Virtue and authenticity in civic life

ABSTRACT

A robust literature indicates that when people feel that they are expressing and aware of their true selves, they show enhanced psychological health and well-being. This feeling, commonly referred to as authenticity, is therefore a consequential experience. In this paper, we review a program of research focused on the relevance of authenticity for civic engagement. We describe how a virtuous orientation to civic engagement might make civic actions feel more authentic and how the experience of authenticity might help sustain civic behavior. We then discuss the role that education might play in fostering a deeper connection between civic engagement and the subjective experience of authenticity.

KEYWORDS:

• Authenticity
• true self
• civic engagement
• civic education
• authentic self
• virtue

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant funded as part of the Self, Virtue and Public Life Project, a three-year research initiative based at the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing at the University of Oklahoma. Funded with generous support from the Templeton Religion Trust.

Notes on contributors

Matthew Vess

Matthew Vess is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University. His research examines the psychological processes that underlie and result from people’s existential concerns.

Matt Stichter

Matt Stichter is an Associate Professor of Philosophy in the School of Politics, Philosophy, & Public Affairs at Washington State University. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Bowling Green State University in 2007. He pursues research at the intersection of moral psychology, virtue ethics, and the philosophy of expertise.

Joshua A. Hicks

Joshua A. Hicks is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on understanding the antecedents and consequences of the experience of meaning in life, authenticity, self-alienation, perceptions of freewill, and mortality awareness.

Rebecca J. Schlegel

Rebecca J. Schlegel is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University. Her research examines the intersection of self/identity and well-being.