Core Beliefs About Self:

EGO: THE INFERRED SELF

Study Notes

1. Most psychologists accept a distinction between two aspects of the self-one of which we are aware and one inferred by an outside observer.

2.The inferred self is that dimension commonly called the ego, a term borrowed from Freud's psychoanalytic psychology, although not adhering exactly to the Freudian definition.

3.Ego is called the inferred self because it can be best understood by an outside observer, who from that more detached point of view may detect unconscious features of which the individual is unaware.

4.Thus, the ego is a hypothetical construct that though not directly observable, can be inferred from one's behavior.

5. In a sense, our understanding of ego is similar to our understanding of electricity; that is, even though we cannot see electricity we can still know what it does by defining it in terms of its functions and effects. Just as we can assess electric current as weak or strong, in terms of its effects on fuses, gauges, and light bulbs, so we can estimate one's ego as being strong or weak in terms of certain behavioral expressions.

6. Indeed, just as an electrical line can be overloaded to the point of blowing an electrical fuse, so, too, can a person's ego be overloaded to the point of blowing an emotional fuse. When this happens we usually hear about it in terms of an individual "exploding with anger" or even having a nervous breakdown.

7. Lingering depression, a slow but building anger, and consistent fatigue are three of the more common symptoms when ego circuitry is being taxed to an emotional breaking point.

When we say that John has a weak ego, we are concluding from what we have seen in his behavior that he may find it difficult to keep his impulses in check, he may have a hard time handling criticism, he has low tolerance for frustration, or some combination of these possibilities.

When we say that Mary has a strong ego, it may be because her behavior has shown us that she is able to set long-term goals and work toward them, she can handle criticism without getting defensive, or she is able to cope with emotionally difficult situations without falling apart.

When we conclude that Richard has a big ego, we may have seen enough in his behavior to suggest that all he can think about and talk about is himself.

8. The ego, then, is that part of the self in contact with the outside world. And because it does have this outside contact, it is available for others to observe and assess. It is easy enough to be confused about the distinction between ego and self because the two terms are frequently used interchangeably by psychologists. Perhaps it would help to think of the distinction in this way:

the ego qualities (inferred self) we attribute to others grow out of our perceptions of the public self (or selves) that they not only consciously but also unconsciously present to us.

We can conclude that others have a strong ego, a weak ego, or an oversized ego, or in cases where individuals present themselves as so frightened by life and so easily intimidated by others, we may conclude that they have hardly any ego at all.

This is one way to understand the concept ego as it is related more generally to the idea of personality and self. There is still another way to understand ego functioning (and ultimately, self-understanding): through an examination of the three different "ego states" that have been hypothesized to exist in all of us.