A "journey of self-discovery" refers to a travel,
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
, or series of events whereby a person attempts to determine how they feel, personally, about
spiritual issues or priorities,
[Film-inspired holidays: The Journey of self-discovery]
,''The Guardian'', 9 October 2010 rather than following the opinions of family, friends, neighborhood or
peer pressure. The topic of self-discovery has been associated with
Zen.
A related term is "finding oneself". There are different stages of finding oneself. Cultures from around the world have developed an array of modalities in the journey to discover oneself. In modern times practitioners and scientists have come together to create a map that brings clarity to the process of self-discovery. This is referred to as the
levels of consciousness.
A journey of self-discovery is a popular theme in literature. It is sometimes used to drive the plot of a novel, play or film.
[The Pride" a 50-year journey of self-discovery]
'' The Denver Post'', May 12, 2011
Fiction
A journey of self-discovery is a popular theme in fiction.
Literature
* Hermann Hesse
Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include '' Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and '' The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual ...
's '' Siddhartha'' (1922)Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his g ...
's '' All the Pretty Horses'' (1992)The Lovely Bones
''The Lovely Bones'' is a 2002 novel by American writer Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from her personal Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she ...
'' (2002)
* Elizabeth Gilbert's '' Eat, Pray, Love'' (2006)
* Craig Thompson's '' Habibi'' (2011)
* Cheryl Strayed's '' Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail'' (2012)
Film
* ''El Topo
''El Topo'' (, "The Mole") is a 1970 Mexican acid Western art film written, scored, directed by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky. Characterized by its bizarre characters and occurrences, use of maimed and dwarf performers, and heavy doses of Ju ...
'' (1970) and '' The Holy Mountain'' (1973) by Alejandro Jodorowsky
* A film version of '' Siddhartha'' (1972)
* '' The Pillow Book'' (1996) by Peter Greenaway
* '' Samsara'' (2001) and ''Valley of Flowers
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
'' (2006) by Pan Nalin
Nalin Kumar Pandya or Pan Nalin is a filmmaker of Indian origin. Nalin is best known for directing award-winning movies like Samsara, Valley of Flowers, and Angry Indian Goddesses. His debut feature SAMSARA (Miramax) was worldwide critical ...
* '' Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring'' (2003) by Kim Ki-duk
* '' Where the Wild Things Are'' (2009) by Spike Jonze
Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television.
Jonze began his ca ...
* '' Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives'' (2010) and '' Cemetery of Splendour'' (2015) by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Apichatpong Weerasethakul ( th, อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล; ; ) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, ...
* '' Avalokitesvara'' (2013) by Zhang Xin
* '' Voyage'' (2013), '' Utopians'' (2015) and '' Thirty Years of Adonis'' (2017) by Scud
A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the m ...
* '' The Tree of Life'' (2011) by Terrence Malick
Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include ''Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay ...
* '' The Red Turtle'' (2016) by Michaël Dudok de Wit
* ''Please Stand By
''Please Stand By'' is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Ben Lewin and based on the 2008 short play of the same name by Michael Golamco, who also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette, Alice Eve, R ...
'' (2017) by Ben Lewin
* '' Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts'' (2017) by Mouly Surya
Mouly Surya (born 10 September 1980) is an Indonesian film director and screenwriter.
Beginning her career as assistant director and screenwriter in local film productions, Surya rose to prominence in 2008 for her directorial debut the psych ...
* '' Nine Days'' (2020) by Edson Oda
* '' Wendy'' (2020) by Benh Zeitlin
* ''Soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...
'' (2020) by Pete Docter
* ''Nomadland
''Nomadland'' is a 2020 American drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Chloé Zhao. Based on the 2017 nonfiction book '' Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century'' by Jessica Bruder, it stars Frances McDormand a ...
'' (2020) by Chloé Zhao
Chloé Zhao, born Zhao Ting (, born 31 March 1982), is a Chinese filmmaker, known primarily for her work on independent films. Zhao's debut feature film, '' Songs My Brothers Taught Me'' (2015), premiered at Sundance Film Festival to critical a ...
* '' Across the River and into the Trees'' (2022) by Peter Flannery
Peter Flannery (born 12 October 1951) is an English playwright and screenwriter. He was born in Jarrow, County Durham and educated at the University of Manchester. He is best known for his work while a resident playwright at the Royal Shakespear ...
See also
References
{{Reflist, 35em
Self
Spirituality
Consciousness
Literary motifs