So what would the dating realm be like if more men practiced self-actualization or at the very least, self-influencing, as opposed to always having that dire need to always impress women/others? Would the pace of competition change?

Self-actualization tends to be a very pretentious term, so let's use the term I used for context sake's, self influencing

Now one could argue, doesn't society already practice enough of that, especially given the narcissism epidemic here in the West?

Well no, because a lot of narcissism anyways still stems from that feel to upkeep with the masses, you're trying hard to win over the mass approval of the masses like a chimp in the circus

Now true self-influencing or self-directing, is very hard to come by, and it probably isn't for everyone, it can be lonely indeed

You would think with the way society is heading with the ongoing atomization, the ongoing promotion of rugged individualism and extreme social liberalism and the ongoing killing of social pressures, right, people would indeed be practicing more self-enligthenment

Yet the opposite is even truer, people are getting their behavioral and social cues off of social media, the internet and pop culture

There is no sense of raw burning passion for anything anymore

In fact, "obsessive" and over-driven folks are marginalized and kept at stake due to coming off as narcissistic or self-obsessed

So if anything today more men live formulaic and domesticated attitudes than say 50 years ago

But I think the important question remains, would there be more organic bonding in dating as opposed to the "forced" kind we often see out in the open?

Please actually try to get a grasp of the context, don't just read the thread for reading sake's, I think this is a genuine question that could spark up an intriguing and interesting conversation