Show Notes
Is the self something we find—or something we create? We’re constantly told to “be ourselves,” but the world teaches us fast that we also need to be likable, marketable, and hot. No wonder we’re all confused. In this episode, we dive into how different philosophers—from Socrates to Simone de Beauvoir to Carl Jung—understood the search for the true self and how their insights can help us stop performing and start living more honestly. If you’ve ever felt like you’re performing your personality instead of living it, this one’s for you.
EPISODE OUTLINE
00:00 Intro 05:49 Sigmund Freud 09:08 Attachment theory (Bowlby & Ainsworth) 10:55 Carl Jung’s theory on masks and shadows 12:15 The chill girl mask (Gone Girl) 13:34 Shapeshifter (MAKE BELIEVE) 14:38 The masks vs. the Self 15:04 Rousseau’s natural vs. social man 17:15 Using logic to hide from passion 17:55 For the ones who left (MAKE BELIEVE) 19:37 Freud, Jung & Rousseau reflection questions 21:48 Sartre: owning your agency as authenticity 23:08 Sartre’s concept of bad faith 24:12 Simone de Beauvoir on social class 26:41 The upper limit theory (Gay Hendricks) 27:25 But also, the playing field isn’t level 27:48 Sartre & de Beauvoir reflection questions 29:27 Heidegger: inauthenticity due to death denial 31:33 Authenticity vs. ethics and compassion 33:23 Authenticity vs. self-protection 34:01 Kant’s categorical imperative 34:48 Socrates: dying on the hill of authenticity 35:26 Socrates and Kant reflection questions 36:46 Nietzsche on creation of the true self 37:17 Does everyone have a calling? 38:19 Jealousy as a clue to your passions 38:33 The “love it for you, want it for me” folder 39:53 Nothing grows if you don’t water it 40:18 Nietzsche reflection questions 41:50 Lightning round recap
EPISODE LINKS
• Carl Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (1959) and Modern Man in Search of a Soul (1933) • Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness (1943) • Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex (1949) • Authenticity episode of In Our Time: Philosophy
MY LINKS
• MAKE BELIEVE is out everywhere now • Get a signed copy of MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow Bookshop • Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram • Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok
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