In existential philosophy, identity is not a fixed entity, but something individuals must continually create through exercise of their freedom, choice, and responsibility. As the existentialist philosopher John Paul Sartre argued in Existentialism is a Humanism and his signature book Being and Nothingness, “existence precedes essence,” meaning that we humans are not born with a predetermined identity but define ourselves through our choices, actions and commitments as we go through life.
The Role of Identity in Existential Thought
Sartre argued in Being and Nothingness that a fixed identity (“essence”) is not something we are not born with; it is construction we create throughout the course of one’s life. This means identity is not an unchanging “given” but a project we undertake as we face freedom, choice and responsibility.
With respect to identity, existentialists argue that individuals experience crises when confronted with the tension between freedom and societal expectations. Authentic identity arises when individuals embrace their freedom and take responsibility for how they construct their identity. In contrast, “bad faith” occurs when people deny their freedom and responsibility by conforming to social expectations, cling to externally imposed labels or roles as if they were absolutes.
Existentialists refer to the “given” aspects of identity by the term “facticity”, the unalterable aspects of life with which we are born (e.g., birthplace, culture, family, ethnicity, history, body). Facticity sets the stage but does not dictate identity. Existentialism acknowledges “facticity” but insists it does not determine who we are or what we become. Freedom lies in how we interpret and act despite our facticity.
Existentialists link identity to the process of constructing a meaningful life. Asking “Who am I?” as a question is inseparable from the questions “What am I doing with my life?” or “What should I do with my life?” These questions confront us with the choices that lead to identity creation. This then means that identity is dynamic, created and determined by the ongoing choices we make. Identity then is an ongoing negotiation between facticity and transcendence. Our facticity is real, but only the starting point for the creation of our identity. The key to identity formation is what we choose beyond our original starting point. Existential philosophers (e.g., Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Sartre, de Beauvoir) and existential psychologists (e.g., Binswanger, May, Bugental, Yalom, Frankl) emphasize identity’s constructed nature.
Identity plays a central role in existential psychotherapy. The question of identity is an ever present “given” in psychotherapy. Directly or implicitly, the client is always confronted with the question “Who am I?”, thus challenging the client to define themselves authentically in the face of freedom, responsibility, and meaning. This requires the client to accept that his identity emerges through the choices he makes, accept the reality that every decision affirms or reshapes his identity. Clients are invited to see themselves as “beings-in-becoming.”
The French philosopher Paul Ricoeur has had a profound impact on contemporary psychology and psychotherapy. He is best known for the idea that we construct our identity through the stories we create and communicate about our lives. This connects existential concerns (authenticity, meaning, temporality) with an interpretive act. Ricoeur’s observations underscore the point that an individual’s lived experience is interpreted through language, memory, and storytelling, thus describing the process by which our identity is created. He insists that we make sense of life by interpreting our embodied experiences, situating them within narratives. While not a “classic existentialist” like Sartre or Camus, Ricoeur’s philosophy deeply engages existential themes.
Consequences of Not Addressing Identity
Identity is an existential given because every individual is compelled to confront the question of “Who am I?” When this question is not adequately addressed, whether through avoidance, denial, or other defensive measures, the consequences are psychologically profound. If identity is not confronted, individuals live in contradiction, either denying their finite limitations or refusing their infinite freedom. Both result in a hollow, despairing existence.
Kierkegaard described existential despair as the refusal to engage in the process of becoming oneself. Heidegger argued that failing to own one’s identity leads to living according to “das Man” (the “they”), conforming to social roles and expectations rather than authentically choosing who one is. This produces a borrowed identity, where the individual never authentically claims their existence as their own.
Sartre views identity as created by the process of exercising one’s freedom to choose. Denying responsibility for this process leads to “bad faith”, that is pretending that identity is fixed by conforming to one’s facticity, external roles, or circumstances. This self-deception might shield one from anxiety but does so at the cost of freedom and authenticity. Nietzsche warned that without confronting the question of identity, individuals risk alienation, living by borrowed values or collapsing into nihilism when those values fail.
The refusal to affirm one’s own identity prevents the creative act of transcendence (i.e., self-overcoming). Camus argued that identity is forged in rebellion against the absurdity of being thrown into a world without universal meaning. Without addressing identity, individuals may resign themselves to meaninglessness. Viktor Frankl emphasized that identity is tied to meaning and purpose. Frankl argued that neglecting identity often leads to an “existential vacuum,” expressed as apathy, depression, or destructive behaviors. Existential psychology notes that unresolved identity leads to confusion, instability, and a lack of coherence in life.
Without an authentic sense of identity, living deliberately rather than passively conforming, individuals struggle to make authentic choices, form genuine relationships, or endure suffering.
Why Identity Matters
Identity matters because it is the foundation for authenticity. Owning one’s identity means accepting responsibility for one’s freedom and the choices freely made. Identity provides coherence, allowing individuals to integrate experiences into a meaningful narrative. A well-addressed identity strengthens the ability to face finitude, uncertainty, and suffering with resilience. In summary, among existentialists, failing to address identity results in despair, inauthenticity, bad faith, alienation, and thus a life without meaning. Confronting identity is essential for authenticity, responsibility, and the creation of a meaningful life.
Clinical Implications
In psychotherapy, identity becomes manifest in several ways. Clients often struggle with conflicts of various kinds. They sometimes struggle with conflicting multiple identities (e.g., parent, professional, work or relational demands). In psychotherapy they address and explore how these roles integrate or clash and seek ways to reduce or accommodate conflicting role demands.
Clients often seek psychotherapy due to an identity crisis provoked by a major life transition (e.g., career change, unanticipated medical diagnosis, aging, financial setbacks, betrayals or a major loss through death). Identity crises often result in clinically significant anxiety and/or depression. The psychotherapist assists the client in reconciling fragmented or conflicting aspects of the self. In addition, the psychotherapist assists the client in reframing their crisis as an opportunity for growth. The psychotherapist slowly guides clients to a resolution of their crisis by supporting them as they take ownership of identity-shaping decisions, viewing their crisis as an opportunity for authentic growth and an opportunity to re-author their life story, integrating past experiences into an enhanced and coherent sense of self.
Psychotherapy helps clients distinguish between identities imposed by culture, family, or roles versus those aligned with their authentic values. Therapists promote authenticity by helping clients articulate what matters most to them and encouraging clients to confront the tension between “the self they have presented” and “the self that genuinely represents who they really are.” Psychotherapy also benefits clients by recognizing that identity evolves through uncertainty, loss, and change, thus enhancing the client’s resilience.
Existential psychotherapy’s unique contribution is its insistence that identity is not discovered but created through authentic engagement with life’s givens: freedom, existential isolation and connectedness, meaning, and mortality.
Closing Thought
Identity in existential psychotherapy is less about “finding who you are” and more about “choosing who you will become” in the face of life’s struggles and uncertainties. It’s a dynamic, ongoing project of lived experience, one that therapy helps illuminate and support.