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And should we be expected to smooth out bumptious traits, alter our egos to suit mates and bosses, and replace undesirable, unpopular or uncomfortable aspects of our adult selves?
May 28, 2021 · The ego has both cognitive and motivational functions to justify the self. Understanding the ego can help people avoid conflicts that arise from ego dynamics.
Sep 14, 2024 · Explore the fascinating world of alter ego psychology, its types, benefits, and cultural impact. Discover how to harness your hidden selves for personal growth.
- Overview
- A Closer Look at the Ego
- Freud's Observations on the Ego
- The Ego's Defense Mechanisms
- Quotations About the Ego
- Other Meanings of Ego
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According to Sigmund Freud, the ego is part of our personality that mediates the demands of the id, the superego, and reality. Freud described the id as the most basic part of personality that urges people to fulfill their most primal needs.
The superego, on the other hand, is the moralistic part of personality that forms later in childhood due to upbringing and social influences. It is the ego's job to strike a balance between these two, often competing, forces and to ensure that fulfilling the needs of the id and superego conforms to the demands of reality.
At a Glance
The ego is the component of personality that strikes a realistic balance between the demands of the id's primal urges and the superego's moral conscience. Freud also believed that the ego relies on defense mechanisms (such as denial and repression) to protect us against anxiety and distress.
In everyday usage, the ego represents a sense of self-importance (think: "He has such a big ego!) Having a healthy ego means we can maintain a healthy sense of self, but an imbalance can lead to problems, including excessive self-centeredness.
So just what function does the ego serve in personality? The ego prevents us from acting on our basic urges (created by the id) but also works to achieve a balance with our moral and idealistic standards (created by the superego).
While the ego operates in both the preconscious and conscious, its strong ties to the id means that it also operates in the unconscious.
The ego operates based on the reality principle, which works to satisfy the id's desires in a manner that is realistic and socially appropriate. The term ego strength is used to refer to the ego's ability to mediate between these conflicting demands.
For example, if a person cuts you off in traffic, the ego prevents you from chasing down the car and physically attacking the offending driver. The ego allows us to see that this response would be socially unacceptable, but it also allows us to know that there are other more appropriate means of venting our frustration.
In his 1933 book New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, Freud compared the relationship between the id and the ego to that of a horse and rider. The horse represents the id, a powerful force that offers the energy to propel forward motion. The rider represents the ego, the guiding force that directs the power of the id toward a goal.
Freud noted, however, that this relationship did not always go as planned. In less ideal situations, a rider may find himself simply along for the ride as he allows his horse to go in the direction the animal wants to go.
In her own 1936 book The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense, Anna Freud that all of the ego's defenses against the id were carried out behind the scenes. These measures against the id are known as the defense mechanisms, which are carried out silently and invisibly by the ego.
While we cannot observe the defenses in action, Anna Freud suggested that they could be observed in retrospect. Repression is one example. When something is repressed from awareness, the ego is not aware that the information is missing.
Sometimes it helps to look at the original source of these ideas to get a better perspective on the topic. So what did Freud have to say about his concept of the ego? He wrote extensively about the ego as well as its relationship to other aspects of personality.
Here are just a few of his more famous quotes about the ego:
The word 'ego' comes from the Latin word for 'I.' Freud himself referred to it as 'das Ich,' meaning 'the I' in German. The term 'ego' was added by Freud's translator.
In everyday usage, the term 'ego' is often used to describe a person's sense of self-importance. When someone says that a person has a big ego, they imply that that person is conceited or has an exaggerated sense of self-importance.
Similarly, egocentrism refers to self-centeredness and an inability to consider the perspective of other people. It is more common in childhood, but it can also occur throughout life to varying degrees.
Sometimes, this inflated sense of ego might be connected to a mental health condition. Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a condition that involves having a grandiose sense of importance, self-centeredness, and a lack of empathy for others. People with bipolar disorder also sometimes experience grandiosity during manic episodes.
The development of psychiatry during the past thousand years is dominated by a change of attitude towards the mad or “alienated” (objectively being different), but also towards the alter ego or partial soul (subjectively being different).
- Mario Berta, Mario Saiz
- 1999
Nov 15, 2023 · a second identity or aspect of a person that exists metaphorically as their substitute or representative, with different characteristics. For example, an avatar is a digital alter ego that provides a virtual representation of a computer or Internet user in games, online discussion boards, or alternate online universes.
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Adopting an alter ego is an extreme form of ‘self-distancing’, which involves taking a step back from our immediate feelings to allow us to view a situation more dispassionately.
