Authentic self-realization and depression

Abstract

The central point of this article is that the burgeoning depression rates of our day may be understood in relation to the normative demand for self-realization with which contemporary western individuals are confronted. The article argues that the expectation of lasting fulfilment of authentic self-realization may be regarded as a chronic stress factor for the individual and risks creating depression. The modern view of depression supports this perspective. Depression is today regarded as the precise opposite of successful self-realization, and consequently, as a repression of life’s possibilities for self-realization. The article also discusses how treatment with antidepressants fits into this interpretive frame — how antidepressants can be regarded as a kind of action technique which can support the individual in attempts to realize his or her authentic self. Finally, the article discusses the possible problems which may arise from this treatment approach.