Aproximación a la autenticidad: la concepción existencialista frente a la noción de los estudiantes de Filosofía de la Universidad de Cuenca

Abstract

This thesis explores the concept of authenticity through a dual perspective: the philosophical, grounded in Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist thought, and the experiential, derived from the voices of third-semester students in the Pedagogy of Arts and Humanities program at the University of Cuenca. The research offers a critical analysis that integrates Sartre’s ontology of radical freedom with students’ lived experiences to understand how authenticity is constructed and perceived in contemporary contexts. The theoretical framework defines authenticity as an ethical practice rooted in freedom, responsibility, and self-affirmation. The study also incorporates insights from Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Nietzsche, Camus, de Beauvoir, and Taylor, who contribute concepts such as existential angst, finitude, social masking, and intersubjective tension. Empirical findings, gathered through focus groups, reveal six key conceptions of authenticity: internal congruence, continuous choice, use of social masks, tension with the need for acceptance, ethical commitment, and the influence of the gaze of others. The study concludes that authenticity is not a fixed essence or ideal state but a dynamic, relational, and context-dependent process shaped by social, cultural, and personal tensions. Thus, being authentic emerges as an ongoing practice of self-construction and ethical negotiation between the individual, their environment, and their freedom to be.