CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 633Social and Cultural StudiesContemporary Sociological Theory and PracticeCultural Differences and Values

The importance of authenticity for self and society

Erickson, Rebecca J.·1995·Symbolic Interaction
DOI 10.1525/si.1995.18.2.121
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

The transition from industrial to postindustrial society and from modern to postmodern culture has led to increased interest in authenticity. Such interest is widespread not only among those studying changes in social structure and culture but also among those who adhere to the social psychological tenet that self reflects society, and society, the self. In this article, I specify how issues of authenticity have become a pervasive part of our culture, our institutions, and our individual selves. Building on both Rosenberg and Turner, I conceptualize authenticity in terms of a commitment to self‐values. The relevance of this conceptualization is illustrated, first by demonstrating its implications for identity theory and second through its implicit use by others writing about the contemporary experience of being oneself. I conclude with a discussion of how this approach to authenticity may be used by social scientists to better conceptualize self in a way that explicitly incorporates the cultural implications of today's postindustrial society.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1525/si.1995.18.2.121

Cites

4 of 4 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Many definitions of authenticity suffer from the common mistake of confusing authenticity with sincerity.

    “Although definitions of authenticity abound, many suffer from the common mistake of confusing authenticity with sincerity (Erickson, 1995).”

    From Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership (2005) · cites this paper as Erickson, 1995

  • Authenticity is not an either/or condition; people are never entirely authentic or inauthentic, but achieve levels of authenticity.

    “She and Heidegger (1962) describe authenticity as not an either/or condition, i.e., people are never entirely authentic or inauthentic. Instead, they can more accurately be described as achieving levels of authenticity.”

    From Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership (2005) · cites this paper as Erickson (1995)

  • At times the actor experiences the contents of the self as if they are embedded within an autonomous self.

    “Without denying the crucial and continuing influence of social relations on the contents of the self, this perspective recognizes that at times the actor experiences these contents as if they are embedded within an autonomous self (Erickson, 1995).”

    From Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership (2005) · cites this paper as Erickson, 1995

  • The expression of nostalgia may represent the search for authenticity in an age where things, people, and experiences are quickly recommodified and resold.

    “The expression of nostalgia may very well represent the search for authenticity in an age where 'nothing ever really ends, loses its appeal, or goes out of fashion for very long; things, people, and experiences are quickly recommodified and resold' (Erickson 1995).”

    From Nostalgia: sanctuary of meaning (2006) · cites this paper as Erickson 1995

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Erickson, R. J.
Affiliations
University of Akron (US)
Corresponding author
Erickson, Rebecca J.
Venue
Symbolic Interaction
Publisher
Wiley
Published
1995-06
Volume
18
Issue
2
Pages
121-144
ISSN
  • 0195-6086 (ISSN-L)
  • 1533-8665
DOI
10.1525/si.1995.18.2.121
OpenAlex
W1972897836
Cited by
633
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 64 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 65 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 25
FWCI
15.39
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 6048 d)
Locations
Symbolic Interaction (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Cultural Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
Keywords
authenticity, self-worth, self and society, identity theory, post-industrial society, postmodern culture, self-concept, social psychology of the self

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review