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The self

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Photo of a tattooed barber trimming a man’s hair in a striped cape, with a reflection in the mirror.

The self

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When your authenticity is an act, something’s gone wrong

Authenticity has changed from an inward gaze to a social display. Can we reconcile the performance with the real thing?

by Joseph E Davis

Photo of a man and child seated in a stroller on a beach path surrounded by seagulls with the ocean in the background.

History and philosophy of mental health

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For Donald Winnicott, the psyche is not inside us but between us

For Donald Winnicott, your psyche isn’t just in your head – it emerges from your relationships with others and the world

by James Barnes

Photo of a wet pavement reflecting a person’s silhouette and orange lights on a rainy day.

Personality disorders

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Some people feel so utterly alone it’s as if they don’t exist

People diagnosed with ‘avoidant personality disorder’ fear getting close to other people, yet crave greater connection

by Kristine Dahl Sørensen & Marit Råbu

Photo of a man playing guitar in a sunlit room with wooden walls a stool with plants nearby and a view outside the window.

Compassion and empathy

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Self-compassion is not self-indulgence: here’s how to try it

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not self-indulgent to practise self-compassion. In fact, it helps you to care for others

by Christina Chwyl

People sitting and walking through a city square on a sunny day, with a red brick building and large advertising posters covering other buildings.

Stories and literature

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Your life is not a story: why narrative thinking holds you back

Our stories help us make sense of a chaotic world, but they can be harmful and restrictive. There’s a liberating alternative

by Karen Simecek

Painting of large trees with exposed roots in a forest, sunlight filtering through leaves, house visible in the background.

Imagination

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Aphantasia can be a gift to philosophers and critics like me

Aphantasia veils the past and the future from the mind’s eye. That can be a gift to philosophers like Derek Parfit and me

by Mette Leonard Høeg

Hands sculpting a small, rough clay figure of a person’s head and torso against a blurred background.

The self

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When Nietzsche said ‘become who you are’, this is what he meant

Behind the philosopher’s cryptic phrase is an invocation to sculpt your ideal self out of the hard stone of your psyche

by Ryan A Bush

Black and white photo of five children sitting on a kerbside in front of a house, with playful expressions.

The self

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The self of self-help books is adrift from social and economic facts

Self-help books are a broken parachute: to win friends and influence people, take advice from a social scientist instead

by Craig Schamel

Black and white photo of a woman typing at a desk with a poster of Mao Zedong and framed art on the wall.

Memoir

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Learn the art of journaling and archive your life

Journaling is an art and a daily practice that allows you to write your life and find your way, one sentence at a time

by Sarah Boon

Abstract painting of a blurred urban scene with teal and orange hues depicting moving silhouettes in a cityscape.

The self

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Memory involves the whole body. It’s how the self defies amnesia

People with anterograde amnesia can’t rely on memory alone for their sense of self. Instead, they remember with their body

by Ben Platts-Mills

Photo of a crowd at night, a woman in the front smiles with her hand on her chest, others hold lights in the background.

The self

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A stable sense of self is rooted in the lungs, heart and gut

Exciting new research findings are validating ancient folk beliefs that root the sense of self deep in the body’s organs

by Alessandro Monti

Night-time long exposure photo of a road with blurry, colourful light trails from car headlights and taillights against a dark background.

The self

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Sudden amnesia showed me the self is a convenient fiction

Sudden amnesia let me experience what Buddhists and philosophers have been saying all along about the existence of the self

by Steven Hales