This was published 4 years ago
Exposing the ways we try to hide our inner selves
By Nicole Abadee
Mackay's book acknowledges the journey to self-discovery might be painful.Credit:
NON-FICTION
The Inner Self
BY HUGH MACKAY
I wanted to be a barrister from the age of 12. It made perfect sense. I loved reading and language, and my favourite activities were debating and acting (many barristers are frustrated actors). I studied hard at school then at university, things fell my way, and I became a barrister at 25. It looked as if my career path was set.
But from quite early on I had niggling doubts about whether this was the right job for me. Although I enjoyed the intellectual challenge, I also found it very stressful, and not reflective of my true personality. Although I appeared to be a hungry, aggressive, competitive young advocate – these qualities being essential to success at the bar – deep down, I knew I had made the wrong choice.
All of which means that The Inner Self, the latest book by leading social psychologist Hugh Mackay, resonated deeply with me. Citing both philosophers and empirical evidence, Mackay argues that self-knowledge is essential to leading an authentic and fulfilling life. He points out that there is often a disparity between the identity we present to the world, and our true inner self, and if that gap becomes too wide, we will experience mental and even physical discomfort.
Mackay exposes the different ways we try to hide (even from ourselves) our inner selves – ambition, perfectionism, shame, to name a few. He acknowledges that the journey to self-discovery might be painful, requiring us to make changes to our lives, but says it is worth it to achieve psychological freedom.
As for me? I left the bar and found a job which has led to a career I am passionate about. As Mackay would say, my outer and inner selves are in alignment, and I couldn’t be happier.
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