Philosophical analysis views this connection as a process in which the true “I” is born through conscious overcoming of egocentrism and the abandonment of trivial, transient happiness, replacing it with a struggle for an authentic personality.

Transcending Ego: The Struggle for Authentic Self

Philosophical analysis views this connection as a process in which the true “I” is born through conscious overcoming of egocentrism and the abandonment of trivial, transient happiness, replacing it with a struggle for an authentic personality. In other words, in order to become a true individual, one must forsake superficial pursuits of immediate pleasure and adopt self-restriction aimed at achieving higher, supra-personal values and relationships with others.

As stated in one of the sources, “The ‘I’ can realize a personality, become a personality. The realization of personality always presupposes self-restriction, a free submission to the supra-personal, the creation of supra-personal values, the transcending of oneself through another. ... Extreme individualism is a denial of personality. Personality inherently has a metaphysically social element; it needs communication with others. Personalist ethics fights against egocentrism” (source: link txt). This emphasizes that for genuine self-expression, one must reject egocentrism and that self-restriction becomes a necessary condition for the realization of the “I” as a personality capable of moving beyond its own ego and engaging in meaningful dialogue with the surrounding world.

It is also noted that the struggle for the true “I” is associated with a refusal to trade the freedom necessary for this search for fleeting happiness, which often turns out to be illusory.

One text states, “…then what is this often-repeated betrayal of oneself—of one’s conscience, one’s principles, one’s love—if not an exchange of freedom for the coveted happiness we so pursue?

… the profound and real opposition between freedom and happiness, their genuine incompatibility” (source: link txt). This indicates that the pursuit of immediate pleasure often leads to the loss of inner freedom and the opportunity for genuine self-realization. Thus, the struggle for the true “I” becomes a process in which a person consciously renounces short-term pleasures in favor of dedicating their life to the construction of deeper, authentic values.

In summary, the philosophical analysis demonstrates that true happiness does not lie in the continuous pursuit of pleasure, but rather emerges from the struggle for freedom, self-respect, and the realization of one’s personality—where self-denial becomes a necessary stage on the path to attaining the true “I.”