Inauthentic Life

An Inauthentic Life is a person's life that scores lowly in an intentional living measure.

• AKA: Unintentional Life, Conformist Life, Externally-Directed Life.
• Context:
  • It can typically contain Inauthentic Choices through external dictation.
  • It can typically follow Social Expectations through uncritical conformity.
  • It can typically suppress Personal Authenticity through self-denial.
  • It can typically avoid Existential Responsibility through choice avoidance.
  • It can typically manifest Bad Faith through self-deception.
  • ...
  • It can often prioritize External Validation through approval seeking.
  • It can often demonstrate Role Conformity through prescribed behavior.
  • It can often exhibit Value Misalignment through adopted beliefs.
  • It can often maintain Status Quo Adherence through change resistance.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Passive Inauthentic Life to being an Active Inauthentic Life, depending on its inauthentic life engagement level.
  • It can range from being a Unconscious Inauthentic Life to being a Conscious Inauthentic Life, depending on its inauthentic life awareness degree.
  • It can range from being a Socially-Imposed Inauthentic Life to being a Self-Imposed Inauthentic Life, depending on its inauthentic life source.
  • ...
  • It can result from Social Pressures through conformity mechanisms.
  • It can emerge from Fear of Judgment through anxiety responses.
  • It can develop through Cultural Conditioning via normative influences.
  • It can perpetuate through Cognitive Dissonance via rationalization processes.
  • It can manifest in Life Domains through behavioral patterns.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Historical Inauthentic Lifes, such as:
    • Adolf Eichmann's life demonstrating bureaucratic conformity and moral abdication.
    • Organization Man Life following corporate expectations without personal conviction.
    • Apartheid Supporter Life maintaining unjust systems through passive compliance.
  • Social Role Inauthentic Lifes, such as:
    • Traditional Gender Role Life adhering to prescribed gender norms despite personal inclinations.
    • Family Tradition Follower Life believing and acting on inherited beliefs without critical examination.
    • "Good Girl" Life performing expected behaviors to maintain social approval.
    • Status Seeker Life pursuing prestige markers without intrinsic motivation.
  • Professional Inauthentic Lifes, such as:
    • Cafe Activist Life expressing political views for social capital rather than genuine conviction.
    • Corporate Climber Life adopting company values without personal alignment.
    • Academic Conformist Life pursuing research trends for career advancement over intellectual curiosity.
  • Contemporary Inauthentic Lifes, such as:
    • Social Media Persona Life curating false identity for online validation.
    • Consumer Culture Life defining self-worth through material possessions.
    • Lifestyle Brand Life adopting packaged identity through commercial affiliation.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Authentic Life, which involves authentic choices and self-directed living.
  • Intentional Life, which demonstrates conscious decision-making and purposeful action.
  • Self-Actualized Life, which achieves personal potential through inner direction.
  • Rebellious Life, which rejects social norms through active resistance (though may still be inauthentic if merely reactive).
• See: Intentional Lifestyle, Procrastination, Coasting.

---

---

References

2013

• http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/#Aut
  • QUOTE: Authenticity thus indicates a certain kind of integrity — not that of a pre-given whole, an identity waiting to be discovered, but that of a project to which I can either commit myself (and thus “become” what it entails) or else simply occupy for a time, inauthentically drifting in and out of various affairs. Some writers have taken this notion a step further, arguing that the measure of an authentic life lies in the integrity of a narrative, that to be a self is to constitute a story in which a kind of wholeness prevails, to be the author of oneself as a unique individual (Nehamas 1998; Ricoeur 1992). In contrast, the inauthentic life would be one without such integrity, one in which I allow my life-story to be dictated by the world

2009

• (Vannini & Williams, 2009) ⇒ Phillip Vannini, and J. Patrick Williams, eds. (2009). “Authenticity in Culture, Self, and Society. “ Ashgate Publishing. ISBN:9780754675167

1988

• (Wiesenthal, 1988) ⇒ Simon Wiesenthal. (1988). “Justice, Not Vengeance."
  • QUOTE: … The world now understands the concept of 'desk murderer'. We know that one doesn't need to be fanatical, sadistic, or mentally ill to murder millions; that it is enough to be a loyal follower eager to do one's duty. …

---