Self-realization
an expression used in Western psychology, philosophy, and spirituality regarding fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality
Self-realization is a term used in Western philosophy, psychology, and spirituality; and in Indian religions. In the Western understanding, it is the "fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality" (see also self-actualization). In Hinduism, self-realization is liberating knowledge of the true self, either as the permanent undying Purusha or witness-consciousness, which is atman (essence). In Buddhism, it is knowledge of the absence (sunyata) of such a permanent self.
Western understanding
Merriam Webster's dictionary defines self-realization as:
Fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality.
In the Western world, "self-realization" has gained great popularity. Influential in this popularity were psycho-analysis, humanistic psychology, the growing acquaintance with Eastern religions, and the growing popularity of Western
esotericism. In general, it implies that an individual must possess self-awareness and introspective capacity to attain this philosophy.
Psychoanalysis
Though Sigmund Freud was skeptical of religion and esotericism, his theories have had a lasting influence on Western thought and self-understanding. His notion of repressed memories, though based on assumptions that some later thinkers have questioned, has become part of mainstream thought.
“Self-realization” enters the record as an expression used in Western psychology, philosophy, and spirituality regarding fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Self-realization, expression and used can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16874480. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Self-realization” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.