Choosing to Choose

How Sartre's Concept of 'Bad Faith' Keeps Us From Living Authentic Lives

Aug 26, 2024

This image was created using an AI tool based on a prompt designed by Alejandro Betancourt.

"Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does." —Jean-Paul Sartre

You're standing at a crossroads, facing a life-altering decision. Your palms are sweaty, and your heart's racing. What do you do? You might find yourself wishing for a sign, divine intervention, or someone else to choose for you.

Jean-Paul Sartre, the rockstar of existentialism, would've looked at you with a mischievous glint and said, "Congratulations, you've just discovered your freedom. Now, what are you going to do with it?"

Born in Paris in 1905, Sartre wasn't your typical philosopher. He was a novelist, playwright, and political activist who brought philosophy out of dusty lecture halls and into cafes, bars, and the streets. His central idea? We're 'condemned to be free.' It sounds paradoxical. But this paradox is where the intellectual stimulation lies.

Existentialism, Sartre's philosophical playground, posits that we exist first and then spend our lives creating our essence through our choices and actions. There's no predetermined human nature, no cosmic plan. We're thrown into this world, and it's up to us to make meaning of our existence.

This freedom can be exhilarating, but it's also terrifying. And that terror leads us to one of Sartre's most intriguing concepts: "Bad Faith." It's a psychological trick of hand we pull on ourselves, a way of ducking our freedom and the responsibility that comes with it.

What is "Bad Faith"?

So, what is this "Bad Faith" Sartre was so worked up about? It's a form of self-deception where we deny our freedom and responsibility. We're playing a cosmic game of "not it" with ourselves.

Imagine you're at a party. You're bored, but instead of leaving, tell yourself, "I can't leave early, it would be rude." That right there? That's Bad Faith in action. You're pretending you don't have the freedom to walk out the door and that some external force (in this case, social etiquette) controls your actions.

Deep down, you know you can leave. You choose to stay and then pretend you have no choice. It's a subtle but powerful form of self-deception.

Bad Faith isn't about lying in the traditional sense. It's more insidious than that. It's a way of hiding from our freedom and ducking the weight of our choices. It's pretending we're not the authors of our lives but merely actors reading from a predetermined script.

Sartre argued that we're always aware of our freedom at some level. But this freedom is scary. It means we're responsible for everything we do (and don't do). There's no "the devil made me do it" in Sartre's world. We're the devils of our own lives, capable of angelic and demonic acts in equal measure.

Bad Faith is our attempt to escape this uncomfortable truth. We create fixed identities for ourselves ("I'm just not a morning person"), we blame our circumstances ("I can't quit my job in this economy"), we conform to societal roles without questioning them ("As a woman, I should want children").

Every time we engage in Bad Faith, we're choosing not to choose. And that, paradoxically, is still a choice. We can't escape our freedom, but we can pretend hard that we do.

Psychological Mechanisms Behind Bad Faith

So why do we engage in Bad Faith? What goes on in our minds when we deny our freedom and responsibility? Let's discuss the psychological machinery behind this self-deception.

At its core, Bad Faith is driven by fear of freedom, responsibility, and, ultimately, fear of the unknown. We're creatures of habit, wired to seek comfort and predictability. The idea that we're radically free, that our future is unwritten, can be terrifying.

If you're truly free, you're responsible for your life situation. There's no cosmic plan, no predetermined destiny to fall back on. Your successes are your own, sure, but so are your failures. That's a heavy burden to bear.

So, we develop psychological defense mechanisms. We create fixed identities for ourselves, like "I'm just not good at math" or "I'm a people-pleaser." These identities give us a sense of stability and a script to follow. They're comfortable, even if they're limiting.

We also tend to externalize control. It's easier to blame our circumstances, upbringing, or society for our problems than to acknowledge our role in creating and maintaining them. Psychologists call this an external locus of control – the belief that outside forces primarily control our lives.

Another factor is the comfort of predetermined roles. Society presents us with ready-made identities – the dutiful employee, the self-sacrificing parent, the tough guy who doesn't show emotions. Stepping into these roles can be easier than crafting our own identity.

Lastly, there's cognitive dissonance. When our actions don't align with our beliefs about ourselves, it creates psychological discomfort. Bad Faith can resolve this discomfort by denying or distorting reality rather than changing our behavior or beliefs.

Understanding these mechanisms doesn't overcome Bad Faith but makes it possible. Awareness is the first step towards change. Once we recognize the psychological games we're playing with ourselves, we can begin to challenge them.

Consequences of Living in Bad Faith

Living in Bad Faith might seem convenient to avoid the anxiety of freedom, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Let's break down the real-world consequences of this self-deception:

Inauthenticity: In Bad Faith, we are not true to ourselves. We're playing a role, wearing a mask. Over time, this can lead to a profound disconnection from ourselves.
Stunted Personal Growth: Growth requires stepping out of our comfort zone, embracing new challenges, and learning from our mistakes. Bad Faith keeps us stuck in familiar patterns, even if they're not serving us well. We deny ourselves the opportunity to evolve.
Unfulfilled Potential: How many dreams have been unrealized because someone told themselves, "I can't"? Bad Faith is a dream killer. It convinces us to settle for less than we're capable of achieving.
Relationship Problems: Authentic connections require vulnerability and honesty – both with ourselves and others. Bad Faith creates barriers to deep, meaningful relationships. We might find ourselves surrounded by people yet feeling profoundly alone.
Existential Anxiety: While Bad Faith is an attempt to avoid anxiety, it often backfires. Deep down, we know we're deceiving ourselves, and this can lead to a persistent sense of unease or dissatisfaction with life.
Lack of Agency: By denying our freedom to choose, we give up our power to shape our lives. We become passive spectators rather than active participants in our own stories.
Regret: As we age, the roads not taken due to Bad Faith can become sources of profound sadness.
Loss of Meaning: Sartre argued that we create meaning through our choices and actions. By living in Bad Faith, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to develop meaningful lives.

The consequences of Bad Faith ripple through every aspect of our existence. It's not just a philosophical concept – it's a natural barrier to living a fulfilling life.

Practical Exercises

The theory is great, but change happens through action. Here are some practical exercises to help you identify and challenge your instances of Bad Faith:

The "I Can't" Challenge: For one week, every time you catch yourself saying or thinking "I can't," write it down. At the end of the week, review your list. For each "I can't," ask yourself: Is this true? What if I could? What's the minimum step I could take in this direction?
Role Reversal: Think of a situation where you feel stuck. Now, imagine your best friend was in this situation. What advice would you give them? Often, we can see options for others that we deny for ourselves.
The Five Whys: Choose a belief you hold about yourself. Ask yourself why you believe it. Then, ask why again. Repeat this process five times. This can help you uncover the root of your self-limiting beliefs.
Future Self Visualization: Imagine yourself five years from now if you continue living in Bad Faith. Now imagine yourself if you embrace your freedom and live authentically. Write a letter from each version of your future self to your present self.
Comfort Zone Expansion: Each week, do one thing that scares you (within reason, of course). It could be as simple as speaking up in a meeting or trying a new food. Notice how you feel before, during, and after.
Identity Audit: List the roles you play in life (e.g., employee, parent, friend). For each role, ask: Did I choose this role? Does it align with my values? How would it feel to let this role go?
Freedom Journaling: Spend 10 minutes each day writing about your choices. What choices did you make today? What choices are you avoiding? How does your freedom make you feel?
The "What If" Game: When deciding, brainstorm as many options as possible, even seemingly ridiculous ones. This can help break you out of binary thinking and reveal new possibilities.

The goal isn't to eliminate Bad Faith overnight. Instead, we should become more aware of it, challenge it, and gradually choose authenticity more often.

Living authentically means facing our freedom head-on, with all its terrifying possibilities and weighty responsibilities. It means acknowledging that we are the authors of our lives, not merely actors reading from a script.

By recognizing and challenging our instances of Bad Faith, we open ourselves up to a world of potential. We free ourselves from self-imposed limitations, from the comfortable but stifling cocoon of false identities and excuses. We allow ourselves to grow, change, and become more ourselves.

This isn't a one-and-done deal. Bad Faith has a way of creeping back in when we least expect it. The key is to remain vigilant and question our assumptions about ourselves and our world. It's a lifelong practice of choosing authenticity over comfort and responsibility over excuses.

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