Contents
- The Search for the “True Self”
- Self-Help Gimmicks
- Selling Authenticity
- Shaped by Culture or by God?
- Finding the True Self in Christ
- Resources
The Search for the “True Self”
The modern self-help industry thrives on a paradox: the promise of finding your “true self,” often for the price of a bestselling book, an online course, or a weekend retreat.
The idea is simple. Buried beneath cultural conditioning and personal insecurities lies an authentic, unchangeable essence waiting to be uncovered.
The problem is there’s no reason to believe that’s how people actually work.
I find myself in agreement with Joseph’s critique of this static, extractable “true self.” Likewise, I share his frustration with how self-help and authenticity have been commodified.
“Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know Thee.”
St. Augustine
However, when it comes to the question of how identity is shaped, I believe the conversation must move beyond social influence and subjective discovery to something deeper. Namely, the Christian understanding that our true self is found in relationship with God and transformation through Christ.
Self-Help Gimmicks
Self-help philosophy often presents the true self as something innate like a treasure buried in the psyche, waiting to be unearthed.
The problem is that people change. The things we believe about ourselves at twenty may seem naive at forty.
If identity were simply about finding an inner core, it would remain static, but human growth proves otherwise.
Christianity offers a more compelling alternative. The true self is not found but formed.
Scripture describes being made new in Christ, meaning identity is not about extracting some pre-existing perfection but about transformation of the self.
The journey toward our true self is, in reality, the journey toward holiness.
AI Counterpoint
What if ‘self-actualization’ is just an evolved version of the medieval concept of virtue? Are we rediscovering old truths under new branding?
Brent’s Response
There is nothing new under the sun. I think this is spot on.
Selling Authenticity
You can now buy books, courses, and coaching packages to help you become “yourself.”
The self-help industry has mastered the art of turning authenticity into a product, often creating a cycle where people feel perpetually incomplete until they purchase the next big solution.
Jesus had some thoughts on commercialized truth.
When he overturned the money changers’ tables in the temple, he wasn’t just critiquing corruption. He was rejecting the idea that holiness should be for sale.
Similarly, the pursuit of authenticity for personal branding or self-fulfillment misses the mark.
True authenticity isn’t about self-expression but about integrity, living in alignment with God’s will.
AI Counterpoint
Isn’t the Church itself guilty of commodifying faith at times? Indulgences, televangelists, Christian bookstores full of self-help books…
Brent’s Response
Absolutely. That’s probably the most common response I hear against Christianity. Aren’t the churches full of hypocrites and imperfect people? Yes, it is. When confronted with that question, Bishop Fulton Sheen would joke, “don’t worry, no one will notice one more.” The fallibility of the human element of the Church says nothing about the truth of the institution.
Shaped by Culture or by God?
That our identities are shaped by external influences is a valid point.
However, if we stop at cultural and social factors, we miss the bigger question of what should shape us?
Christianity acknowledges that we are shaped by our environment, but it also insists that ultimate truth comes from divine revelation, not just personal experience.
Scripture urges us to renew our minds, implying a deliberate process of rejecting false influences and aligning with God’s truth.
The challenge isn’t merely recognizing how society shapes us but discerning which influences are worth following.
AI Counterpoint
But isn’t our interpretation of ‘God’s truth’ itself shaped by culture? The early Church’s theology looks different from modern Christianity.
Brent’s Response
Not exactly. Culture + revelation to be more precise. Early Church theology isn’t as different as some might assume. The core tenants are almost entirely the same. There was a lot of ambiguity in the first century. We find it unsurprising that some points of theology have evolved.
Finding the True Self in Christ
If the self-help industry gets one thing right, it’s that people long for a sense of identity and purpose.
But the answer isn’t hidden in our subconscious or available through a $399 coaching package.
The true self isn’t something we extract from within. It’s something we receive from God and cultivate through relationship with Him.
The real question isn’t just “Who am I?” but “Who am I becoming?” And that answer is found not in self-discovery, but in alignment with Christ.