Being yourself: An assessment of authenticity in undergraduates of a University in Sri Lanka

Abstract

ABSTRACT Authenticity is an indicator of psychological well-being. Until recently, studies on this construct has been scarce. This study aimed to fill this gap by culturally adapting a Sinhala version of the Authenticity Scale and using it to examine authenticity and selected demographic correlates among Sri Lankan undergraduates. The Sinhala version of the Authenticity Scale showed favourable psychometric properties. The survey results on 1235 Sri Lankan undergraduates indicate that this group is comparable to their counterparts in some dimensions of authenticity. The results also indicate that women report higher authenticity than men. Implications of this study are discussed, whilst emphasising the need to take into account variations that may occur in relation to authenticity in demographic factors such as gender.