This definition presents a fascinating intersection between literary metafiction and psychological identity construction. While metafiction in literary theory refers to fiction that self-consciously addresses its own fictional nature[1][2], this concept extends this self-referential quality to personal identity formation, creating what might be called "personal metafiction" or "identity metafiction."
Metafiction is self-conscious fiction that emphasizes its own narrative structure and reminds audiences they are engaging with a constructed work[1][3]. Key characteristics include:
Self-Referentiality: Characters or narrators acknowledge their fictional status, creating awareness of the narrative's constructed nature[2][4]
Breaking the Fourth Wall: Direct acknowledgment of the reader's presence, shattering the boundary between fictional and real worlds[2]
Questioning Reality and Fiction: Challenging readers to reflect on the nature of storytelling and the boundaries between truth and construction[1][5]
As literary scholar Patricia Waugh defines it, metafiction is "fictional writing which self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artefact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality"[6].
Your definition—"false truth about oneself/one's self which might or might not be believed by others but is perceived as 'current' truth"—shares remarkable parallels with metafictional techniques, but applied to personal identity construction. This concept intersects with several psychological and philosophical frameworks:
Constructed Identity and False Self: Psychology recognizes the distinction between "true self" and "false self," where individuals may present fabricated personas shaped by societal expectations or protective mechanisms[7][8]. The false self becomes a "mask" that people present to feel safe when not validated in their authentic identity[9].
Performative Identity: Drawing from Judith Butler's work, identity is not fixed but performed through repeated acts and behaviors[10][11]. These performative acts construct identity rather than simply describing pre-existing reality[12][13]. Your "current truth" aligns with this understanding that identity is an ongoing performance shaped by social contexts[14].
Narrative Self-Construction: Personal narratives serve as "interfaces between subjective and objective" experiences[15], allowing individuals to construct meaning from their lives. However, these narratives often involve "condensed and elliptical" storytelling that creates logical, linear progression even when reality is more complex[15].
Your emphasis on truth being "current" and challengeable reflects several important dimensions:
Temporal Truth: In philosophical terms, temporal truth represents truths that emerge over time rather than being fixed[16][17]. Your concept suggests that personal truths about oneself exist in a state of temporal flux, valid "at the moment" but subject to revision.
Subjective Truth and Construction: Personal truths are heavily influenced by cultural upbringing, life experiences, personal beliefs, and emotions[18]. These subjective truths can shift depending on context, much like how metafictional narratives acknowledge their constructed nature while still maintaining narrative coherence.
Social Construction of Self: Identity construction occurs through social interactions and cultural practices[10][19]. The "current truth" about oneself emerges from this ongoing process of social construction, where individuals navigate between authentic self-expression and social expectations.
Your definition resonates with postmodern understandings of truth as constructed rather than discovered[20][21]. Postmodernism emphasizes that reality, knowledge, and value are constructed by discourses and can vary with them[21]. However, unlike pure relativism, your concept maintains that these constructed truths have real effects—they are "perceived as current truth" and influence behavior and self-understanding.
The performative nature of these identity narratives means they don't just describe reality but actively construct it[22][23]. When someone adopts a "false truth" about themselves, they may begin to embody that truth through repeated performance, potentially transforming it into a lived reality.
Your concept captures how individuals engage in metafictional storytelling about themselves—creating narratives that are simultaneously:
This creates a paradoxical situation where the "false truth" becomes real through its performance and acceptance, much like how metafictional narratives can reveal deeper truths about storytelling itself through their acknowledged artificiality[1][5].
Your innovative concept suggests that personal identity operates metafictionally—individuals construct stories about themselves that they know, on some level, are constructed, yet these stories shape reality through their enactment and social recognition. This represents a sophisticated understanding of how narrative, performance, and identity intersect in the construction of selfhood.
