YouTube: Authenticity vs. Love: The Architecture of Self Betrayal

A psychological and philosophical dive into mental health, personal growth and the human condition, with real talk on emotional intelligence, and why we betray ourselves to stay connected. We explore the tension between love and authenticity and how the need for relationships creates a “false self,” ultimately mapping out a path for self awareness that starts with shedding the masks we’ve worn since childhood.

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Further reading…

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• The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté

The definitive text on how our social and emotional environments and the repression of our true selves manifest in physical illness.

• The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker

An intense exploration into the “heroic” drive for individuality versus our desperate need to belong to something larger than ourselves.

• The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

A conversational breakdown of Adlerian psychology that explains why true freedom requires the bravery to be

“unpleasant” to others.

• The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller

An essential look at how children unconsciously adapt their personalities to meet the needs of their parents, losing their true selves in the process.

• Modern Man in Search of a Soul by Carl Jung

A collection of essays exploring the spiritual and psychological void of the modern individual and the necessity of “individuation.”

• The Sane Society by Erich Fromm

A sociopolitical critique arguing that much of what we call “normal” in modern society is actually a form of collective alienation.