implicit expectation of a good leader. Similarly, evaluations of people\u2019s merit based on class and gender are embedded with assumptions about who can be authentic in their position. People with marginalized identities in certain professions or organizations are not only expected to fulfill their duties- but must also juggle personal and social authenticity based on ambiguous standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gillian Gualtieri. 2022. <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/socpro\/article-abstract\/69\/4\/903\/6118377\">Discriminating Palates: Evaluation and Ethnoracial Inequality in American Fine Dining.<\/a><em> Social Problems<\/em> 69(4): 903\u201327.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Beata Kowalczyk. 2023. <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/gwao.13024?casa_token=0rs4GpOa598AAAAA%3Adp3lZaATVcPfCfZKq8DjY1GjSNLbYuhPvdbEF59iPZ-5ufLkVSJRXujJTGUf9hqBYwdcSx2RXuiGqiOk\">\u2018\u2026in Japan, We Are Just Imitating the \u201cReal\u201d Thing\u2026\u2019. (Re)Doing Racialized Authentic Self in Classical Music.<\/a> <em>Gender, Work &amp; Organization<\/em> 30(4):1468\u201383.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kim Allen and Heather Mendick. 2013. <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/0038038512448563?casa_token=y0vKMO8wu-kAAAAA%3A75Gi5qocJyS9LmzbMJxuJ0TI_xK4OslvEua7SC0sJGzlZT545ppMUujT9HhJBPyb07xCgBnBGfsV4Q\">Keeping It Real? Social Class, Young People and \u2018Authenticity\u2019 in Reality TV<\/a>. <em>Sociology <\/em>47(3): 460\u201376.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Studio Setting by Brett\u00a0Sayles is licensed under CC BY 2.0 in pexels. What does it mean to be authentic? Authenticity is frequently used to describe people or things that are believed to be genuine, sincere, consistent, or original. We evaluate both things (like music, television, or food) and people (ourselves and others) on their authenticity, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2217,"featured_media":3523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,55,85,14],"tags":[137121,2326,137142,137182,137189,137132,137186,137125,137179,137126,137155,137191,137148,137153,137168,137169,137183,137123,137184,137162,137185,137149,137170,137154,137190,137156,137195,137193,137124,137163,137181,137206,137171,137192,137157,137196,137167,137205,137194,137127,137138,137159,137202,137161,137135,137164,137143,137172,137199,137200,137150,137141,137187,137177,137178,137180,137152,137133,137175,137201,137128,137203,137166,137140,137176,137145,137165,137129,137151,137144,137197,137139,137208,137147,137174,137134,137188,137198,137204,137131,137207,137146,137173,137160,137137,137158,137117,137118,137122,34,17228,137120,347,38541,137116,38546,3292,137130,38542,137119,137115,136706,137136,137114],"class_list":["post-3522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-gender","category-politics","category-race","tag-arlie-hochschild","tag-authenticity","tag-authenticity-and-admissions","tag-authenticity-and-appropriation","tag-authenticity-and-aspirations","tag-authenticity-and-belonging","tag-authenticity-and-bias","tag-authenticity-and-class","tag-authenticity-and-conformity","tag-authenticity-and-culture","tag-authenticity-and-culture-industries","tag-authenticity-and-discipline","tag-authenticity-and-discrimination","tag-authenticity-and-ethnicity","tag-authenticity-and-ethnicity-studies","tag-authenticity-and-ethnography","tag-authenticity-and-exclusion","tag-authenticity-and-gender","tag-authenticity-and-group-norms","tag-authenticity-and-hybridity","tag-authenticity-and-inclusion","tag-authenticity-and-inequality","tag-authenticity-and-inequality-studies","tag-authenticity-and-institutions","tag-authenticity-and-lifestyle","tag-authenticity-and-marginalization","tag-authenticity-and-power","tag-authenticity-and-professional-pressure","tag-authenticity-and-race","tag-authenticity-and-race-relations","tag-authenticity-and-rebellion","tag-authenticity-and-self-expression","tag-authenticity-and-social-boundaries","tag-authenticity-and-social-expectations","tag-authenticity-and-social-roles","tag-authenticity-and-symbolic-capital","tag-authenticity-and-symbolic-interaction","tag-authenticity-and-values","tag-authenticity-and-whiteness","tag-authenticity-as-social-construct","tag-authenticity-in-art","tag-authenticity-in-asian-american-identity","tag-authenticity-in-assimilation","tag-authenticity-in-black-identity","tag-authenticity-in-body-art","tag-authenticity-in-classical-music","tag-authenticity-in-college","tag-authenticity-in-community","tag-authenticity-in-consumption","tag-authenticity-in-cultural-production","tag-authenticity-in-dining","tag-authenticity-in-education","tag-authenticity-in-education-access","tag-authenticity-in-emotional-displays","tag-authenticity-in-employment","tag-authenticity-in-everyday-life","tag-authenticity-in-fandoms","tag-authenticity-in-food","tag-authenticity-in-friendships","tag-authenticity-in-globalization","tag-authenticity-in-hip-hop","tag-authenticity-in-inequality","tag-authenticity-in-japan","tag-authenticity-in-leadership","tag-authenticity-in-leadership-roles","tag-authenticity-in-media","tag-authenticity-in-mexican-restaurants","tag-authenticity-in-music","tag-authenticity-in-music-performance","tag-authenticity-in-organizations","tag-authenticity-in-performance","tag-authenticity-in-professions","tag-authenticity-in-punk-culture","tag-authenticity-in-reality-tv","tag-authenticity-in-religious-groups","tag-authenticity-in-restaurants","tag-authenticity-in-selective-admissions","tag-authenticity-in-social-evaluation","tag-authenticity-in-social-mobility","tag-authenticity-in-subcultures","tag-authenticity-in-tattoos","tag-authenticity-in-tv","tag-authenticity-in-union-membership","tag-authenticity-in-women","tag-authenticity-in-work","tag-authenticity-in-youth","tag-authenticity-research","tag-authenticity-studies","tag-commercialized-feelings","tag-education","tag-emotional-labor","tag-erving-goffman","tag-identity","tag-inequality","tag-personal-authenticity","tag-politics","tag-presentation-of-self","tag-punk-authenticity","tag-race","tag-self-and-society","tag-social-authenticity","tag-sociology-2","tag-tattoos-and-authenticity","tag-true-self"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2025\/09\/pexels-brett-sayles-2388569-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/user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