[Authenticity in psychology and psychotherapy].

Abstract

Authenticity, in psychological sense of the word, is connected with human identity and it belongs among the effective factors of psychotherapy. We can define it as a complex psychological variable and relatively constant characterization of a personality. Authenticity expresses the degree of a person's self-identity and, at the same time, it shows how much is his behaviour towards his surrounding connected with his self-concept. In the researches, for authenticity we can use the term congruence. In the psychotherapy therapist's authentic behaviour leads to release of the patient's spontaneity and to the increase of his own authentic behaviour. Mentally healthy person is authentic and independent, he leads a meaningful life and his decisions mainly depends on his own experience. Authenticity we can detect directly with the help of the clinical methods [interview] and indirectly through the self-concept and incongruences. One of the main instruments used to measure authenticity are rating scales.