Self-realization

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.

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.^{[citation needed]} In general, it implies that an individual must possess self-awareness and introspective capacity to attain this philosophy.

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. Freud's ideas were further developed by his students and neo-psychoanalysts. Carl Jung, Erik Erikson, Karen Horney and Donald Winnicott have been especially important in the Western understanding of the self, though alternative theories have also been developed by others. Jung developed the notion of individuation, the lifelong process in which the center of psychological life shifts from the ego to the self. Erikson described human development throughout one's lifespan in his theory of psychosocial development. Winnicott developed the notion of the true self, while Horney had two views of our self: the "real self" and the "ideal self". Gerda Boyesen, the founder of biodynamic psychology, developed her salutogenic view on the primary personality and the secondary personality. Roberto Assagioli developed his approach of psychosynthesis, an original approach to psychology. Assagioli's original approach is one that is dynamic and continuous, rather than one that can be reached at a "final destination" or completed.

Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in Los Angeles, California, teaches its spiritual students to attain self-realization through methods of concentration and meditation, including a technique called kriya yoga. Yogananda described self-realization as the realization of one's true Self or soul – an individualized expression of the universal spirit.

In Hinduism, self-realization (atma-jnana or atmabodha) is knowledge of witness-consciousness, the true self which is separate from delusion and identification with mental and material phenomena.

In Shaivism, self-realization is the direct knowing of the Self God Parashiva. Self-realization (nirvikalpa samadhi, which means "ecstasy without form or seed," or asamprajñata samādhi) is considered the ultimate spiritual attainment.