What is the purpose of our existence? That is perhaps the oldest question that has not been answered conclusively to date. Self realization is one of the concepts that has been put forward to answer it. The concept has been acknowledged in psychology and spirituality. Generally, it is a process through which ultimate happiness is attained. It helps people to attain confidence and freedom from fear, inner peace, external happiness, a deeper experience of spirituality and so on.
Under normal circumstances, many (if not all) of us are involved in a constant pursuit of happiness. We get the happiness from time to time but unfortunately it is in many cases only temporary. Once the happiness phase is over we fall back into dissatisfaction and start to work towards happiness once again. This goes on indefinitely forming a vicious cycle. Individual realization is meant to help one achieve constant happiness that is devoid of the dissatisfaction episodes.
The journey to constant happiness begins by our understanding of who we are. We are more than our names and our bodies. This is why our names can be changed several times yet we remain the same persons inside. We can change the appearance of our bodies as to completely alter our physical appearance but we are still the same. By stripping ourselves off all the qualities we are known for (names, professions, physical attributes, characters and so) we encounter our real identities.
Differences in interpretation exist when one compares the western and eastern world definitions. In the western world, the concept has mainly been studied and interpreted by psychologists and psychodynamic analysts. It is understood as the process of one learning to fully understand their personality or character. In the eastern world, it features prominently among the major religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.
In Buddhism, it is believed that there is no separate self. Everyone, it is claimed, is an undivided whole who may attain awakening. Awakening is the ability to realize this whole. In Sikhism, it is regarded as the act of purification of an individual from the false ego. After the purification, one attains a higher state of mind. They get to a position where they learn to avoid too much materialism and pursue oneness with the creator.
Sigmund Freud was the first psychoanalyst to put the concept forward. Later, his thoughts were advanced by his students such as Winnicott, Carl Jung and Erik Erikson among others. Modification have been made to the initial views over the years. Carl Jung is recognized for his individuation theory which he claimed is a lifelong process. Erickson, on the other hand, is known for his psychosocial development theory which attempts to describe the process of human development.
The two main contributors to these concept in humanistic psychology are Car Rodgers and Abraham Maslow. The two came up with a slightly different concept known as self-actualization. Their argument was that self-realization in humans is a progressive achievement that comes with continuous psychological growth. Through, growth, they went on to claim, human beings got the ability to unlock latent potentialities in different spheres of life.
Self-realization has been with us for centuries. It is mostly recognized in the western and eastern worlds but the understanding of the concept has somewhat been different. With increased integration coming with globalization, widespread acceptance has been seen. Western esotericism is one of the practices that have been greatly influenced by this concept.
Under normal circumstances, many (if not all) of us are involved in a constant pursuit of happiness. We get the happiness from time to time but unfortunately it is in many cases only temporary. Once the happiness phase is over we fall back into dissatisfaction and start to work towards happiness once again. This goes on indefinitely forming a vicious cycle. Individual realization is meant to help one achieve constant happiness that is devoid of the dissatisfaction episodes.
The journey to constant happiness begins by our understanding of who we are. We are more than our names and our bodies. This is why our names can be changed several times yet we remain the same persons inside. We can change the appearance of our bodies as to completely alter our physical appearance but we are still the same. By stripping ourselves off all the qualities we are known for (names, professions, physical attributes, characters and so) we encounter our real identities.
Differences in interpretation exist when one compares the western and eastern world definitions. In the western world, the concept has mainly been studied and interpreted by psychologists and psychodynamic analysts. It is understood as the process of one learning to fully understand their personality or character. In the eastern world, it features prominently among the major religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.
In Buddhism, it is believed that there is no separate self. Everyone, it is claimed, is an undivided whole who may attain awakening. Awakening is the ability to realize this whole. In Sikhism, it is regarded as the act of purification of an individual from the false ego. After the purification, one attains a higher state of mind. They get to a position where they learn to avoid too much materialism and pursue oneness with the creator.
Sigmund Freud was the first psychoanalyst to put the concept forward. Later, his thoughts were advanced by his students such as Winnicott, Carl Jung and Erik Erikson among others. Modification have been made to the initial views over the years. Carl Jung is recognized for his individuation theory which he claimed is a lifelong process. Erickson, on the other hand, is known for his psychosocial development theory which attempts to describe the process of human development.
The two main contributors to these concept in humanistic psychology are Car Rodgers and Abraham Maslow. The two came up with a slightly different concept known as self-actualization. Their argument was that self-realization in humans is a progressive achievement that comes with continuous psychological growth. Through, growth, they went on to claim, human beings got the ability to unlock latent potentialities in different spheres of life.
Self-realization has been with us for centuries. It is mostly recognized in the western and eastern worlds but the understanding of the concept has somewhat been different. With increased integration coming with globalization, widespread acceptance has been seen. Western esotericism is one of the practices that have been greatly influenced by this concept.
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