The psychological concepts of ego - Essay Example

114251 This essay is going to discuss the psychological concepts of ego, self and identity and the way they overlap and clash with one another in human nature. It will also touch the sociological consequences of the same. It would discuss the psychoanalytic process of the human nature, as based in the society. IDENTITY The essential identity of the person is the pure sense of sheer presence and his place in the society. Identity works both ways: his self-recognition and the recognition accorded to him by others. Or it might be put as the identity that comes out of the recognition one attaches to oneself, and another, how the same recognition is endorsed by the external world. This also means that the essential ‘I’ that separates the individual from others is the main core of a person’s identity. ‘The typical feeling of identity is only a reflection of the essential identity’. “The importance of the ego or "self" which emanates from Western psychology is explicitly extensive. Ego Psychology, typified by Freud, emphasizes the development of the capabilities of the ego,” (Muzika, 1990), taken from http://www.jefallbright.net/consciousness There is no escaping the identity, as a man has to live in a society, according to Hobbes. It is difficult to imagine a life without identity in a modern society. And of course, in the bygone days, perhaps the saints who lived in jungles might have managed an existence san identity; but it is not possible today. “We live in a world where identity matters. It matters both as a concept, theoretically, and as a contested fact of contemporary political life,” (Gilroy, 1997, p.301 taken from Woodward, 2000, p.1). Identities are formed through interaction between people. We shape our own identities to a very large extent and this includes influences like economy, ethnic diversity, culture, background, gender, education, environment, organisations connected with our domestic, family and social life, and the roles given to us by the society. Further identity is developed by the earning power, leadership qualities, social attributes, heroism, achievement, social significance etc. In Western societies identities are representing a mere existence and connected requirements. The social significance of those identities is losing their importance. Individualistic societies, after a certain lapse of time, start becoming faceless, without one person caring much for the other. Even though this looks a great achievement in the beginning, as this concept gives absolute individual liberty, without society interfering in any way, there is a long term effect that people become unknown, tend to get ignored, and achievements start losing their significance. Peculiarly enough, this is exactly what happened in a few Marxist societies. As a result, psychological motivation for better deeds becomes irrelevant and slowly achievements become lesser and lesser. Psychological and emotional bonding tend to deteriorate and people start living more and more for themselves, without feeling any elation in another person’s achievements. Hence, all the individualistic societies are developing a particularly negative uncertainty about social identity. We have to take our identities as they are provided by the society and without identities there is hardly any place for the individual in the society. “Identity provides a link between individuals and the world in which they live. Identity combines how I see myself and how others see me,” Woodward (2000, p.7). It is worth noting how ego and self are intermingled in this statement and how all three go hand in hand. Identity also provides the answer to the permanently philosophical question of ‘Who am I?’ asked by sages over the centuries, since the beginning of mankind. In eastern countries, there are many religions, Buddhism and Jainism and to some extent, Hinduism too and sects that preach abandonment of egoism and personal identity. No doubt, modern days have brought in a lot of change to this outlook. But nearly a century ago, many saints and sages gave up their identities and lived in remote stupas, temples and Himalayas. Once again, this shows how difficult to give up the personal identity and live a normal life in the society. But these sages intended to live an extra ordinary life close to nature with Godly thoughts. In every day interactions, individuals usually act for the benefit of someone else’s attention and this means, they need an audience to be at their best social roles, according to Erving Goffman. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of unconscious, considered to be a major contribution to psychology, reveals the various external forces that are at work to influence our ‘self’ and ‘identity’. “Identity is marked by difference but it seems that some differences, here between ethnic groups, are seen as more important than others, especially in particular places and at particular times,” Woodward (1997, p.10). SELF: Building a self need not be an ego. Self could be the appreciation of a life within. It could be an awareness of one’s own individuality and a celebration of life. Self is a much milder version of the loud ego. While self is a mere awareness, ego is a proclamation. The self-concept and self-reflection and the entire self itself have been central concern of social and behavioural scientists and psychologists for a long time now and had come under a lot of psychoanalysis. William James, Philosopher, Theologian and psychologist once described self as the “most puzzling puzzle with which psychology has to deal” (http://www.psych.neu.edu/ISSI/daily.htm) and the human self still remains a puzzle to all connected. This also makes the self a real entity and not a superficial one. The characteristics of the self could be listed as below: 1. Self is reflexive, by becoming the object of its own attention. 2. Our understanding of self leads us to understand the rest of the world. 3. At least from late adolescence onwards, self is stable over time. 4. Self within and self without that is on public display, need not be the same, due to many personal and sociological compulsions; but we are always aware of the self within. (Based on http://www.psych.neu.edu/ISSI/daily.htm) “The human self is a self-organizing, interactive system of thoughts, feelings and motives that characterizes an individual…. The self is reflexive and dynamic in nature, responsive yet stable,” http://www.psych.neu.edu/ISSI/daily.htm There is no doubt that an individual’s self is responsible to the person’s behaviour in many ways. It is also responsible for natural and sometimes bizarre relationships. “Thus, the “self” as a construct has far-reaching implications for behavior, self-esteem, motivation, experience of emotions and the world more broadly, and hence for interpersonal relationships, society, and culture”, http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/15298868.asp   EGO “Sandor Ferenszi, who was at the time one of Freud’s closest collaborators, proposed that the ego develops by renunciation of instinctual gratification, to which the infant and child are compelled by external circumstances” (Ferenczi, 1913/1916), here taken from Loevinger (1987, p. 38). Ego of an individual had been under scrutiny from the time when Europe was flooded with Freudian ideas of analytical psychology. Ego had been the basis on which many of his studies stood. “In the essay “On narcissism” (1914a/1957) Freud added another element to the theory of ego development. The infant begins life in a state of complete narcissism, Freud asserted; that is the earliest form of the sexual drive,” Loevinger (p.38). Ego development can take place as mastery over the circumstances increases and along with the experience, mind creates aggressive impulses. Ego development comes immediately after the awareness of self within and goes on throughout life, and hence, has become a more influential branch of study, while studying the human nature. In 1923, Freud introduced the structural theory that covers his ego concept. “In his “Project for a Scientific Psychology” (1895), which Freud never published, the ego was described as an organisation that has a permanent cathexis rather than a changing one and whose function is to inhibit psychical primary processes (pp. 323, 324),” Bellak et al (p.9). Ego functions are, to name a few, judgement, independent thinking, a certain ‘holier than thou’ attitude, controlling impulsive actions and betraying emotions, absolute defence, self expression in no uncertain terms. Ego, to some extent, could be a part of narcissism because “The word ‘ego’ is the personal pronoun of the first person singular. As such it relates to those concepts, models and schemata which we ourselves have. Each person uses a number of such models of himself. The particular interest of the psychotherapist is in the models and schemata which refer to organisation of the desires, impulses and emotions,” Abenheimer (1991, p.29). There are a certain reservations about accepting ego as part of psychoanalysis. Some psychologists are against to the idea of giving the same importance as to that of identity to ego, according to A. Freud. “The analyst’s aim in bringing the unconscious into consciousness and the efforts of the ego institutions to master the instinctual life are contrary to one another. Hence, except insofar as the patient’s insight into his illness determines matters otherwise, the ego institutions regard the analyst’s purpose as a menace,” Freud, A. (1966, p.13). Psychoanalysis covers all three concepts and today, has a tremendous vogue. It is not only concerned with individual therapy, but also with social psychology, where it offers explanations, deals with social problems and this relationship between psychoanalysis and social psychology was brought out by mainly Erich Fromm, who said the line separates the two is too thin because when the psychoanalysis of an individual in the society is made, it is also the psychoanalysis of the particular society to which he belongs. “The empirical foundations of analysis are manifold, its theories are complex, verification is difficult and time consuming, therefore the actual interrelation of its various parts on (chronologically speaking) the same level has not always been clearly realised. Despite incomplete attempts toward a more or less systematic presentation, we may say that even at present on understanding of analysis is hardly possible without a detailed knowledge of its history” (Hartmann, 1948) taken from Bellak et al (1973, p.7). Psychoanalysis concerns with the social and psychological processes of the self, social, personality, clinical, development, cognitive, and connects with sociology, family studies, anthropology, and neuroscience. It also shows how complicated these relationships could be and how self, identity and ego overlap one another, try to impose on each other while each trying to create a kind of independent role for itself. They cannot exist without the support of the other; but sometimes, there is a characteristic rivalry between them and this results in strange results leaving unexplainable traits on the behaviour of the person. There exists a wrong notion that individual can exist outside the social framework. It is not easy to achieve such a blissful and rare state. Whatever is said about the individual after the psychoanalysis, it will mirror the concerned society as well, because most of the paradigms that are found in the individual are either caused by the society, or the results of society’s interference. Hence, the role of the individual is in the society, however individualistic the person could be. Even an isolated existence is influenced by the society of the day. For an example, one could glance at the status of women over the centuries. When women are totally under the control of men, behaviour of women was one of slavery, submission, resignation, totally devoid of pride, expectation and ego. As times changed, over the centuries, gradual change had come on women’s attitude, according to the society in which they existed. In the Western countries, today, women are aggressively free and independent. Then again, we can compare the Western female behaviour with that of their Eastern counterparts and see the difference. Eastern women are going through the processes of changing, in certain societies very slowly and they look entirely different from the western women. Thus, social framework has its own effect on human mind, self, identity and ego. Human psychology is incapable of escaping from the limitations created by the external forces. It would rather discard its internal rebellion. We should not forget that leaders are made out of that stuff, which compels them to rebel against the external commands. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Abenheimer, K.M. (1991), Narcissism, Mihilism, Simplicity and Self, Aberdeen University Press, Aberdeen. 2. Bellak, L, Hurvich, M. and Gediman, H.K. (1973), Ego Functions in Schizopherenics, Neurotics, and Normals, John Wiley & Sons, London. 3. Freud, A. (1966), The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence, Karnac Books, London. 4. Loevinger, J. (1987), Paradigms of Personality, W.H.Freeman and Company, New York. 5. Sherif, M. and Cantril, H. (1947), The Psychology of Ego-Involvements, Chapman & Hall Limited, London. 6. Woodward, K. (2000), ed., Questioning Identity: Gender, Class, Nation, Routledge, London. 7. Woodward, K. (1997), ed., Identity and Difference, Sage Publications, London. ONLINE SOURCES: 1. http://www.jefallbright.net/consciousness Accessed on 28.2.2006. 2. http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/15298868.asp- accessed on 28.2.2006. 3. http://www.psych.neu.edu/ISSI/daily.htm Read More