What’s The Best Way To Define Ego?

• The term ego has many definitions. Sages say it is the only barrier between us and true enlightenment. Whether we define it as self-esteem, self-importance or our arrogant, stubborn nature, ego isn’t something to be discarded, as it has tremendous functionality in this world.
• The term ‘ego’ comes from the Latin word ‘I’, which Sigmund Freud chose to describe as ‘es’(in the German language), later translated to the English word ‘ego.
• People associate conceit (narcissism), arrogance, big headedness, or simply being smug with being egoistic. People who have an aura of superiority, pomposity, or pride can also be termed ego-centric.

Psychology defines ego as a neutral concept which is one of many aspects of ourselves. The ego is then simply one’s individuality, the thoughts, behaviours and experiences that make a person unique. It is the part that perceives reality, making sense of all the information around us.

Sigmund Freud divided the human psyche into three parts: the id, the ego and the superego. The id is the primal, wild part of our mind, the ego is the ‘conscious mediator’, the rational part of our mind making all the decisions, and the superego is the conscience.