Measuring, Predicting, and Influencing Self-Authenticity in Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Populations

Join us for this research talk with Dr Tim Cartwright. Tim’s main research interests lie in encouraging self-authenticity and values-based living, and he hopes to integrate this with research around psycho-oncology. In this research presentation he will talk about his PhD studies aimed at enhancing self-authenticity.

Tim is currently a postdoctoral research assistant in the Psychology Department at Edge Hill University, currently engaging in several research projects within the department. These include a qualitative evaluation of an arts-based programme to improve personal and psychological outcomes for individuals in prisons, and further validity testing of a measure of fear of cancer recurrence for individuals who have received a sarcoma diagnosis.

Abstract

This presentation summarizes the findings of my PhD research, which explored how to measure, predict, and influence self-authenticity—defined as knowing and being oneself and being oneself around others. Existing measures of authenticity have validity and reliability issues, so my first three studies focused on developing and validating a new measure: The Self-Authenticity Measure.

A secondary aim was to highlight the role of self-authenticity in the experiences of sexual minority individuals. Once a valid and reliable measure was established, my research examined key predictors of self-authenticity, particularly valued action and aspects of social conformity. Valued action emerged as the strongest predictor and is highly intervenable in therapeutic settings. Based on this, I developed a one-week intervention encouraging valued action, which was tested for acceptability in my fourth study. Participants clarified their values, assessed their behaviours, and engaged in values-based actions.

My fifth study compared this intervention to a mindfulness-based control, assessing their impact on self-authenticity and psychological outcomes. While both led to improvements, neither was superior. This presentation will detail these findings, discussing their strengths, limitations, and implications for interventions aimed at enhancing self-authenticity.