Page 7 - Newsletter-August-2017

Governance, Transparency and Service to Members & Students www.icap.org.pk 7 Qualities of Truly Authentic People Authenticity is highly valued: On the whole, we don’t like or trust people who come across as phony and false. Not surprisingly, we avoid such people and we seek friends and colleagues who are authentic. Often we judge a person's authenticity by the passion and commitment they have for what they say and do. Humanistic psychologists would say that by definition, authentic people possess a number of common characteristics that show they are psychologically mature and fully functioning as human beings. They... ■ have realistic perceptions of reality. ■ are accepting of themselves and of other people. ■ are thoughtful. ■ have a non-hostile sense of humour. ■ are able to express their emotions freely and clearly. ■ are open to learning from their mistakes. ■ understand their motivations. This is what is means to be true to oneself. And conversely, inauthentic people... ■ are self-deceptive and unrealistic in their perceptions of reality. ■ look to others for approval and to feel valued. ■ are judgemental of other people. ■ do not think things through clearly. ■ have a hostile sense of humour. ■ are unable to express their emotions freely and clearly. ■ are not open to learning from their mistakes. ■ do not understand their motivations. If behind what a person says and does is a defensive and self-deceptive approach to life, then no matter how passionate and committed they are to a cause, ultimately they are not being true to themselves. Authenticity is ultimately about those qualities that show healthy non-defensive functioning and psychological maturity. Those are the qualities we need to look for. Source: Web Search August 2017 7