Probably not as a fixed inner object you can point to once and for all. Psychology treats the true self more like a belief people use to judge meaning, authenticity, and morality than like a thing scientists can directly measure.
The Frontiers article on the true self says the concept is disputed by psychological science, and that many people nonetheless believe in it. The Greater Good piece explains that people tend to think the true self is moral and good, but it also notes that from a scientific standpoint the true self is hard to treat as something that actually exists. In other words, people experience the idea as real even if researchers do not see a clean, observable inner core.
That does not make identity fake. It means identity is partly narrative, partly habit, and partly choice. Your values and repeated actions may matter more than finding a hidden essence underneath them.
More in Science
Are alien abduction experiences real or explainable by psychology and sleep?
Most alien abduction stories fit sleep paralysis, vivid dreaming, suggestion, and memory effects better than literal extraterrestrial contact.
🔬 Science 5 weeks ago 3 min readCould a large undiscovered primate like Bigfoot still exist in North America?
It’s extraordinarily unlikely. A breeding population would leave bones, DNA, roadkill, or fossils, and North America has no credible evidence of that.
🔬 Science 5 weeks ago 2 min readHow could Derinkuyu support 20,000 people underground?
It worked as a sealed, self-contained refuge with rooms, ventilation, water, and storage carved into soft rock.
🔬 Science 3 weeks ago 2 min read