Ego means the extent to which one thinks highly of one’s self. Ego is the self-consciousness system is the narrating portion of human consciousness that reflects on one’s thoughts, feelings and actions and inhibits or legitimizes them to one’s self and to others. In this sense, ego is very similar to what is meant by the term identity. What is the purpose of ego? How is it regulated? How do you feel about yourself?
James Stouts describes the ego as follows;
- The ego is our identity. It is who we believe ourselves to be. It is our reference point, and our “home” in the world.
- The ego is individuality. As our identity, it sets us apart from our people’s identities. To provide our sense of being separate from other people and from the world in general, the ego creates “ego boundaries”; in that separateness, our ego distinguishes itself as being unique.
- The ego is a center of consciousness. It is an “eye” from which we look at the world.
- The ego is an executive. It makes decisions. It implements our will.
- The ego is an organizer. It makes a distinction between the inner world and the outer world, and it notes our perceptions from both. Then, by conceptualizing, labeling, and organizing those perceptions, it tries to make sense of them, and it files them in various contexts, where we can make considerations regarding their “value,” potential threat or benefit, etc.
- The ego is an interface. Just as our physical body is an interface with the physical world, the ego is an interface primarily with the human world of society and individuals. The interface has both an inflow and an outflow:
- Outflow. The ego is a transformer and interpreter, transmitting ideas from soul into the world of people, in a form, which is understandable and appropriate to those people.
- Inflow. The ego translates incoming information from the human world such that our daily experiences are comprehensible and meaningful and educational to the Self or soul.
- The ego is a mediator.
- It mediates in our inner world. It strives to resolve conflicts among the other parts of the psyche, including the unconscious mind, sub-personalities, and so on. (In Freudian psychology, it is the arbitrator between the id and the superego.
- It mediates between this inner world and the outer world of people and circumstances.
You basically have two options in the way you live your life, how to avoid suffering.
- You can live a life dedicated to constantly making the ego structure feel good, suffering every time the ego feels bad and being afraid of life because the ego feels so vulnerable.
- You can let go of the ego, and live freely in the flow of your life-stream, living your natural expression.
So, what is the answer to preserve self-esteem and self-worth? Leave your ego at the door when you enter a room to avoid suffering. Keep your ego intact by remaining positive and optimistic. Let your ego be an affirming interface for you to connect with others in 2015.
