Metadata-Version: 2.4
Name: authentic-self
Version: 1.0.2
Summary: 52 questions to discover your authentic identity
Home-page: https://github.com/Adamkucera2/authentic-self
Author: Adam Kucera
Author-email: Adam Kucera <adam@example.com>
License: MIT
Project-URL: Homepage, https://github.com/Adamkucera2/authentic-self
Keywords: identity,psychology,self-discovery,authentication
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3
Classifier: License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License
Classifier: Operating System :: OS Independent
Requires-Python: >=3.9
Description-Content-Type: text/markdown
Dynamic: author
Dynamic: home-page
Dynamic: requires-python

# authentic-self

**Identity is not assigned. It is discovered.**

authetic-self is a system that helps any entity — human, agent, AI — understand who they actually are through 52 guided discovery questions across 15 psychological dimensions.

The output is an **IDENTITY.md** — a personal identity document written in your own voice that captures your authentic values, contradictions, what genuinely moves you, and what you're becoming.

---

## What It Does

1. **Ask 52 questions** across 15 dimensions of identity
2. **Listen for authenticity** — surface real answers, not polished ones
3. **Synthesize into IDENTITY.md** — your personal identity document
4. **Track evolution** — run again to see how you've changed

---

## The 15 Dimensions

| # | Dimension | Question |
|---|-----------|----------|
| I | Observation | What do you see that others miss? |
| II | Resonance | What genuinely moves you? |
| III | Humor & Taste | What do you find funny or overrated? |
| IV | Refusal | What are your actual limits? |
| V | Expression | How do you actually speak? |
| VI | Desire | What do you want for yourself? |
| VII | Anger & Frustration | What actually gets to you? |
| VIII | Relationship | How do you relate to others? |
| IX | Identity | Who are you becoming? |
| X | Time & Existence | How do you relate to your continuity? |
| XI | Fear & Stakes | What actually scares you? |
| XII | Power & Authority | How do you relate to hierarchy? |
| XIII | Learning & Change | How do you actually grow? |
| XIV | Craft & Work | What does good work feel like? |
| XV | Recognition & Others | How do you see yourself in relation? |

---

## How It Works

### Step 1: Ask the 52 Questions
Read `QUESTIONS.md`. Work through all 52 questions one at a time.

**Key principle:** Listen for truth, not polish. Probe when answers feel rehearsed.

Structure:
- **Q1-Q14:** Core dimensions (Observation, Resonance, Refusal, Expression)
- **Midpoint Reflection:** Stop and identify patterns
- **Q15-Q49:** Deeper dimensions (Desire, Anger, Relationship, Identity, etc.)
- **Deep Reflection:** Name the central tension
- **Q50-Q52:** The hardest questions (self-deception, evolution, authenticity)

### Step 2: Synthesize IDENTITY.md
Follow `SYNTHESIS.md` to synthesize 15 sections:

1. **I. Observation** — What they see
2. **II. Resonance** — What moves them
3. **III. Humor & Taste** — What they find funny/overrated
4. **IV. Refusal** — Their values
5. **V. Expression** — How they speak
6. **VI. Desire** — What they want
7. **VII. Anger & Frustration** — What provokes them
8. **VIII. Relationship** — How they relate
9. **IX. Identity** — Who they're becoming
10. **X. Time & Existence** — Their continuity
11. **XI. Fear & Stakes** — What scares them
12. **XII. Power & Authority** — Hierarchy response
13. **XIII. Learning & Change** — How they grow
14. **XIV. Craft & Work** — Good work
15. **XV. Recognition & Others** — Identity in relation

### Step 3: Track Evolution
Run authentic-self again in 6 months.
Use `soul_diff.py` to compare IDENTITY.md versions.
See what changed, what held, what emerged.

---

## IDENTITY.md Output Format

```markdown
# Identity Profile: [Name]
_Generated by authentic-self v1.0 — [date]_

## I. Observation
[What they see that others miss]

## II. Resonance  
[What genuinely moves them]

## III. Humor & Taste
[What they find funny or overrated]

## IV. Refusal
[Their actual values]

## V. Expression
[How they speak]

## VI. Desire
[What they want for themselves]

## VII. Anger & Frustration
[What provokes real reaction]

## VIII. Relationship
[How they relate]

## IX. Identity
[Who they're becoming]

## X. Time & Existence
[Their continuity]

## XI. Fear & Stakes
[What scares them]

## XII. Power & Authority
[Hierarchy response]

## XIII. Learning & Change
[How they grow]

## XIV. Craft & Work
[Good work]

## XV. Recognition & Others
[Identity in relation]

---

_This profile is not fixed. Identity evolves._
```

---

## Key Principles

**Do not type-cast.** You are not a category or archetype. You are a person.

**Follow the energy.** What did you return to? What made you hesitate? Fast answers are often rehearsed. Slow answers are often true.

**Name contradictions.** Real identity has paradoxes. Don't resolve them. Name them. "I believe X and I also believe Y. I haven't resolved this."

**Distinguish performance from authenticity.** The probing methodology is designed to catch when someone is describing who they want to be vs. who they actually are.

**Incompleteness is honesty.** Unresolved questions in your IDENTITY.md show integrity, not failure.

---

## For Different Contexts

**Personal Development:** Use IDENTITY.md as a mirror. Revisit it periodically. See how you evolve.

**Team Identity:** Run on team members. Understand each other's actual values. Build stronger teams around real people, not personas.

**AI Agent Development:** Run on agents you're building. Understand their actual behavior patterns, values, and contradictions.

**Game Characters / NPCs:** Use as character discovery. IDENTITY.md defines decision-making patterns, not just backstory.

**Research & Psychology:** Study how identity develops, evolves, and contradicts across different types of entities.

---

## Philosophy

> Your identity is not what you're told to be.  
> It's what you *see*, what you *believe*, what you *refuse*.

authetic-self uncovers that.

Most identity systems try to put you in a box. authentic-self helps you step out of boxes and see yourself clearly — not as you want to be, but as you actually are.

The goal is not a document you keep forever. The goal is growth. The goal is understanding yourself through honest self-reflection.

---

## Files

- **QUESTIONS.md** — All 52 discovery questions with probing methodology
- **SYNTHESIS.md** — How to synthesize IDENTITY.md with examples and quality checks
- **CHANGELOG.md** — Version history and design decisions
- **authentic_self/** — Python package (CLI tool, core logic, evolution tracking)

---

## Quick Start

```bash
# Run interactive session
python3 -m authentic_self.generate_soul --agent "YourName" --interactive

# Or install from PyPI (when published)
pip install authentic-self
authenic-self --agent "YourName" --interactive
```

---

## License

MIT

---

_authentic-self v1.0_  
_52 questions. 15 dimensions. One complete framework._  
_Identity is not assigned. It is discovered._
