People sometimes say that only you know the "real" you but isn't it more likely that an external observer - a friend or a relative - can be more objective than you so perhaps they know the real you. You know things about yourself that no one else knows but you can't be fully objective about yourself so which YOU is the real one? Can you really be yourself?
2007-02-12 23:42:02 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Some answerers think we can trust our own idea of who we are more than other people's ideas of who we are...that we know the real truth and others see only what we conciously allow them to see. I'm not so sure about that. For example it seems to me that an anorexic has a sense of herself that's a long way from the real woman. Similarly Michael Jackson seems to have moved a long way from what I would call the real him. He might honestly believe this is the authentic him. I'm still not sure what is meant by the real YOU. We can't always trust our own self appraisal. I'm sure about that at least.
2007-02-13 02:24:32 · update #1
The real you is within yourself. When we were born, we were pure and innocent. As we grew up, we learned to change/hide or adapt ourselves to please our parents, sibling, teachers, friends and society. This is conditioning. We gradually put on many layers of mask without even realizing it. A 2 year old will not be intimidated by the society rule when he/she wanted to cry in the middle of shopping mall.
There are time when we made a decision (which appeared to be the right decision at that time) and soon we felt somehow it was not as great as we thought. Well this may be the resulted from the misalignment of our decision made from the mind (through the thick layers of mask) and decision made from our heart.
When we learn to take away all these layers of mask, we will definitely see the authentic self.
2007-02-13 01:35:55 · answer #1 · answered by Hui 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Psychologists identify the "ideal" and "real" selves and believe that people are happiest and better adjusted when those two selves are most closely aligned. Or, more simply put, when you act the way you know you are and aren't faking it or striving to constantly be something else, you are generally more contented with your life. That suggests only you know who you really are and that people only know who you are by what you do or say. The challenge is in having the courage first to be honest with yourself, and then in being honest with others.
More: Your update cites aberrant behavior or people--at least in the case of people with anorexia--with illnesses. There are similar illnesses as espressed in people who are in search of perfection through plastic surgery. But the key is that the illness is that people can't see themselves as they truly are. That is different from people without illnesses knowing or facing truths about themselves. To be sure, facing personal truths (positive and negative) doesn't come easily and naturally for some people and professionals can help people with that--psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clergy, counselors, teachers, to name a few. But when seeking input from others about one's self, it's important to know and understand and trust the motivations of others. Friends and family may not always be the best sources because they're not always unbiased sources.
2007-02-13 08:47:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
While I understand what you're saying, I'm sorry, I don't agree. A casual observer, or any observer, and most especially someone who is near and dear, sees less of the real you than you do yourself. What each person allows the world to see is only the outer part of their being. A person near and dear is going to project their feelings for you into what they "see" of who you are. No matter how objective they try to be. A casual observer knows nothing of you, but makes their judgment by what they see...again, they see only what the outside of you says you are.
When you try to express what the "real" you is, you find you cannot...not because of limitation in language, but because YOU are so complex a being that there isn't a way to express all that completely.
2007-02-13 10:02:02 · answer #3 · answered by aidan402 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Observer,friend , relative will never know the real you as you will know yourself. They will know your presentation that you choose to show the world. People that you are close to may know your character based upon observations, but that is based on the surface.Yes you can really be yourself, as far as being objective about yourself you can be. That is by acknowledging your faults to yourself, your strong points and how to work with all of them to become a complete person.
2007-02-13 08:04:57 · answer #4 · answered by myleshunt 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think we can really be ourselves if we want to.I know myself but there might be some things that I wouldn't know about myself because I don't realise it.So,other people's opinion matters too.You can be a better person if you accept someone else's criticism that is true and change yourself.then it will be the real,new you.Other people's opinion of you comes from the real you,so I would say that you know yourself,but as i said,there may be certain aspects of yourself that you are not aware of.
2007-02-13 07:56:18 · answer #5 · answered by aMUSEd 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
only you can know the real you, others only know certain aspects of you that you choose to show or that they have observed. as we are always maturing and therefore changing so then our point of view is changing. For example what i considered important 25 years ago is irrelevant to me now and i value my family and friends more than anything
2007-02-13 09:40:31 · answer #6 · answered by sue brew 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A person can only be themselves when they are alone. That's when you can be the real you that no one will ever see. I love to be alone when I don't have to me Mom or a wife. When i can just be me. There is a difference.
2007-02-13 08:31:19 · answer #7 · answered by SANDI P 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You know the real you by your gut feelings. You know if you like a certain thing or not....how you want your house decorated....what type of car you want....etc. Others may know you better by your outside feelings...those that show. They know you aren't ugly even though you think you are....They know you are more outgoing or shy then you think you are...etc.
2007-02-13 07:49:26 · answer #8 · answered by Dorth 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes, I don't even know the real me. I think to myself, "Who ARE you?". Usually when I've done something out of emotion as opposed to logical thought.
2007-02-16 08:44:32 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I don't believe we can ever be ourselves. We, as humans, have too many paranoid ideas in us and we always hold back one portion of "US" for safe keeping. Trust is not always around us.
2007-02-19 12:21:30 · answer #10 · answered by missellie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋