State authenticity: precursors and sequelae

A person is authentic when her or his actions reflect the "true self". Although psychologists have explored authenticity as a personality trait or as a developmental achievement, there is little research that directly examines the role of authenticity in adults' everyday lives. That is, researchers have a limited understanding of authenticity as a state (ie, as a sense of self in-the-moment).
This research grant seeks to fill this knowledge gap by investigating two themes:

why and when people feel authentic;
what the consequences are of felt authenticity, both at the time and upon later reflection.
To achieve these aims, the researchers will use experimental and survey methods to address questions such as whether people feel authentic simply because they feel happy, whether people feel authentic because they are engaging in an activity that meets a basic human need (eg, for competency, autonomy), whether feeling momentarily authentic is associated with increased life satisfaction and value-expression, and whether recollecting an earlier experience of authenticity yields the same benefits as the original experience. An improved understanding of state authenticity may confer researchers, educators, and practitioners a practical and potent means for providing guidance on how to improve people's daily lives.