“Ego Death”: Ignorant, Bad Idea

Summary

The ego is indispensable for psychological health, social adaptation, and self-coherence. It is the wise mediator that balances instinctual desires, moral demands, and reality. Rather than seeking to obliterate the ego, psychological growth involves strengthening and integrating it. The myth of ego death, popularized without understanding, risks encouraging harmful psychological states akin to narcissism or psychopathy. Recognizing the ego’s true nature helps us appreciate the complexity of the mind and the foundations of mental health. "Ego Death": Ignorant, Bad Idea

Ego Death, it's, Meaning, narcissism, narcissist, Personality, Psychology, Reality, Sam Vaknin, Self, Vaknin Summaries

December 27, 2025

Tip: click a paragraph to jump to the exact moment in the video. “Ego Death”: Ignorant, Bad Idea

00:06 You caught me drinking coffee on camera. I hope this ignominious moment doesn’t go viral. My ego wouldn’t stand it. Today we’re going to discuss what on earth is the ego. You see many wannabe experts and wannabe gurus go online and they say ego death. The only solution to all the ills of society and to mental illness is ego death. Clearly they don’t have the slightest idea what is the ego? What does it mean? How is it defined? What’s the role? What is the role it plays in early psych psychological or You caught me drinking coffee on camera. I hope this ignominious moment doesn’t go viral. My ego wouldn’t stand it. Today we’re going to discuss what on earth is the ego. You see many wannabe experts and wannabe gurus go online and they say ego death. The only solution to all the ills of society and to mental illness is ego death. Clearly they don’t have the slightest idea what is the ego? What does it mean? How is it defined? What’s the role? What is the role it plays in early psych psychological or
00:55 more precisely psychoanalytical literature? They just use the word ego because it sounds good and Indian ego death. What idiots? What unmititigated idiots you all led by? It’s incredible. The only condition, the only mental health, mental illness where the ego is dead because it never formed in the first place. There was a disruption in the formation and functioning of the ego. The constellation and integration of a self. The only condition is narcissistic personality disorder. Only narcissists have no ego. more precisely psychoanalytical literature? They just use the word ego because it sounds good and Indian ego death. What idiots? What unmititigated idiots you all led by? It’s incredible. The only condition, the only mental health, mental illness where the ego is dead because it never formed in the first place. There was a disruption in the formation and functioning of the ego. The constellation and integration of a self. The only condition is narcissistic personality disorder. Only narcissists have no ego.
01:37 And these people actually trying to tell you that you should kill your ego, you should experience ego death. Translation, you should become narcissist. Oh my god, what a world we live in. Okay, today if you listen to the very end of this video, which is a lot to ask, you will learn finally everything there is to know about the ego, what it means, how it functions or supposed to function, etc., etc. Now before we proceed, clearly the ego is a metaphor. No one has ever succeeded to capture an ego and hold it in a bottle like the And these people actually trying to tell you that you should kill your ego, you should experience ego death. Translation, you should become narcissist. Oh my god, what a world we live in. Okay, today if you listen to the very end of this video, which is a lot to ask, you will learn finally everything there is to know about the ego, what it means, how it functions or supposed to function, etc., etc. Now before we proceed, clearly the ego is a metaphor. No one has ever succeeded to capture an ego and hold it in a bottle like the
02:16 famous genie. No one has ever talked to an ego. No one has ever dated an ego with some exceptions. And no one has ever um put an ego back in the bottle. So the ego is a metaphor. It’s just a figure of speech. It describes a set of functions which together help to organize the personality and its interaction with reality. And in we’re going to discuss the ego in this limited uh sense in the scholarly sense. My name is Sambachin and I’m the author of malignance of love narcissism visited. I am also a famous genie. No one has ever talked to an ego. No one has ever dated an ego with some exceptions. And no one has ever um put an ego back in the bottle. So the ego is a metaphor. It’s just a figure of speech. It describes a set of functions which together help to organize the personality and its interaction with reality. And in we’re going to discuss the ego in this limited uh sense in the scholarly sense. My name is Sambachin and I’m the author of malignance of love narcissism visited. I am also a
02:59 professor of psychology. Okay, we said that the only ego death is in narcissism. So, anyone who advises you to um experience ego death is actually telling you to become a narcissist, which is a seriously bad idea. Trust me on this. Here’s the definition of the word ego in the American Psychological Association dictionary. Ego in psychoanalytic theory the component of the personality that deals with the external world and its practical demands. More specifically the ego enables the individual to perceive reason solve professor of psychology. Okay, we said that the only ego death is in narcissism. So, anyone who advises you to um experience ego death is actually telling you to become a narcissist, which is a seriously bad idea. Trust me on this. Here’s the definition of the word ego in the American Psychological Association dictionary. Ego in psychoanalytic theory the component of the personality that deals with the external world and its practical demands. More specifically the ego enables the individual to perceive reason solve
03:39 problems test reality and adjust to the instinctual impulses of the id and to the demands of the super ego. We’ll come to all these a bit later. Remember, none of these things really exist. It’s not an object. You cannot capture it or wait or measure it or these are all metaphors. They describe constellations, clusters and interactions between various dynamics within the personality. Okay. The ego is a structural concept and a topographical concept. In other words, it has two basic dimensions. its problems test reality and adjust to the instinctual impulses of the id and to the demands of the super ego. We’ll come to all these a bit later. Remember, none of these things really exist. It’s not an object. You cannot capture it or wait or measure it or these are all metaphors. They describe constellations, clusters and interactions between various dynamics within the personality. Okay. The ego is a structural concept and a topographical concept. In other words, it has two basic dimensions. its
04:19 structure which reflects on its functioning and its topography its location uh within the intricate interplay of various constructs in the personality. So the psychic apparatus the psychic machinery is organized in various parts. The ego is the structured part. The id is the unorganized part. Ego is a part that has been modified by the direct influence of the external world. In other words, the ego is reactive to the external world. The external world has shaped the ego and the external world has informed the ego structure which reflects on its functioning and its topography its location uh within the intricate interplay of various constructs in the personality. So the psychic apparatus the psychic machinery is organized in various parts. The ego is the structured part. The id is the unorganized part. Ego is a part that has been modified by the direct influence of the external world. In other words, the ego is reactive to the external world. The external world has shaped the ego and the external world has informed the ego
05:01 how to function in a way which would minimize adverse consequences to the individual and maximize beneficial ones self efficacy and the perception by the individual of self-efficacy. The ego therefore is in many many ways relational. Lakan for example went as far as to suggest that the unconscious is the sum total of the voices of others but I will not go that deep in this video. There are other videos dedicated to this issue. Some scholars suggest that the ego is a part of the Eid in effect. Others how to function in a way which would minimize adverse consequences to the individual and maximize beneficial ones self efficacy and the perception by the individual of self-efficacy. The ego therefore is in many many ways relational. Lakan for example went as far as to suggest that the unconscious is the sum total of the voices of others but I will not go that deep in this video. There are other videos dedicated to this issue. Some scholars suggest that the ego is a part of the Eid in effect. Others
05:41 vehemently disagree. Psychoanalysis is a discipline that has been replete um with debates from its very inception. People there like to argue but it doesn’t really matter. The ego is what Freud called the reality, the embodiment or raification of the reality principle. The ego is the interface between you and reality. The graphic user interface if you wish. It’s what you see on the screen of your operating system. And the ego is is the one who informs you, tells you what reality is, what are the vehemently disagree. Psychoanalysis is a discipline that has been replete um with debates from its very inception. People there like to argue but it doesn’t really matter. The ego is what Freud called the reality, the embodiment or raification of the reality principle. The ego is the interface between you and reality. The graphic user interface if you wish. It’s what you see on the screen of your operating system. And the ego is is the one who informs you, tells you what reality is, what are the
06:16 expectations that emanate from reality and how you should modify and adapt your behavior in order to end up well rather than for example incarcerated or or worse. The ego represents reason, represents common sense. The id represents urges, passions, instincts, unbridled, uncontrolled, eruptive. The ego therefore is a very good thing. It’s a very good thing to have an ego. It’s a sign of maturity, proper development and growth and reality testing. The ability to gauge and evaluate reality properly expectations that emanate from reality and how you should modify and adapt your behavior in order to end up well rather than for example incarcerated or or worse. The ego represents reason, represents common sense. The id represents urges, passions, instincts, unbridled, uncontrolled, eruptive. The ego therefore is a very good thing. It’s a very good thing to have an ego. It’s a sign of maturity, proper development and growth and reality testing. The ability to gauge and evaluate reality properly
06:52 and to minimize harm to other people. The ego is a great thing. You should never ever kill the ego. It’s a seriously catastrophically idiotic bad idea. Okay. Some analysts uh as I mentioned a few sentences ago, some analysts disagree with this picture. They don’t believe that the id is undifferentiated and that the ego develops from the id. They don’t believe that. They believe that the ego is the whole psyche. That the entire psyche is the ego. Fairburn who was one of the pillars of uh object and to minimize harm to other people. The ego is a great thing. You should never ever kill the ego. It’s a seriously catastrophically idiotic bad idea. Okay. Some analysts uh as I mentioned a few sentences ago, some analysts disagree with this picture. They don’t believe that the id is undifferentiated and that the ego develops from the id. They don’t believe that. They believe that the ego is the whole psyche. That the entire psyche is the ego. Fairburn who was one of the pillars of uh object
07:37 relations in the United Kingdom wrote in 1952 that the pristine personality of the child consists of a unitary dynamic ego. Others other scholars suggest that the ego is a part of a personality which relates to objects other people and is formed by the introjection of objects. I mentioned it a bit earlier and others still others believe that the ego is a part of a personality which is experienced as being oneself. The part that recognizes you as I the part that says I. The part that im imbuss you with a sense of continuity relations in the United Kingdom wrote in 1952 that the pristine personality of the child consists of a unitary dynamic ego. Others other scholars suggest that the ego is a part of a personality which relates to objects other people and is formed by the introjection of objects. I mentioned it a bit earlier and others still others believe that the ego is a part of a personality which is experienced as being oneself. The part that recognizes you as I the part that says I. The part that im imbuss you with a sense of continuity
08:17 that it could well be that all three all views of the ego are correct. For example, we know that in pathological narcissism there is a disruption in the formation of the ego and consequently the narcissist experiences himself or herself as essentially dissociative and discontinuous and tries to compensate for that via confabulation by using confabulation. So when you don’t have a self when you are ironically selfless when you don’t have an ego uh you don’t have this sense of I you don’t have this that it could well be that all three all views of the ego are correct. For example, we know that in pathological narcissism there is a disruption in the formation of the ego and consequently the narcissist experiences himself or herself as essentially dissociative and discontinuous and tries to compensate for that via confabulation by using confabulation. So when you don’t have a self when you are ironically selfless when you don’t have an ego uh you don’t have this sense of I you don’t have this
08:51 sense of continuity your mind is an amalgamation of inputs from the outside it becomes a hive mind okay ego and self I keep mentioning them as if they are interchangeable and in some schools of psychology they are in others they are not they’re often confused and they probably belong two different frames of reference. The the ego seems to be the objective frame of reference. It views the personality as a structure and the self seems to belong to a phenomenological frame of reference which views the personality not as a sense of continuity your mind is an amalgamation of inputs from the outside it becomes a hive mind okay ego and self I keep mentioning them as if they are interchangeable and in some schools of psychology they are in others they are not they’re often confused and they probably belong two different frames of reference. The the ego seems to be the objective frame of reference. It views the personality as a structure and the self seems to belong to a phenomenological frame of reference which views the personality not as a
09:26 structure but as a dynamic experience. In other words, there’s one view of the personality is a lake or a pond static a snapshot and there’s um and there’s another view of personality that regards the personality as influx as a river as dynamic as a video and there’s a debate there. The ego is usually considered to be the executive organ of the mind. It’s the seat of the executive functions of the mind, not of the brain. The brain has its own executive functions. They’re structure but as a dynamic experience. In other words, there’s one view of the personality is a lake or a pond static a snapshot and there’s um and there’s another view of personality that regards the personality as influx as a river as dynamic as a video and there’s a debate there. The ego is usually considered to be the executive organ of the mind. It’s the seat of the executive functions of the mind, not of the brain. The brain has its own executive functions. They’re
10:01 biological or bi neurological in in essence. We’re talking about the executive functions of the mind. First and foremost, the ego negotiates the demands of the outside world. It also negotiate demands from other mental constructs or agencies such as the Eid and the super ego and so on. So the ego is constantly in a state of negotiation and compromise. It is therefore a mediating go between function or set of functions very crucial and very good. The ego is good not bad. The ego negotiates resolutions of biological or bi neurological in in essence. We’re talking about the executive functions of the mind. First and foremost, the ego negotiates the demands of the outside world. It also negotiate demands from other mental constructs or agencies such as the Eid and the super ego and so on. So the ego is constantly in a state of negotiation and compromise. It is therefore a mediating go between function or set of functions very crucial and very good. The ego is good not bad. The ego negotiates resolutions of
10:44 conflicts that arise from competing demands. So the ego is essentially conflict averse is peaceful harmonious and it it it organizes the contents of the mind. It is like a huge library. It’s uh it has these organizing principles, hermeneutic explanatory principles and it uses them to organize the contents so as to yield a coherent cohesive narrative that governs the individual, the behaviors of the individual and what the individual perceives as the eye um as well as the individual’s personality. The ego therefore is the conflicts that arise from competing demands. So the ego is essentially conflict averse is peaceful harmonious and it it it organizes the contents of the mind. It is like a huge library. It’s uh it has these organizing principles, hermeneutic explanatory principles and it uses them to organize the contents so as to yield a coherent cohesive narrative that governs the individual, the behaviors of the individual and what the individual perceives as the eye um as well as the individual’s personality. The ego therefore is the
11:24 most crucial component for adaptation for positive adaptation. When the ego is damaged, disrupted, non-integrated, non-constulated as a disruption to the formation of the ego, there is a mal adaptation. Example, narcissism. The ego as a as a structure inside the mind can share some of the contents of uh some of of its contents and some of its functions with other psychic structures. there. It’s not that the ego is in splendid isolation and no contact with the other constructs of fire world. most crucial component for adaptation for positive adaptation. When the ego is damaged, disrupted, non-integrated, non-constulated as a disruption to the formation of the ego, there is a mal adaptation. Example, narcissism. The ego as a as a structure inside the mind can share some of the contents of uh some of of its contents and some of its functions with other psychic structures. there. It’s not that the ego is in splendid isolation and no contact with the other constructs of fire world.
12:03 That’s completely untrue. In a personality which is not dissociative, the the there is a sharing of common resources, a sharing of databases if you wish and a sharing of traits and capabilities. For example, intelligence is shared, memories are shared and so on. Both the ego and the id attempt to satisfy the pleasure principle, not only the reality principle, but it’s just the way that they go about satisfying the pleasure principle. The the id’s way is radically different to the ego’s way. So That’s completely untrue. In a personality which is not dissociative, the the there is a sharing of common resources, a sharing of databases if you wish and a sharing of traits and capabilities. For example, intelligence is shared, memories are shared and so on. Both the ego and the id attempt to satisfy the pleasure principle, not only the reality principle, but it’s just the way that they go about satisfying the pleasure principle. The the id’s way is radically different to the ego’s way. So
12:38 the id goes like this. Here is something which would cause me pleasure. I want to have it now. While the ego says here is something which would cause me pleasure. Now let us evaluate the situation. Let us study the circumstances. Let’s engage with reality. Let’s think a bit forward. Let’s anticipate consequences and then decide whether we’re going to act or not regardless of the pleasure. So it’s not true that the ego is focused only on the reality principle, but it is true that the ego the id goes like this. Here is something which would cause me pleasure. I want to have it now. While the ego says here is something which would cause me pleasure. Now let us evaluate the situation. Let us study the circumstances. Let’s engage with reality. Let’s think a bit forward. Let’s anticipate consequences and then decide whether we’re going to act or not regardless of the pleasure. So it’s not true that the ego is focused only on the reality principle, but it is true that the ego
13:13 superimposes the reality principle on the pleasure principle. Whereas the id being much more primitive and maybe undifferentiated is incapable of doing this. We could say that the Eid is the child and the ego is the adult in the room. The Eid insists on instant gratification without regard to consequences and also without regard to planning the steps needed to accomplish the goal. No way. It doesn’t think this way. Whereas the ego, it factors in um the issues on how to make the the wish or to come true and maybe if it’s superimposes the reality principle on the pleasure principle. Whereas the id being much more primitive and maybe undifferentiated is incapable of doing this. We could say that the Eid is the child and the ego is the adult in the room. The Eid insists on instant gratification without regard to consequences and also without regard to planning the steps needed to accomplish the goal. No way. It doesn’t think this way. Whereas the ego, it factors in um the issues on how to make the the wish or to come true and maybe if it’s
13:56 not possible to obtain a certain goal, how to substitute for it. Substitute gratification and also very commonly how to delay gratification until a more opportune moment which would minimize adverse consequences if any. The ego is a planner. It’s a wise. Ego is the ego is wise. You’re beginning to see that all this nonsense about ego death and so is is by people who are profoundly ignorant. But I mean like seriously ignorant people. Now what about the the super ego? First of all, it is widely accepted although not not possible to obtain a certain goal, how to substitute for it. Substitute gratification and also very commonly how to delay gratification until a more opportune moment which would minimize adverse consequences if any. The ego is a planner. It’s a wise. Ego is the ego is wise. You’re beginning to see that all this nonsense about ego death and so is is by people who are profoundly ignorant. But I mean like seriously ignorant people. Now what about the the super ego? First of all, it is widely accepted although not
14:37 unanimously and not universally accepted but widely accepted that the super super ego is actually a part of the ego. Think of it as an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg is a super ego and the rest is the ego. The super ego represents the internalization of social expectations, mores, conventions and norms mediated via and communicated through socialization. agents such as the parents. So the super ego insists on total and immediate compliance with demands usually moral, ethical or behavioral um demands. So ego is this unanimously and not universally accepted but widely accepted that the super super ego is actually a part of the ego. Think of it as an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg is a super ego and the rest is the ego. The super ego represents the internalization of social expectations, mores, conventions and norms mediated via and communicated through socialization. agents such as the parents. So the super ego insists on total and immediate compliance with demands usually moral, ethical or behavioral um demands. So ego is this
15:15 set of rules. These rules are rigid. They should be followed. Never mind the cost, never mind the circumstances, never mind who else is in the room. They should always be followed. And in this sense, the super ego is exactly like the id. Whereas the id wants to act instantaneously because it seeks pleasure, the super ego wants to act instantaneously because it seeks to comply with and gratify the demands of the rules that it embodies. The super ego does so without any regard to mitigating circumstances, any concern set of rules. These rules are rigid. They should be followed. Never mind the cost, never mind the circumstances, never mind who else is in the room. They should always be followed. And in this sense, the super ego is exactly like the id. Whereas the id wants to act instantaneously because it seeks pleasure, the super ego wants to act instantaneously because it seeks to comply with and gratify the demands of the rules that it embodies. The super ego does so without any regard to mitigating circumstances, any concern
15:47 about the cost and consequences of its inexurable uh honorous or overwinning doineering requirements. It’s a dictator. Whereas the Eid is a child. The super ego is a dictator. The ego facilitates. The ego transforms. The ego deflects the competing demands from the Eid and the super ego. The Eid and the super ego usually disagree vehemently foundationally. They are enemies of each other. The Eid wants to go out there and have sex with the first thing that moves regardless of consent. The super ego says you must obtain about the cost and consequences of its inexurable uh honorous or overwinning doineering requirements. It’s a dictator. Whereas the Eid is a child. The super ego is a dictator. The ego facilitates. The ego transforms. The ego deflects the competing demands from the Eid and the super ego. The Eid and the super ego usually disagree vehemently foundationally. They are enemies of each other. The Eid wants to go out there and have sex with the first thing that moves regardless of consent. The super ego says you must obtain
16:28 consent before you have sex. And generally speaking, sex is not good. Whereas the ego says, wait a minute, guys, you know, okay, yeah, I like I like her too. I want to have sex with her, but let’s think about the implications, the consequences, the context, and so on so forth. So the ego is always in the middle. It’s like a punching bag. Uh both the id and the super ego beat up on on the ego and it’s still there. and it still functions. It’s a beating heart of the of the personality and um consent before you have sex. And generally speaking, sex is not good. Whereas the ego says, wait a minute, guys, you know, okay, yeah, I like I like her too. I want to have sex with her, but let’s think about the implications, the consequences, the context, and so on so forth. So the ego is always in the middle. It’s like a punching bag. Uh both the id and the super ego beat up on on the ego and it’s still there. and it still functions. It’s a beating heart of the of the personality and um
17:01 so the ego has a very very uh difficult task. It takes into account the very factors that the Eid and the super ego deny or wish to ignore or poo poo as irrelevant and and unimportant. The agenda of the ego is often um criticized, often diminished, often denigrated by the e by the Eid and the super ego. U it’s a little like mediating between in in couple therapy mediating between a husband and a wife who hate each other basically imagine but on a constant basis. Yeah. So what differentiate these psychic so the ego has a very very uh difficult task. It takes into account the very factors that the Eid and the super ego deny or wish to ignore or poo poo as irrelevant and and unimportant. The agenda of the ego is often um criticized, often diminished, often denigrated by the e by the Eid and the super ego. U it’s a little like mediating between in in couple therapy mediating between a husband and a wife who hate each other basically imagine but on a constant basis. Yeah. So what differentiate these psychic
17:45 structures is not so much the specific contents, not even to some degree the functions. Many of these functions or features are often shared. For example, the id has access to reality. Yeah. And the super ego is concerned with the with the outcomes and consequences of actions. So they share many things. They have many things in common. But the difference is in the overarching organization of how the contents and functions are employed implemented in the mind and in reality. In other words, each one of these three structures is not so much the specific contents, not even to some degree the functions. Many of these functions or features are often shared. For example, the id has access to reality. Yeah. And the super ego is concerned with the with the outcomes and consequences of actions. So they share many things. They have many things in common. But the difference is in the overarching organization of how the contents and functions are employed implemented in the mind and in reality. In other words, each one of these three
18:21 elements and the three partite model Freud’s three partite model each one of these elements has its own way of doing things and these three ways are incompatible. The ego is an organized psychic structure. It emerges from situations in which some mental conflict needs to be resolved. It grows stronger and more articulated every time the management of a conflict has been successful. The more experience you have as an individual in resolving conflicts starting at six days old. Like conflicts are everywhere. The minute you’re born, elements and the three partite model Freud’s three partite model each one of these elements has its own way of doing things and these three ways are incompatible. The ego is an organized psychic structure. It emerges from situations in which some mental conflict needs to be resolved. It grows stronger and more articulated every time the management of a conflict has been successful. The more experience you have as an individual in resolving conflicts starting at six days old. Like conflicts are everywhere. The minute you’re born,
18:59 you’re born into conflicting situations. For example, as a baby, you want to be fed, but mother is not available. Frustration is the engine of growth, ego growth, and losses are the engine of ego growth. In other words, friction with reality, the inability to accomplish goals and the capacity to compromise. These drive the evolution of the ego and more generally of the personality, the management of conflict, the ability to work towards adaptation. These are the ego’s characteristics. This is the way you’re born into conflicting situations. For example, as a baby, you want to be fed, but mother is not available. Frustration is the engine of growth, ego growth, and losses are the engine of ego growth. In other words, friction with reality, the inability to accomplish goals and the capacity to compromise. These drive the evolution of the ego and more generally of the personality, the management of conflict, the ability to work towards adaptation. These are the ego’s characteristics. This is the way
19:43 the ego operates. It balances and then it counterbalances. Drives, it sublimates to render drives and instincts socially acceptable. It neutralizes. It fuses drives. It does everything in its power to set up defensive systems, barriers to unthinking, unblinking, unbridled action which could lead to very very seriously bad consequences. It is the ego that one would preserve, not the Eid and not the super ego. The Eid and super ego are bad for you. It’s the ego that’s good for you. So the ego’s role is to amilarate or to the ego operates. It balances and then it counterbalances. Drives, it sublimates to render drives and instincts socially acceptable. It neutralizes. It fuses drives. It does everything in its power to set up defensive systems, barriers to unthinking, unblinking, unbridled action which could lead to very very seriously bad consequences. It is the ego that one would preserve, not the Eid and not the super ego. The Eid and super ego are bad for you. It’s the ego that’s good for you. So the ego’s role is to amilarate or to
20:24 avoid dysphoric effect states of dysphoric effect or um really really bad consequences. It is the ego is the home of what Freud called secondary process, mental functioning, bringing into mind the relation to reality, the measurement of time, the ability to link cause and effect, logical operations, the capacity to symbolize experience and and so on so forth. These are all secondary processes. The ego operates in both in both consciousness and in the unconscious. So what many many self-styled experts don’t realize is avoid dysphoric effect states of dysphoric effect or um really really bad consequences. It is the ego is the home of what Freud called secondary process, mental functioning, bringing into mind the relation to reality, the measurement of time, the ability to link cause and effect, logical operations, the capacity to symbolize experience and and so on so forth. These are all secondary processes. The ego operates in both in both consciousness and in the unconscious. So what many many self-styled experts don’t realize is
21:03 that all these structures the id the ego and the and the super ego they have a conscious part and an unconscious part. The ego is a repository of object relations and identifications. In other words uh relationships with other people and by extension to the environment. These relationships are first and foremost stored in the ego. Gradually the child develops a super ego and the super ego comes up with a unique variety of aim inhibited identifications. In other words, forbidden forbidden people, forbidden that all these structures the id the ego and the and the super ego they have a conscious part and an unconscious part. The ego is a repository of object relations and identifications. In other words uh relationships with other people and by extension to the environment. These relationships are first and foremost stored in the ego. Gradually the child develops a super ego and the super ego comes up with a unique variety of aim inhibited identifications. In other words, forbidden forbidden people, forbidden
21:42 situations, forbid. So the initially the superego stores all the representations of the outside world and then the sup the ego does that and then the superego comes in and says okay these are out of bounds these are beyond the pale these are forbidden these are prohibited the the super ego is the forbotten the forbidden uh the forbidden structure the ego is the agent of narcissistic regulatory processes and I mean healthy narcissism self-esteem self-conidence idence and so on. In the healthy sense, a realistic situations, forbid. So the initially the superego stores all the representations of the outside world and then the sup the ego does that and then the superego comes in and says okay these are out of bounds these are beyond the pale these are forbidden these are prohibited the the super ego is the forbotten the forbidden uh the forbidden structure the ego is the agent of narcissistic regulatory processes and I mean healthy narcissism self-esteem self-conidence idence and so on. In the healthy sense, a realistic
22:17 appraisal of oneself, strong points, weak points, SWAT analysis, strengths and weaknesses, limitations and skills and capacities and talent. All this realistic self-concept resides in the ego. It is when the ego is missing that the self-concept gets inflated out of proportions. Fantastic. because there’s no ego to to put it in check to regulate it and control it. And we call this of course pathological narcissism. Ultimately the ego is like a parental figure in in many ways. Whereas the super ego is a dictator and the id appraisal of oneself, strong points, weak points, SWAT analysis, strengths and weaknesses, limitations and skills and capacities and talent. All this realistic self-concept resides in the ego. It is when the ego is missing that the self-concept gets inflated out of proportions. Fantastic. because there’s no ego to to put it in check to regulate it and control it. And we call this of course pathological narcissism. Ultimately the ego is like a parental figure in in many ways. Whereas the super ego is a dictator and the id
22:59 is a demented child. The the role of the ego is um to facilitate the wishes of both the id and the super ego as well as well as its own agenda in the sense that these structures provide the energy the impetus for mental action. The ego channels this energy in ways which accommodate reality and end up providing the best possible favorable outcomes from any course of action. The ego transforms this energies and these pressures into action. It is the relay. It it converts energy to mass like in relativity theory. So the super ego for is a demented child. The the role of the ego is um to facilitate the wishes of both the id and the super ego as well as well as its own agenda in the sense that these structures provide the energy the impetus for mental action. The ego channels this energy in ways which accommodate reality and end up providing the best possible favorable outcomes from any course of action. The ego transforms this energies and these pressures into action. It is the relay. It it converts energy to mass like in relativity theory. So the super ego for
23:42 example who demand punishment and the ego says punishment is bridge too far. Punishment can destroy the individual. You know what super ego you want punishment? I’ll give you something. I’ll give you guilt. So now you have guilt, you feel good. Okay, forget the punishment. The individual feels guilty. Guilt is the individual’s punishment. So the ego amilarates, remolds, reshapes, sublimates the impulses of the super ego and the id and renders them renders them internally acceptable. The super ego says I want to example who demand punishment and the ego says punishment is bridge too far. Punishment can destroy the individual. You know what super ego you want punishment? I’ll give you something. I’ll give you guilt. So now you have guilt, you feel good. Okay, forget the punishment. The individual feels guilty. Guilt is the individual’s punishment. So the ego amilarates, remolds, reshapes, sublimates the impulses of the super ego and the id and renders them renders them internally acceptable. The super ego says I want to
24:18 punish the individual. He deserves punishment. Then the ego says what about guilt? And super ego says you know what guilt is good enough. That’s his punishment. End of story. The most sophisticated psychological activity of of the ego is therefore what is known as a synthetic function. Synthetic function is completely unconscious and without voluitional control. But it reconciles the internal landscape with the external landscape. The internal dynamics with external dynamics. It meshes the individual in punish the individual. He deserves punishment. Then the ego says what about guilt? And super ego says you know what guilt is good enough. That’s his punishment. End of story. The most sophisticated psychological activity of of the ego is therefore what is known as a synthetic function. Synthetic function is completely unconscious and without voluitional control. But it reconciles the internal landscape with the external landscape. The internal dynamics with external dynamics. It meshes the individual in
24:51 reality not in a bad way, not like merger and fusion, but like an agent. In other words, it enhances agency. In the realm of psychopathology, the ego’s influence is brought to bear on the development of symptom formation. It is the ego in in in mentally ill people, people with psychopathologies such as, for example, personality disorders. It is the ego that decides which symptoms to develop and to display. This is the ego’s way of coping with an impossible situation. This psychopathology is like reality not in a bad way, not like merger and fusion, but like an agent. In other words, it enhances agency. In the realm of psychopathology, the ego’s influence is brought to bear on the development of symptom formation. It is the ego in in in mentally ill people, people with psychopathologies such as, for example, personality disorders. It is the ego that decides which symptoms to develop and to display. This is the ego’s way of coping with an impossible situation. This psychopathology is like
25:26 cancer. And the ego says, “Oh my god, it’s going to destroy the individual. Let me try to come up with symptoms that would allow the individual to survive and to function and yet accommodate the psychopathological dynamics which otherwise threaten to consume the individual or erupt uncontrollably. symptom development formation um is is therefore a unique function of the ego which is much neglected in literature and of course completely unknown to self-styled experts who have no idea what they’re talking about. Yeah. So uh cancer. And the ego says, “Oh my god, it’s going to destroy the individual. Let me try to come up with symptoms that would allow the individual to survive and to function and yet accommodate the psychopathological dynamics which otherwise threaten to consume the individual or erupt uncontrollably. symptom development formation um is is therefore a unique function of the ego which is much neglected in literature and of course completely unknown to self-styled experts who have no idea what they’re talking about. Yeah. So uh
25:59 the compromised formations underlying symptoms and complexes of symptoms syndromes defend against unacceptable wishes and at the same time gratify them. Ego is very very wise. Not cunning, not scheming, not stupid, not psychopathic, but wise. It’s a wise counselor. Now the ego is involved as you are beginning to realize in almost everything that happens to the individual. Every action, decision, choice, wish, dream, fantasy dynamic. And this is known as ego involvement. The level of ego involvement specifies the compromised formations underlying symptoms and complexes of symptoms syndromes defend against unacceptable wishes and at the same time gratify them. Ego is very very wise. Not cunning, not scheming, not stupid, not psychopathic, but wise. It’s a wise counselor. Now the ego is involved as you are beginning to realize in almost everything that happens to the individual. Every action, decision, choice, wish, dream, fantasy dynamic. And this is known as ego involvement. The level of ego involvement specifies
26:39 the salience of portions of the individual’s cognitive systems, the frames of reference that relate the person to his or her social ecology and by extension reality at large. So levels of ego involvement correspond basically to levels of motivation and to levels of mental health. One could generalize and say that the more involved the ego is, the more powerful it is, the more pervasive it is, the more well connected it is to the Eid and the super ego, the more the better it is at negotiating and compromising, the salience of portions of the individual’s cognitive systems, the frames of reference that relate the person to his or her social ecology and by extension reality at large. So levels of ego involvement correspond basically to levels of motivation and to levels of mental health. One could generalize and say that the more involved the ego is, the more powerful it is, the more pervasive it is, the more well connected it is to the Eid and the super ego, the more the better it is at negotiating and compromising,
27:17 the more the more functional the ego is, the more mentally healthy the individual the individual is. This concept of ego involvement has its roots in the work of social theories uh such as kulie and me and they they formulated the self as a social role it’s an interesting work on its own we’ll discuss it one day similarly sharif canal sharif they proposed that ego involvement describe situations where events are related to personal frames of reference Okay. So from all these this information the more the more functional the ego is, the more mentally healthy the individual the individual is. This concept of ego involvement has its roots in the work of social theories uh such as kulie and me and they they formulated the self as a social role it’s an interesting work on its own we’ll discuss it one day similarly sharif canal sharif they proposed that ego involvement describe situations where events are related to personal frames of reference Okay. So from all these this information
27:58 that I’ve given you from all these uh premises Sharif and Cantrol aduce the principle that psychological activity represents a striving an effort to maintain or to enhance the ego. They went as far as to suggest in 1947 that it is the ego that is the focus. Everything is subservient to the ego. Everything Everything feeds the ego. Everything supports the ego. All psychological activity is about sustaining the ego, maintaining the ego, enhancing the ego, making sure the ego is okay because it’s the ego that is the that I’ve given you from all these uh premises Sharif and Cantrol aduce the principle that psychological activity represents a striving an effort to maintain or to enhance the ego. They went as far as to suggest in 1947 that it is the ego that is the focus. Everything is subservient to the ego. Everything Everything feeds the ego. Everything supports the ego. All psychological activity is about sustaining the ego, maintaining the ego, enhancing the ego, making sure the ego is okay because it’s the ego that is the
28:39 seat of mental functioning and mental health. They proceeded they they specified the conditions related to the tensions of ego invalidation. the invalidation of an attitude ma matrix that has high priority in the person’s overall self-system that is to attitudes high in ego involved. And so these investigators, these scholars, they devised all kinds of formulations in which they could predict the effects of discrepant information and disisconfirmation in relation to levels of ego invoked. They studied seat of mental functioning and mental health. They proceeded they they specified the conditions related to the tensions of ego invalidation. the invalidation of an attitude ma matrix that has high priority in the person’s overall self-system that is to attitudes high in ego involved. And so these investigators, these scholars, they devised all kinds of formulations in which they could predict the effects of discrepant information and disisconfirmation in relation to levels of ego invoked. They studied
29:19 situations where information from the outside and from the inside disrupts the homeostasis and equilibrium of the ego. Ego’s ability to function and the ego’s ability to get involved in dynamic dynamic processes inside the individual in psychonamics. So they studied what I would call a perturbation theory of the ego. Very fascinating work they’ve done. It’s in in the late 1940s and unfortunately like many other things is forgotten nowadays. Uh the concept of ego involvement has been elaborated also by specific situations where information from the outside and from the inside disrupts the homeostasis and equilibrium of the ego. Ego’s ability to function and the ego’s ability to get involved in dynamic dynamic processes inside the individual in psychonamics. So they studied what I would call a perturbation theory of the ego. Very fascinating work they’ve done. It’s in in the late 1940s and unfortunately like many other things is forgotten nowadays. Uh the concept of ego involvement has been elaborated also by specific
29:59 reference to what is known as self-roll definitions. The self- constructions are developed and validated in social interactions. And it has been proposed that certain roles acquire superordinancy, supremacy, superiority. I have incorporated a many of these insights into my intracychic activation model and there is a playlist on this channel titled strangely intracychic activation model IPAM where I also discuss self- states and my self states and pseudo identities are very similar to some of the things that Sharif and reference to what is known as self-roll definitions. The self- constructions are developed and validated in social interactions. And it has been proposed that certain roles acquire superordinancy, supremacy, superiority. I have incorporated a many of these insights into my intracychic activation model and there is a playlist on this channel titled strangely intracychic activation model IPAM where I also discuss self- states and my self states and pseudo identities are very similar to some of the things that Sharif and
30:44 Canrell said in 1947 regarding perturbation in ego. coctioning and so on so forth. It’s very complex. I will not go into it right now. But you may wish to go to the IPAM and personality playlist because there are some fascinating things there about how the personality might work, how the very concept of personality might work. So a person’s psychological processes are channeled by anticipations of validations of each role that the person enacts. In other words, what I call self states, other people called ego states. Canrell said in 1947 regarding perturbation in ego. coctioning and so on so forth. It’s very complex. I will not go into it right now. But you may wish to go to the IPAM and personality playlist because there are some fascinating things there about how the personality might work, how the very concept of personality might work. So a person’s psychological processes are channeled by anticipations of validations of each role that the person enacts. In other words, what I call self states, other people called ego states.
31:21 The behavior of the individual reflects greater involvement in enactments of specific roles within the repatory of the individual’s developed roles. It’s a little like playing different roles in different plays but on the same stage in the same theater. I will not go into it much more deeply because there many videos on the playlist that I mention that deal with all this. Back to ego. First of all, you must some historical uh historical comment. The ego there was a guy uh there were several guys like Strechy The behavior of the individual reflects greater involvement in enactments of specific roles within the repatory of the individual’s developed roles. It’s a little like playing different roles in different plays but on the same stage in the same theater. I will not go into it much more deeply because there many videos on the playlist that I mention that deal with all this. Back to ego. First of all, you must some historical uh historical comment. The ego there was a guy uh there were several guys like Strechy
32:01 and Ferency and others who who attempted to translate um Freud into other languages. Strechy translated him to to English. And so Freud u was very good or very proficient or prolif he he proliferated all kinds of neologisms new coinages new words it’s very difficult to come up with English equivalents for example in Freud in Freud’s writings he uses the the the word dish it’s German is dish is best translated as the I the eye like I’m going on the I but Strechy translated it ego because you know it’s and Ferency and others who who attempted to translate um Freud into other languages. Strechy translated him to to English. And so Freud u was very good or very proficient or prolif he he proliferated all kinds of neologisms new coinages new words it’s very difficult to come up with English equivalents for example in Freud in Freud’s writings he uses the the the word dish it’s German is dish is best translated as the I the eye like I’m going on the I but Strechy translated it ego because you know it’s
32:50 from from uh ancient Latin and Greek and we’ll come to it in a minute. I’ll discuss at the end of the video I’ll discuss the ethmology of the word but suffice it to say that ego is not Freud’s word is not Freud’s word because in Freud’s work uh there was which was a unitary concept whereas in stretch’s work ego was was used in two separate ways the term distinguished a person’s self as a whole including perhaps the body or the at least the body representation pre from from uh ancient Latin and Greek and we’ll come to it in a minute. I’ll discuss at the end of the video I’ll discuss the ethmology of the word but suffice it to say that ego is not Freud’s word is not Freud’s word because in Freud’s work uh there was which was a unitary concept whereas in stretch’s work ego was was used in two separate ways the term distinguished a person’s self as a whole including perhaps the body or the at least the body representation pre
33:27 proprioception. So what distinguished the individual from other people is the ego. So the ego was the individual actually I would say it was a kind of synonym of the individual and the other meaning in stra’s word denoted a particular part of the mind characterized by special attributes and functions. This created an enormous confusion not only in psychoanalytical literature but in other types of works because sometimes you read the English translation of Freud and you say oh wait a minute ego is proprioception. So what distinguished the individual from other people is the ego. So the ego was the individual actually I would say it was a kind of synonym of the individual and the other meaning in stra’s word denoted a particular part of the mind characterized by special attributes and functions. This created an enormous confusion not only in psychoanalytical literature but in other types of works because sometimes you read the English translation of Freud and you say oh wait a minute ego is
34:05 everything. Ego is the mind. Ego is the body. Ego is self-perception. Ego is interaction with other people. Ego simply means the individual. And sometimes you read it, you read the English translation the addition and and ego simply means a part of the mind that is t has special tasks known as ego functions. So Hines Hartman in 1939 emphatically separated the two implications the two interpret two two meanings two interpretations. He reserved the term ego for mental agency and he said the self is the everything. Ego is the mind. Ego is the body. Ego is self-perception. Ego is interaction with other people. Ego simply means the individual. And sometimes you read it, you read the English translation the addition and and ego simply means a part of the mind that is t has special tasks known as ego functions. So Hines Hartman in 1939 emphatically separated the two implications the two interpret two two meanings two interpretations. He reserved the term ego for mental agency and he said the self is the
34:44 individual himself. So he said straight he was wrong to use ego in two ways. He should have used ego for the mental construct within the mind and he should have used the word self to describe the totality of the individual including the individual’s body. And I think hman was very very right. There was also a major debate still unsettled of course although recent discoveries in neuroscience tend to indicate that we are born with an ego actually but okay there was a debate whether the ego is present at birth. Are individual himself. So he said straight he was wrong to use ego in two ways. He should have used ego for the mental construct within the mind and he should have used the word self to describe the totality of the individual including the individual’s body. And I think hman was very very right. There was also a major debate still unsettled of course although recent discoveries in neuroscience tend to indicate that we are born with an ego actually but okay there was a debate whether the ego is present at birth. Are
35:24 we born with an ego or does the ego emerge from some kind of field field of potentials known as the undifferentiated ego matrix? Don’t ask. It’s like a field of potentials and the ego then differentiates itself from the id. The field of potentials is the id. The id is all the possibilities, all the wishes, all the fantasies, all the dreams, all the drives, all the urges, all the instincts. It’s there. They’re all there. They don’t come into action. They don’t actualize. They don’t materialize, we born with an ego or does the ego emerge from some kind of field field of potentials known as the undifferentiated ego matrix? Don’t ask. It’s like a field of potentials and the ego then differentiates itself from the id. The field of potentials is the id. The id is all the possibilities, all the wishes, all the fantasies, all the dreams, all the drives, all the urges, all the instincts. It’s there. They’re all there. They don’t come into action. They don’t actualize. They don’t materialize,
35:56 but they have the potential to. And then some of these potentials coalesce in reaction to environmental pressures from reality. Some of these coales and become the ego. That was one point of view. Autotophenico in 1945 suggested that the outer surface of the early mental structure is differentiated gradually with respect to its functions of stimulus perception and discharge. this product of differentiation becomes the ego. So this is one approach. The other approach which we’ll come to a bit later but they have the potential to. And then some of these potentials coalesce in reaction to environmental pressures from reality. Some of these coales and become the ego. That was one point of view. Autotophenico in 1945 suggested that the outer surface of the early mental structure is differentiated gradually with respect to its functions of stimulus perception and discharge. this product of differentiation becomes the ego. So this is one approach. The other approach which we’ll come to a bit later
36:34 is that we are born with an ego or perhaps ego nuclei and uh then this ego leads us to essentially interactions with other people object relations. We’ll come to it a bit later. The main function of the ego uh according to the first school that the ego emerges the emergent ego let’s call it the emergent ego school and the ego nuclei or existing ego school the fair school. So the main function of the ego according to the first school is to receive stimuli from the external and internal worlds and to is that we are born with an ego or perhaps ego nuclei and uh then this ego leads us to essentially interactions with other people object relations. We’ll come to it a bit later. The main function of the ego uh according to the first school that the ego emerges the emergent ego let’s call it the emergent ego school and the ego nuclei or existing ego school the fair school. So the main function of the ego according to the first school is to receive stimuli from the external and internal worlds and to
37:15 allow the individual to move motility and to discharge the instinctual impulses. It’s a very mechanical model. It says that instincts and urges and drives create a lot of energy and the individual has to discharge this energy or else individual will burst open you know it’s too much and to discharge the energy the the individual has to move move in reality physically move in reality and to act as an agent and it is the ego that facilitates this conversion this translation from instinctual allow the individual to move motility and to discharge the instinctual impulses. It’s a very mechanical model. It says that instincts and urges and drives create a lot of energy and the individual has to discharge this energy or else individual will burst open you know it’s too much and to discharge the energy the the individual has to move move in reality physically move in reality and to act as an agent and it is the ego that facilitates this conversion this translation from instinctual
37:52 impulses and the energy attendant upon them and motility or capacity to move and so on. The ego is in contact with reality. It constantly scans it but it is not indiscriminate because otherwise we will be flooded and we will become paralyzed. So one of the functions of the ego is to serve as a filter as a membrane. It selects some information, suppresses other information, filters information and stimuli, organizes perceptions, organizes stimuli, uses intelligence, uses judgments, uh, it uses previous experience and the impulses and the energy attendant upon them and motility or capacity to move and so on. The ego is in contact with reality. It constantly scans it but it is not indiscriminate because otherwise we will be flooded and we will become paralyzed. So one of the functions of the ego is to serve as a filter as a membrane. It selects some information, suppresses other information, filters information and stimuli, organizes perceptions, organizes stimuli, uses intelligence, uses judgments, uh, it uses previous experience and the
38:31 ego works in accordance with the reality principle and secondary process thinking that I mentioned earlier. Consequently, the ego is the one responsible for compromise formations between the demands of reality, instincts, and the super ego. I mentioned that too. And it has both conscious and unconscious aspects. The defenses that the ego deploys against physically unsafe or morally repugnant wishes especially operate on an unconscious level where the ego is in cahoots with or coalition with the super ego. It seems that you ego works in accordance with the reality principle and secondary process thinking that I mentioned earlier. Consequently, the ego is the one responsible for compromise formations between the demands of reality, instincts, and the super ego. I mentioned that too. And it has both conscious and unconscious aspects. The defenses that the ego deploys against physically unsafe or morally repugnant wishes especially operate on an unconscious level where the ego is in cahoots with or coalition with the super ego. It seems that you
39:07 could think of it that the ego extends downwards towards the unconscious. The super ego extends downwards towards the unconscious and they meet there. They create a coalition there. They collaborate there. Some of the functions um in the personality in the mind like for example cognition, thinking uh intelligence are primarily autonomous functions. Other functions can acquire autonomy. It would be derivative or secondary autonomy. The primarily autonomous functions are um not insulated as I mentioned. These are like common could think of it that the ego extends downwards towards the unconscious. The super ego extends downwards towards the unconscious and they meet there. They create a coalition there. They collaborate there. Some of the functions um in the personality in the mind like for example cognition, thinking uh intelligence are primarily autonomous functions. Other functions can acquire autonomy. It would be derivative or secondary autonomy. The primarily autonomous functions are um not insulated as I mentioned. These are like common
39:51 database that databases or or resources that can be accessed by all the parts of the of the of the mind by the by the ego by the by super ego. And because each power, each construct can access these joint shared resources, they can be sucked into instinctual conflicts. In other words, your intelligence can become your enemy. It can be your intelligence can be co-opted by the id and then your intelligence will provide rationalizations and justifications for actions and behaviors which are reprehensible morally and perhaps even database that databases or or resources that can be accessed by all the parts of the of the of the mind by the by the ego by the by super ego. And because each power, each construct can access these joint shared resources, they can be sucked into instinctual conflicts. In other words, your intelligence can become your enemy. It can be your intelligence can be co-opted by the id and then your intelligence will provide rationalizations and justifications for actions and behaviors which are reprehensible morally and perhaps even
40:37 illegal criminal. So everything collaborates with everything and everything can be misused and abused within the personality. The ego is therefore extremely busy all the time making sure that this does not happen. The ego according to Freud is as he said first and foremost a bodily ego. The origins of the ego are in intricately related to the constitutional capacities for tolerating anxiety, for aggression, for problem solving, for assertiveness, for intelligence and so on so forth. These databases that I mentioned the illegal criminal. So everything collaborates with everything and everything can be misused and abused within the personality. The ego is therefore extremely busy all the time making sure that this does not happen. The ego according to Freud is as he said first and foremost a bodily ego. The origins of the ego are in intricately related to the constitutional capacities for tolerating anxiety, for aggression, for problem solving, for assertiveness, for intelligence and so on so forth. These databases that I mentioned the
41:13 joint share database they have a pronounced corporeal or bodily dimension. An additional meaning of of bodily especially in Freud’s work for example his 1923 work is that many of the operations are patterned after bodily functions. So for example introjection internalization and incorporation is the same like swallowing and digesting with a physical body. So the mind imitates the body. Projection projection yes is a little like spitting. Negation is like turning the head away from uh undesirable stimulus like joint share database they have a pronounced corporeal or bodily dimension. An additional meaning of of bodily especially in Freud’s work for example his 1923 work is that many of the operations are patterned after bodily functions. So for example introjection internalization and incorporation is the same like swallowing and digesting with a physical body. So the mind imitates the body. Projection projection yes is a little like spitting. Negation is like turning the head away from uh undesirable stimulus like
41:56 undesirable food or some undesirable unsettling sight. So for every function of the mind there is an equivalent function of the body and we very often use our bodies to manifestly express these functions of the mind. At the same time of course it is true that as he said the character of the ego is a precipitate of abandoned object cexis. It contains the history of those object choices. In other words, the elements of the ego are constituted by identifications with external objects. The ego is actually exactly as Lakan undesirable food or some undesirable unsettling sight. So for every function of the mind there is an equivalent function of the body and we very often use our bodies to manifestly express these functions of the mind. At the same time of course it is true that as he said the character of the ego is a precipitate of abandoned object cexis. It contains the history of those object choices. In other words, the elements of the ego are constituted by identifications with external objects. The ego is actually exactly as Lakan
42:38 suggested much later at least the unconscious part of the ego is relational and it represents the sum total of voices and interactions with other people. The purpose um of the ego now I hope has become uh clear to you and it’s clear also how important and and crucial is it is and how wrong it is to suggest that you should get rid of the ego. That would be a major catastrophe because then you will become a criminal out of control impulsive defiant reckless. In short, you’ll become a psychopath or a suggested much later at least the unconscious part of the ego is relational and it represents the sum total of voices and interactions with other people. The purpose um of the ego now I hope has become uh clear to you and it’s clear also how important and and crucial is it is and how wrong it is to suggest that you should get rid of the ego. That would be a major catastrophe because then you will become a criminal out of control impulsive defiant reckless. In short, you’ll become a psychopath or a
43:17 narcissist in the best case. Uh I mentioned Freud, I mentioned Hartman, u there were other contributors to the to the theory of the ego. Luvenstein, uh Chris, many others. I couldn’t go into the work of of uh all of them, but I kept mentioning that the ego has functions. And there are several videos on this channel dedicated to ego functions. In short, ego functions are performed by the ego normally and you can group them in three basic categories. Autonomous or ego functions. They’re not derived from narcissist in the best case. Uh I mentioned Freud, I mentioned Hartman, u there were other contributors to the to the theory of the ego. Luvenstein, uh Chris, many others. I couldn’t go into the work of of uh all of them, but I kept mentioning that the ego has functions. And there are several videos on this channel dedicated to ego functions. In short, ego functions are performed by the ego normally and you can group them in three basic categories. Autonomous or ego functions. They’re not derived from
43:53 the ego’s relationship to in instincts and they’re not derived from the ego’s relationship relationships with the objects of these instincts. And these autonomous ego functions are like divorced from uh internal reality and to very large extent divorced from external and not divorced but they’re not triggered by internal or external reality. They’re just there. Think of them as shared resources. Think of them as electricity utilities. Yeah. So these include intelligence, cognition, the ego’s relationship to in instincts and they’re not derived from the ego’s relationship relationships with the objects of these instincts. And these autonomous ego functions are like divorced from uh internal reality and to very large extent divorced from external and not divorced but they’re not triggered by internal or external reality. They’re just there. Think of them as shared resources. Think of them as electricity utilities. Yeah. So these include intelligence, cognition,
44:25 thinking, perception, reality testing, learning, motility, synthesis between internal and external reality and speech. So these are like givens. They’re like the tools, the instruments at the disposal of each and every one of the constructs, especially the ego. Then we have relational ego functions which include object seeking, attachment, internalization, the development and sustenance of object constancy. In other words, the capacity to maintain a positive tie to a love object or meaningful significant object even when thinking, perception, reality testing, learning, motility, synthesis between internal and external reality and speech. So these are like givens. They’re like the tools, the instruments at the disposal of each and every one of the constructs, especially the ego. Then we have relational ego functions which include object seeking, attachment, internalization, the development and sustenance of object constancy. In other words, the capacity to maintain a positive tie to a love object or meaningful significant object even when
45:05 this object is not satisfying, is not gratifying, is frustrating. And finally, there are defensive ego functions and their role is to mitigate anxiety. They’re anxolytic and not only anxiety but the consequences of anxiety because there is a a dread angst within the mental structure within the mind. Anxiety is the the monster the the monster of monsters. It’s it’s a dragon is like the most horrible thing that can happen to the mind. Especially if anxiety emerges from unconsciousness into consciousness this object is not satisfying, is not gratifying, is frustrating. And finally, there are defensive ego functions and their role is to mitigate anxiety. They’re anxolytic and not only anxiety but the consequences of anxiety because there is a a dread angst within the mental structure within the mind. Anxiety is the the monster the the monster of monsters. It’s it’s a dragon is like the most horrible thing that can happen to the mind. Especially if anxiety emerges from unconsciousness into consciousness
45:43 because anxiety paralyzes so and also can push you to suicidal ideation and worse. So a lot of energy goes into suppressing anxiety, fending off, preventing it, uh refraraming uh situations and in order to avoid anxiety and and so on so forth. Anxiety is linked usually intimately to unacceptable sexual and aggressive impulses and their attendant self and object representations. And so these defense mechanisms have varied forms. But the essential goal of all these mechan mechanisms is the same. Reduce because anxiety paralyzes so and also can push you to suicidal ideation and worse. So a lot of energy goes into suppressing anxiety, fending off, preventing it, uh refraraming uh situations and in order to avoid anxiety and and so on so forth. Anxiety is linked usually intimately to unacceptable sexual and aggressive impulses and their attendant self and object representations. And so these defense mechanisms have varied forms. But the essential goal of all these mechan mechanisms is the same. Reduce
46:22 anxiety, mitigate it, amilarate it, reframe it out of existence. Fighting anxiety is the main function of psychological defense mechanisms. Of course, this is a rough sketch and there could be arguments where there’s some, for example, relational ego functions are also not autonomous and some autonomous functions do serve to reduce anxiety and so on so forth. But the primarily autonomous ego functions uh are I would say more aminable to such a debate. Why? Because the autonomous ego functions are shared resources. anxiety, mitigate it, amilarate it, reframe it out of existence. Fighting anxiety is the main function of psychological defense mechanisms. Of course, this is a rough sketch and there could be arguments where there’s some, for example, relational ego functions are also not autonomous and some autonomous functions do serve to reduce anxiety and so on so forth. But the primarily autonomous ego functions uh are I would say more aminable to such a debate. Why? Because the autonomous ego functions are shared resources.
47:03 So like intelligence, you know, movement, speech, they’re shared resources. The ego can access them, leverage them, and use them for its own goals. So can they eat and so can the super ego. So autonomous ego functions can get sucked in into conflict, can get caught up in conflict. Relational ego functions can be used for defensive purposes and and so on. But the autonomous ego ego functions are most vulnerable to compromise to be compromised not in a good sense in a bad sense to be corrupted to be So like intelligence, you know, movement, speech, they’re shared resources. The ego can access them, leverage them, and use them for its own goals. So can they eat and so can the super ego. So autonomous ego functions can get sucked in into conflict, can get caught up in conflict. Relational ego functions can be used for defensive purposes and and so on. But the autonomous ego ego functions are most vulnerable to compromise to be compromised not in a good sense in a bad sense to be corrupted to be
47:39 corrupted by by uh structures other than the ego. The linkage of thinking and synthesis with the life instinct uh is now well established like it’s libidinal. The idea is that the whole thing is libidal. I’m talking about beyond uh and and to a large extent Hartman. Uh and so because the autonomous uh some of the autonomous functions as I mentioned thinking synthesis are linked to the libido or by extension to the life instinct. The autonomy of these functions uh is a bit blurred. It it’s not very clear in corrupted by by uh structures other than the ego. The linkage of thinking and synthesis with the life instinct uh is now well established like it’s libidinal. The idea is that the whole thing is libidal. I’m talking about beyond uh and and to a large extent Hartman. Uh and so because the autonomous uh some of the autonomous functions as I mentioned thinking synthesis are linked to the libido or by extension to the life instinct. The autonomy of these functions uh is a bit blurred. It it’s not very clear in
48:25 which sense they are autonomous. Maybe we should think of them as a library or a database accessible in the service of life and in the service of perpetuating life and so on but still more diffusely available more promiscuous if you wish. Okay. All the way back we cycle to the wannabe gurus who keep telling you that ego death is ego death is the ultimate in nirvana ultimate in enlightenment and ultimate in reconciling with the universe which of course discloses their abysmal ignorance of what the ego is and general which sense they are autonomous. Maybe we should think of them as a library or a database accessible in the service of life and in the service of perpetuating life and so on but still more diffusely available more promiscuous if you wish. Okay. All the way back we cycle to the wannabe gurus who keep telling you that ego death is ego death is the ultimate in nirvana ultimate in enlightenment and ultimate in reconciling with the universe which of course discloses their abysmal ignorance of what the ego is and general
49:10 abysmal ignorance. Someone who who aspires to become a guru is someone who has failed in everything else in life. So the ego um the the disappearance of the ego the death of the ego is possible. For example, if you as a child in the process of developing the the ego and later on in the process of developing the self relationally, if you’re if this process is disrupted, if there are interruptions from the environment or if the environment is unwelcoming and non-conducive to the formation, integration and constellation abysmal ignorance. Someone who who aspires to become a guru is someone who has failed in everything else in life. So the ego um the the disappearance of the ego the death of the ego is possible. For example, if you as a child in the process of developing the the ego and later on in the process of developing the self relationally, if you’re if this process is disrupted, if there are interruptions from the environment or if the environment is unwelcoming and non-conducive to the formation, integration and constellation
49:50 of these constructs, then of course you will have a dead a deadness where an ego should have been. you’ll be dead inside. There’ll be a black hole to use Tustin’s Tustin’s phrase, there’ll be a void. And several scholars have dealt with this situation and I mentioned quite a few of them in uh other videos, most notably Andre Green, which is my favorite. uh and appropo Andre Green I would like to mention his um ego sense of self disappearance this is subsumed this idea that the ego of these constructs, then of course you will have a dead a deadness where an ego should have been. you’ll be dead inside. There’ll be a black hole to use Tustin’s Tustin’s phrase, there’ll be a void. And several scholars have dealt with this situation and I mentioned quite a few of them in uh other videos, most notably Andre Green, which is my favorite. uh and appropo Andre Green I would like to mention his um ego sense of self disappearance this is subsumed this idea that the ego
50:31 somehow senses its own vanishing its own self-d disappearance is a part of Andre Green’s broader work on the negative which I will I will discuss a bit later the work of the negative Uh this particular mechanism, the sense of self-d disappearance of the ego is related to traumatic abandonment by the mother or to experiences with a dead mother. And I have a whole playlist here, the from child to narcissist playlist which is dedicated exactly to this. When the mother is unavailable or exactly the opposite, overprotective and somehow senses its own vanishing its own self-d disappearance is a part of Andre Green’s broader work on the negative which I will I will discuss a bit later the work of the negative Uh this particular mechanism, the sense of self-d disappearance of the ego is related to traumatic abandonment by the mother or to experiences with a dead mother. And I have a whole playlist here, the from child to narcissist playlist which is dedicated exactly to this. When the mother is unavailable or exactly the opposite, overprotective and
51:14 doineering. When the mother is absent because she’s depressive or selfish or when the mother is insecure and the mother in short is dysfunctional. When I say mother, it’s maternal figure. Doesn’t have to be the biological mother. Anyone who fulfills the roles of a mother could be the father. So when a mother is dead, metaphorically speaking in Andre Green’s phrase, there’s a syndrome. The result is a syndrome. It is a very traumatizing experience to not have a mother especially if she’s doineering. When the mother is absent because she’s depressive or selfish or when the mother is insecure and the mother in short is dysfunctional. When I say mother, it’s maternal figure. Doesn’t have to be the biological mother. Anyone who fulfills the roles of a mother could be the father. So when a mother is dead, metaphorically speaking in Andre Green’s phrase, there’s a syndrome. The result is a syndrome. It is a very traumatizing experience to not have a mother especially if she’s
51:45 there physically. And so the child attempts to compensate and and reframe and there’s they’re desperate this desperate flailing attempting attempting to restore the secure base functions which are missing. And the syndrome that results from these mechanisms includes an incapacity to tolerate frustration, inconsolability, prolonged grief, hatred of the other six, frenetic sexuality, great need for control, and occasionally very extreme sublimations. Uh people pleasing or being overly polite. And this these serve to please there physically. And so the child attempts to compensate and and reframe and there’s they’re desperate this desperate flailing attempting attempting to restore the secure base functions which are missing. And the syndrome that results from these mechanisms includes an incapacity to tolerate frustration, inconsolability, prolonged grief, hatred of the other six, frenetic sexuality, great need for control, and occasionally very extreme sublimations. Uh people pleasing or being overly polite. And this these serve to please
52:26 the harsh super ego and create a sort of insulation around what is left of the self of the ego. So patients with this syndrome this self disappearing this ego disappearance they have an aspiration which takes the form of self disappearance that the internal deadness the internal absence sometimes is compensated for by ostentatious existence that is known as narcissism and sometimes the internal absence is compensated for by matching the internal absence with external absence so that there is no discrepancy. the harsh super ego and create a sort of insulation around what is left of the self of the ego. So patients with this syndrome this self disappearing this ego disappearance they have an aspiration which takes the form of self disappearance that the internal deadness the internal absence sometimes is compensated for by ostentatious existence that is known as narcissism and sometimes the internal absence is compensated for by matching the internal absence with external absence so that there is no discrepancy.
53:11 So self disappearance these people feel subject to maternal vampirism if you wish and defensively uh to powerful wishes to invade the mother and annex her appropriate her because she’s not there. It’s very frustrating. So to avoid all this mess, to avoid this really really harrowing internal experiences, these patients seek to annihilate themselves. They could annihilate themselves only psychologically and sometimes physically suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts. So this is the outcome of ego death for So self disappearance these people feel subject to maternal vampirism if you wish and defensively uh to powerful wishes to invade the mother and annex her appropriate her because she’s not there. It’s very frustrating. So to avoid all this mess, to avoid this really really harrowing internal experiences, these patients seek to annihilate themselves. They could annihilate themselves only psychologically and sometimes physically suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts. So this is the outcome of ego death for
53:49 you. Yeah. Uh I mentioned Andre Green’s work of the negative. It’s a collective designation for mental functions that aim to reject objects, disinvest perception, and impoverish the ego. Green actually took off on Freud’s idea that neurosis is the inverse of perversion and also the concept of negative therapeutic reaction. He suggested that these are the mechanisms of repression, negation, splitting and disavow. And in this sense he’s actually a Freudian or maybe a neudroid. But under the broader broader framework you. Yeah. Uh I mentioned Andre Green’s work of the negative. It’s a collective designation for mental functions that aim to reject objects, disinvest perception, and impoverish the ego. Green actually took off on Freud’s idea that neurosis is the inverse of perversion and also the concept of negative therapeutic reaction. He suggested that these are the mechanisms of repression, negation, splitting and disavow. And in this sense he’s actually a Freudian or maybe a neudroid. But under the broader broader framework
54:31 of work of the negative, Andre Green added five additional notions of his own. Number one, negative hallucination. Number two, negative hallucination of thought. Number three, subjective disengagement by the ego. Number four, negative narcissism. And number five, the ego sense of self-d disappearance which I mentioned earlier. These are all destructive drives or at least fueled by destructive drives and also self-destructive drives. These processes impel the individual towards a decision to accept or reject something, an of work of the negative, Andre Green added five additional notions of his own. Number one, negative hallucination. Number two, negative hallucination of thought. Number three, subjective disengagement by the ego. Number four, negative narcissism. And number five, the ego sense of self-d disappearance which I mentioned earlier. These are all destructive drives or at least fueled by destructive drives and also self-destructive drives. These processes impel the individual towards a decision to accept or reject something, an
55:10 object, a perception, a thought, even one’s own subjective existence. We are now I am now discussing the experience of ego death. how it feels. When Ziggman Freud contrasted the demands made by the sexual instinct with basic psychological needs in 1905, it was not until 5 years later that he explicitly proposed the concept of ego instincts, self preservatory instincts, instincts of self-preservation. The idea was that the sexual instinct aimed at species propagation and the ego instinct is aimed at selfpreservation. object, a perception, a thought, even one’s own subjective existence. We are now I am now discussing the experience of ego death. how it feels. When Ziggman Freud contrasted the demands made by the sexual instinct with basic psychological needs in 1905, it was not until 5 years later that he explicitly proposed the concept of ego instincts, self preservatory instincts, instincts of self-preservation. The idea was that the sexual instinct aimed at species propagation and the ego instinct is aimed at selfpreservation.
55:54 Ego instincts are aimed at self-preservation and self-seeking. They fulfill nonsexual aims. They operate under the reality principle and they carry an energy of their own that was not liidinal. It’s not liid libido but interest. So this perhaps is the source of confusion. When people say he’s egotistic, she is an egoomania. I think this was the source of a confusion. When Freud said that the ego is occupied with self-interest, he did not mean that the ego is occupied with self aggrandisement, with entitlement, at the Ego instincts are aimed at self-preservation and self-seeking. They fulfill nonsexual aims. They operate under the reality principle and they carry an energy of their own that was not liidinal. It’s not liid libido but interest. So this perhaps is the source of confusion. When people say he’s egotistic, she is an egoomania. I think this was the source of a confusion. When Freud said that the ego is occupied with self-interest, he did not mean that the ego is occupied with self aggrandisement, with entitlement, at the
56:36 expense of others, with antisocial behavior. He didn’t mean any of this at all. When when Freud said that ego instincts is the preoccupation of the ego with interests, self-interest and self-preservation, he meant the preoccupation of the ego with survival. It wasn’t relational. It was internal. Nothing to do with other people. When Freud moved from his first dual instinct theory of sexual and ego instincts to his second dual instinct theory of life instinct and death instinct, he began to view ego instincts expense of others, with antisocial behavior. He didn’t mean any of this at all. When when Freud said that ego instincts is the preoccupation of the ego with interests, self-interest and self-preservation, he meant the preoccupation of the ego with survival. It wasn’t relational. It was internal. Nothing to do with other people. When Freud moved from his first dual instinct theory of sexual and ego instincts to his second dual instinct theory of life instinct and death instinct, he began to view ego instincts
57:16 as a subcategory of the life instinct. And yes, the ego instincts involve recognition of the constraints imposed by the world and the inhibitions that result. There is a recognition of these. It’s not that the ego instincts are divorced from reality because if they were they would not be very good at at self-preservation but the focus in ego instincts is on self preservation. It’s more internal. It’s about reconciling the inside with the outside in order to maintain the ongoing life um and the ongoing as a subcategory of the life instinct. And yes, the ego instincts involve recognition of the constraints imposed by the world and the inhibitions that result. There is a recognition of these. It’s not that the ego instincts are divorced from reality because if they were they would not be very good at at self-preservation but the focus in ego instincts is on self preservation. It’s more internal. It’s about reconciling the inside with the outside in order to maintain the ongoing life um and the ongoing
57:55 functioning of the inside. David Donald Winnott 1960 um came with a with a similar construct. He called it ego needs. Arnold model in 1975 suggested and I’m quoting quieter instincts not associated with it functions and accounting for the development of attachment and object relations. Sounds like ego instincts. Patriase casement. Patrick Hasement in 1991 um came up with the growth needs and distinguished them from libidonal demands. Even Hines quot um suggested what he called the self-csychological motivations functioning of the inside. David Donald Winnott 1960 um came with a with a similar construct. He called it ego needs. Arnold model in 1975 suggested and I’m quoting quieter instincts not associated with it functions and accounting for the development of attachment and object relations. Sounds like ego instincts. Patriase casement. Patrick Hasement in 1991 um came up with the growth needs and distinguished them from libidonal demands. Even Hines quot um suggested what he called the self-csychological motivations
58:41 which is a an echo of the ego in sync concept. So the thinking behind these diverse and overlapping con uh concepts, it’s a uh they deal with with processes in the mind that are self-interested in the sense that they wish to propagate existence. They wish to perpetuate it. Not propagate, I’m sorry. They wish to perpetuate existence as Akar described it in 1999. So now we are faced with a triple instinct theory sexual aggressive and ego preservation or ego instincts. And at the time there was what was known as which is a an echo of the ego in sync concept. So the thinking behind these diverse and overlapping con uh concepts, it’s a uh they deal with with processes in the mind that are self-interested in the sense that they wish to propagate existence. They wish to perpetuate it. Not propagate, I’m sorry. They wish to perpetuate existence as Akar described it in 1999. So now we are faced with a triple instinct theory sexual aggressive and ego preservation or ego instincts. And at the time there was what was known as
59:29 the dualistic conception. Freud suggested or taught early on that psychopathological formations originate from the conflict between two mental tendencies. He said there’s a sexual instinct and then the other one is the instinct of self-preservation. So we use the term dualistic to describe the conception that two groups of forces counteracting one another produce psychopathological manifestations. This dualism is gives rise to psychopathology. The dualistic conception of psychopathological phenomena the dualistic conception. Freud suggested or taught early on that psychopathological formations originate from the conflict between two mental tendencies. He said there’s a sexual instinct and then the other one is the instinct of self-preservation. So we use the term dualistic to describe the conception that two groups of forces counteracting one another produce psychopathological manifestations. This dualism is gives rise to psychopathology. The dualistic conception of psychopathological phenomena
60:11 uh is common prevalent uh throughout the literature even when the conception of sexual asexual self-preservation became inadequate. So there was a there was a period in the literature uh where people were arguing between sexual self-preservation by propagation of the individual and by extension propagation of the species and asexual self-preservation. And uh when they studied psychosis this presented a challenge to the concept of asexual selfpreservative instincts. I will not go into it right now. But even then uh is common prevalent uh throughout the literature even when the conception of sexual asexual self-preservation became inadequate. So there was a there was a period in the literature uh where people were arguing between sexual self-preservation by propagation of the individual and by extension propagation of the species and asexual self-preservation. And uh when they studied psychosis this presented a challenge to the concept of asexual selfpreservative instincts. I will not go into it right now. But even then
60:54 it was widely accepted and to this very day it’s widely accepted that psychopathology is a conflict. Psychopathology is when there are dual forces at work. Two forces at work at least maybe more and these forces conflict. These forces are mutually exclusive sometimes contradictory have different agendas compromise corrupt each other. the dualistic conception of psychopathological phenomena. Um the highly libidinal component in the self-preservative instinct seem to indicate that reproduction it was widely accepted and to this very day it’s widely accepted that psychopathology is a conflict. Psychopathology is when there are dual forces at work. Two forces at work at least maybe more and these forces conflict. These forces are mutually exclusive sometimes contradictory have different agendas compromise corrupt each other. the dualistic conception of psychopathological phenomena. Um the highly libidinal component in the self-preservative instinct seem to indicate that reproduction
61:32 and to some extent sexuality in general have something to do with it. But I will not go into it right now. I promise. Okay. Um confronted with these debates uh the original dualism was as you remember sexual instinct self-pres preservationism yeah and it give and when the two couldn’t be couldn’t be put together in a framework couldn’t be harnessed by the ego it led to psychopathology but then Freud came up with a novel a new idea which is um which is the the current thinking at least in psychoanalytic circles. and to some extent sexuality in general have something to do with it. But I will not go into it right now. I promise. Okay. Um confronted with these debates uh the original dualism was as you remember sexual instinct self-pres preservationism yeah and it give and when the two couldn’t be couldn’t be put together in a framework couldn’t be harnessed by the ego it led to psychopathology but then Freud came up with a novel a new idea which is um which is the the current thinking at least in psychoanalytic circles.
62:15 So he suggested there’s a dualism uh between narcissism and object libido or narcissistic libido and object libido. Uh he did classify instincts into love or life instincts, death or destructive instinct. life, life or love versus death or destruction. These two types of instincts and it’s also a type of uh dualistic conception. Both mental groups of forces in their tendencies construction and destruction stand in extreme opposition to each other. But today what is more accepted and more used is narcissism versus So he suggested there’s a dualism uh between narcissism and object libido or narcissistic libido and object libido. Uh he did classify instincts into love or life instincts, death or destructive instinct. life, life or love versus death or destruction. These two types of instincts and it’s also a type of uh dualistic conception. Both mental groups of forces in their tendencies construction and destruction stand in extreme opposition to each other. But today what is more accepted and more used is narcissism versus
62:58 objects object relations. The narcissistic investment, narcissistic cexis versus object cexis in general, dividing everything into the eye and the world, the individual and society, the the subject and the object. This division, it’s a dichomous form of dichotomy. Um, and object relations is the bridge. Object relation schools and theories saying that what we consider to be the individual is actually some total or amalgamation of object relations and object interactions. The portions of death and life instinct objects object relations. The narcissistic investment, narcissistic cexis versus object cexis in general, dividing everything into the eye and the world, the individual and society, the the subject and the object. This division, it’s a dichomous form of dichotomy. Um, and object relations is the bridge. Object relation schools and theories saying that what we consider to be the individual is actually some total or amalgamation of object relations and object interactions. The portions of death and life instinct
63:44 energies whose tendencies oppose one another are still capable of being combined and amalgamated. These are examined with respect to psychic structures but by psych psycho instinctual investigations. Okay. So what do we mean when we say back to ego death? What do we mean when we say egoistic? Egoismos. Yes. Egoistic. Egotism. Egoism. Isn’t that a bad thing? And isn’t the only solution the death of the ego? Well, when we say egotistic, we mean strivings which have as an aim uh the well-being of the individual, energies whose tendencies oppose one another are still capable of being combined and amalgamated. These are examined with respect to psychic structures but by psych psycho instinctual investigations. Okay. So what do we mean when we say back to ego death? What do we mean when we say egoistic? Egoismos. Yes. Egoistic. Egotism. Egoism. Isn’t that a bad thing? And isn’t the only solution the death of the ego? Well, when we say egotistic, we mean strivings which have as an aim uh the well-being of the individual,
64:32 the advancement of the individual’s goals and even the functioning of the individual’s ego. but at the expense of neglecting the well-being and welfare goals, aspirations and so on of other people. Egotism and egoism is actually the opposite of proper ego functioning. The properly functional ego, the healthy ego is a structure that compromises with the environment, that prevents adverse consequences, that works with other people, that recognizes external objects, that reconciles reality with internal the advancement of the individual’s goals and even the functioning of the individual’s ego. but at the expense of neglecting the well-being and welfare goals, aspirations and so on of other people. Egotism and egoism is actually the opposite of proper ego functioning. The properly functional ego, the healthy ego is a structure that compromises with the environment, that prevents adverse consequences, that works with other people, that recognizes external objects, that reconciles reality with internal
65:20 drives, wishes and demands. This is the healthy ego. It is when the e ego is unhealthy, non-constate, unintegrated and dysfunctional that it goes out of control and imposes the instincts and drives and wishes of the individual, on the environment, on other people at a great cost to others. That is not a sign of a healthy ego. It’s a sign of a seriously compromised, destroyed, corrupted ego and in many cases is a sign of the absence of an ego altogether. This is egotism. Egotism in con in contrast to drives, wishes and demands. This is the healthy ego. It is when the e ego is unhealthy, non-constate, unintegrated and dysfunctional that it goes out of control and imposes the instincts and drives and wishes of the individual, on the environment, on other people at a great cost to others. That is not a sign of a healthy ego. It’s a sign of a seriously compromised, destroyed, corrupted ego and in many cases is a sign of the absence of an ego altogether. This is egotism. Egotism in con in contrast to
66:07 object liidal strivings is the clearest expression of a self-preservative instinct gun or gun haywire. So when we study what used to be called narcissistic neurosis, the and when we study even when we study the bodily correlates of narcissistic neurosis, psychological considerations and so on so forth. And when we study uh other other mental states such as for example the sleeping state and so on um we find that the incorporation of uh the incorporation of energy invested in other people what we call object object liidal strivings is the clearest expression of a self-preservative instinct gun or gun haywire. So when we study what used to be called narcissistic neurosis, the and when we study even when we study the bodily correlates of narcissistic neurosis, psychological considerations and so on so forth. And when we study uh other other mental states such as for example the sleeping state and so on um we find that the incorporation of uh the incorporation of energy invested in other people what we call object
66:58 libidinal cexis the incorporation is somehow disturbed flawed disrupted The egotistic interest, egotism or egoism is when we fail to emotionally invest in other people or when we emotionally invest in other people usually negative effects like envy, anger and so on. When we invest in other people emotional energy, we fail to truly incorporate it. uh the libidinal factor in the egotistic attitude is there but not the reality testing not not not the ego functions not the ego the ego is absent in effect this is the great irony libidinal cexis the incorporation is somehow disturbed flawed disrupted The egotistic interest, egotism or egoism is when we fail to emotionally invest in other people or when we emotionally invest in other people usually negative effects like envy, anger and so on. When we invest in other people emotional energy, we fail to truly incorporate it. uh the libidinal factor in the egotistic attitude is there but not the reality testing not not not the ego functions not the ego the ego is absent in effect this is the great irony
67:48 of egotism and egoism egotism and egoism is a state of affairs a state of mind and a state of being and a state of action where there is no ego involvement No ego contribution, no ego interfacing and no ego control. No ego. People who have no ego are egotistical. People without a functioning self, people who are selfless are egoistic. Narcissism at the time was added to the liidinal complement to the egotistic attitude as a form of essentially primitive phase in human development primary narcissism. of egotism and egoism egotism and egoism is a state of affairs a state of mind and a state of being and a state of action where there is no ego involvement No ego contribution, no ego interfacing and no ego control. No ego. People who have no ego are egotistical. People without a functioning self, people who are selfless are egoistic. Narcissism at the time was added to the liidinal complement to the egotistic attitude as a form of essentially primitive phase in human development primary narcissism.
68:42 And so even when Freud added narcissism to the repatory of egotism, it was not in a good sense. What Freud said is that if narcissism persists into adulthood, it becomes secondary narcissism. The replacement of the dualistic principle, sexual instinct, self-preservation instinct by the dualistic principle, life instinct, death instinct uh excluded the conceptual content of egotism from the sphere of instinct theory. The egotistic attitude is explicable only when we use narcissistic or aggressive tendencies of the And so even when Freud added narcissism to the repatory of egotism, it was not in a good sense. What Freud said is that if narcissism persists into adulthood, it becomes secondary narcissism. The replacement of the dualistic principle, sexual instinct, self-preservation instinct by the dualistic principle, life instinct, death instinct uh excluded the conceptual content of egotism from the sphere of instinct theory. The egotistic attitude is explicable only when we use narcissistic or aggressive tendencies of the
69:24 individual in the multiplicity of transformations there. I hope this is clear. Egotism and egoism is when there is no functioning ego to prevent egotism and egoism. A functioning ego attuned to others, compromising with reality, constantly negotiating a functioning ego is against egotism and egoism. In psychoanalytic theory, ego identity is the experience of the self as a recognizable persistent entity resulting from the integration of one’s unique ego ideal, life roles, and ways of adjusting individual in the multiplicity of transformations there. I hope this is clear. Egotism and egoism is when there is no functioning ego to prevent egotism and egoism. A functioning ego attuned to others, compromising with reality, constantly negotiating a functioning ego is against egotism and egoism. In psychoanalytic theory, ego identity is the experience of the self as a recognizable persistent entity resulting from the integration of one’s unique ego ideal, life roles, and ways of adjusting
70:05 to reality. The ego identity therefore entails the gradual acquisition of a sense of continuity, worth and integration. This was described at length by Eric Ericson. He said that this is an essential process in personality development. Ego integration in psychoanalytic theory is a process of organizing the various aspects of the personality such as drives, attitudes, and aims into a balanced whole. creating a theory of one’s personality if you wish. It is considered ego this ego integration is to reality. The ego identity therefore entails the gradual acquisition of a sense of continuity, worth and integration. This was described at length by Eric Ericson. He said that this is an essential process in personality development. Ego integration in psychoanalytic theory is a process of organizing the various aspects of the personality such as drives, attitudes, and aims into a balanced whole. creating a theory of one’s personality if you wish. It is considered ego this ego integration is
70:39 considered a strong indicator of psychological health and resiliency and it is missing in psychopathology which is why the psychopathological individual for example the narcissist is entitled is disruptive is destructive and is ecotistic is self-preser preserving self-enhancing to the exclusion of others and at their Most in psychoanalytic theory uh there is a type of anxiety that is caused by the conflicting demands of ego Eid and super ego. So ego anxiety it’s called it refers to an internal the considered a strong indicator of psychological health and resiliency and it is missing in psychopathology which is why the psychopathological individual for example the narcissist is entitled is disruptive is destructive and is ecotistic is self-preser preserving self-enhancing to the exclusion of others and at their Most in psychoanalytic theory uh there is a type of anxiety that is caused by the conflicting demands of ego Eid and super ego. So ego anxiety it’s called it refers to an internal the
71:20 internal battle not ego anxiety is not the outcome of external demands because the ego is well adept at dealing with reality. The ego is anxious because of internal de internal battle internal conflict. And when you have a situation where with a very weakened ego, very fractured and fragmented ego, non-developed, non-integrated, non-constillated and a very powerful and strong id and a non-existent super ego or or on the very contrary very harsh and sadistic super ego. The innate turmoil is such and the internal battle not ego anxiety is not the outcome of external demands because the ego is well adept at dealing with reality. The ego is anxious because of internal de internal battle internal conflict. And when you have a situation where with a very weakened ego, very fractured and fragmented ego, non-developed, non-integrated, non-constillated and a very powerful and strong id and a non-existent super ego or or on the very contrary very harsh and sadistic super ego. The innate turmoil is such and the
72:00 only solution is to annex the world to incorporate it to swallow the world to digest it so that the world at least would not provide external threats which the internal environment is illquipped to deal with. And this is of course the solution in narcissism. Narcissists don’t have ego resiliency, a personality characteristic consisting of the ability to vary in an adaptive manner the degree to which one inhibits or expresses emotional impulses depending on social demands. Narcissists don’t have this. only solution is to annex the world to incorporate it to swallow the world to digest it so that the world at least would not provide external threats which the internal environment is illquipped to deal with. And this is of course the solution in narcissism. Narcissists don’t have ego resiliency, a personality characteristic consisting of the ability to vary in an adaptive manner the degree to which one inhibits or expresses emotional impulses depending on social demands. Narcissists don’t have this.
72:37 The ego the ego has various states ego states in in psychonalytic theory the each ego state is an integrated state of mind that determines the individual’s relationship to the environment and to other people and narcissists um their ego states are are pathized even the ego states of nar it’s badly narcissist don’t have an ego they don’t have a So it’s wrong to use the phrases ego state, self state, it’s wrong in narcissism. But let’s say the manifestations or the expressions or the The ego the ego has various states ego states in in psychonalytic theory the each ego state is an integrated state of mind that determines the individual’s relationship to the environment and to other people and narcissists um their ego states are are pathized even the ego states of nar it’s badly narcissist don’t have an ego they don’t have a So it’s wrong to use the phrases ego state, self state, it’s wrong in narcissism. But let’s say the manifestations or the expressions or the
73:18 kaleidoscopic transitions between uh survival and adaptation strategies, these are all hampered. These are all impeded by the fact that there is no central executive authority. There’s no organizing principle. There’s no explanatory framework, hermeneutic framework. It’s a mess. It’s chaotic. The internal world of a narcissist is chaotic. And consequently, the narcissist is unable to impose an ego boundary. An ego boundary is the concept that individuals are able to distinguish between self and kaleidoscopic transitions between uh survival and adaptation strategies, these are all hampered. These are all impeded by the fact that there is no central executive authority. There’s no organizing principle. There’s no explanatory framework, hermeneutic framework. It’s a mess. It’s chaotic. The internal world of a narcissist is chaotic. And consequently, the narcissist is unable to impose an ego boundary. An ego boundary is the concept that individuals are able to distinguish between self and
73:51 not self. Someone who is said to lack clear ego boundaries blurs the distinction between themselves and others by identifying with others too easily and too much or by incorporating them, internalizing, introjecting them. In psychoanalysis, classical psychoanalysis, ego boundary meant the boundary between ego and id. This came to be known as the internal boundary or the boundary between ego and external reality. The external boundary. Narcissists lack all these. Narcissists are completely unbounded not self. Someone who is said to lack clear ego boundaries blurs the distinction between themselves and others by identifying with others too easily and too much or by incorporating them, internalizing, introjecting them. In psychoanalysis, classical psychoanalysis, ego boundary meant the boundary between ego and id. This came to be known as the internal boundary or the boundary between ego and external reality. The external boundary. Narcissists lack all these. Narcissists are completely unbounded
74:26 and you can see this in narcissistic behavior. Narcissists are un unbounded in behavior as well. The ego defense. The ego defenses in narcissism. In psychoanalytic theory, the use of defense mechanisms to protect the ego against anxiety arising from threatening impulses and conflicts as well as external threats. This is known as ego defense. Now, narcissists do have ego defenses. They do have defense mechanisms. but only the primitive infantile ones, the ones that are not honed by reality and are not reactive to and you can see this in narcissistic behavior. Narcissists are un unbounded in behavior as well. The ego defense. The ego defenses in narcissism. In psychoanalytic theory, the use of defense mechanisms to protect the ego against anxiety arising from threatening impulses and conflicts as well as external threats. This is known as ego defense. Now, narcissists do have ego defenses. They do have defense mechanisms. but only the primitive infantile ones, the ones that are not honed by reality and are not reactive to
75:05 reality and do not reflect reality. For example, splitting. And so because of the failure to interact with reality in a meaningful way. So only the ego interact with reality. If you don’t have an ego, you’re unable to interact with reality in any meaningful way. You’re unable to learn and you’re unable to de develop and evolve. So you get stuck at age 203 as a narcissist replete with the defense mechanisms of a which are typical of age 203 the primitive infantile defenses which include splitting projection and reality and do not reflect reality. For example, splitting. And so because of the failure to interact with reality in a meaningful way. So only the ego interact with reality. If you don’t have an ego, you’re unable to interact with reality in any meaningful way. You’re unable to learn and you’re unable to de develop and evolve. So you get stuck at age 203 as a narcissist replete with the defense mechanisms of a which are typical of age 203 the primitive infantile defenses which include splitting projection and
75:40 so on. The ego functions of the narcissist are outsourced exactly like in borderline personality disorder which is why Kernburg basically conflated the two. The ego functions are outsourced. There is external regulations. Ego functions come from the outside. In psychoanalytic theory, the ego functions are the various activities of the ego, including perception of the external world, self-awareness, problem solving, control of motor functions, adaptation to reality, memory, reconciliation of conflicting impulses and ideas, the so on. The ego functions of the narcissist are outsourced exactly like in borderline personality disorder which is why Kernburg basically conflated the two. The ego functions are outsourced. There is external regulations. Ego functions come from the outside. In psychoanalytic theory, the ego functions are the various activities of the ego, including perception of the external world, self-awareness, problem solving, control of motor functions, adaptation to reality, memory, reconciliation of conflicting impulses and ideas, the
76:13 regulation of effect and million others, million other functions. All these come from the outside. When there is a psychopathology of the ego, when the ego is incapable of interacting with reality uh from a position of efficacy at that point because the ego is paralyzed, helpless, non-existent even the only way to function somehow is to import the functions to bring them from the outside to to kind of digest the functions. So you outsource these functions and someone out there or a group of people regulation of effect and million others, million other functions. All these come from the outside. When there is a psychopathology of the ego, when the ego is incapable of interacting with reality uh from a position of efficacy at that point because the ego is paralyzed, helpless, non-existent even the only way to function somehow is to import the functions to bring them from the outside to to kind of digest the functions. So you outsource these functions and someone out there or a group of people
76:51 out there, they’re supposed to provide you with ego functions. The ego is frequently described as the executive agency of the personality working in the interest of reality principle. That’s not the case in narcissism. In narcissism, the secondary processes are disrupted. To remind you in psychoanalytic theory the secondary processes are conscious rational mental activities under the control of the ego and the reality principle. These mental processes which include problem solving, judgment, planning, systematic thinking. out there, they’re supposed to provide you with ego functions. The ego is frequently described as the executive agency of the personality working in the interest of reality principle. That’s not the case in narcissism. In narcissism, the secondary processes are disrupted. To remind you in psychoanalytic theory the secondary processes are conscious rational mental activities under the control of the ego and the reality principle. These mental processes which include problem solving, judgment, planning, systematic thinking.
77:29 These secondary processes allow individuals to meet external demands of the environment and internal demands of instincts and drives and urges and wishes in a rational effective way. This is secondary process thinking. Narcissists don’t have that because secondary thinking process thinking is driven by the ego. Narcissists either don’t have an ego or have a very weak ego. There’s no ego strength. Ego strength strength is a relative concept. And basically ego strength is comprised of These secondary processes allow individuals to meet external demands of the environment and internal demands of instincts and drives and urges and wishes in a rational effective way. This is secondary process thinking. Narcissists don’t have that because secondary thinking process thinking is driven by the ego. Narcissists either don’t have an ego or have a very weak ego. There’s no ego strength. Ego strength strength is a relative concept. And basically ego strength is comprised of
78:08 three elements. The capacity to resist immediate instinctual discharge which is demanded by the pleasure principle and is incompatible with correct judgment and avoidance of adverse circumstances. So being impulsive. If your ego is weak, you are impulsive. You don’t think about the consequences. Ego strength implies the capacity to anticipate in fantasy the potential consequences of an action and the possibility of choosing to act or to not act. And ego strength means the capacity to avoid using regression as a pathway to three elements. The capacity to resist immediate instinctual discharge which is demanded by the pleasure principle and is incompatible with correct judgment and avoidance of adverse circumstances. So being impulsive. If your ego is weak, you are impulsive. You don’t think about the consequences. Ego strength implies the capacity to anticipate in fantasy the potential consequences of an action and the possibility of choosing to act or to not act. And ego strength means the capacity to avoid using regression as a pathway to
78:47 defense against anxiety. infantilizing yourself, becoming childlike in order to avoid anxiety. Together, if you put these three, you get ego strength, the intactness of the ego, an intact ego is these three capacities combined. According to Fenicole, the absence of these three elements, the absence of ego strength is ego weakness. The thing is that a strong ego can tolerate anxiety well. When you have a strong ego, you are not impulsive. Your activities are sublimated. You have sublimatory channels. You sublimated defense against anxiety. infantilizing yourself, becoming childlike in order to avoid anxiety. Together, if you put these three, you get ego strength, the intactness of the ego, an intact ego is these three capacities combined. According to Fenicole, the absence of these three elements, the absence of ego strength is ego weakness. The thing is that a strong ego can tolerate anxiety well. When you have a strong ego, you are not impulsive. Your activities are sublimated. You have sublimatory channels. You sublimated
79:27 means your activities are socially acceptable. They conform and adhere to social mores, conventions and norms. A strong ego is resistant to regression under instinctual pre. You don’t infantilize yourself. And a strong ego can allow transitory regression for the purpose of replenishment because it’s in control. It’s not afraid to regress for a few hours, to become a baby for 2 hours, a child for 6 hours just to replenish um to nourish itself. An ego weakness is the is the opposite. It’s a deficit in the capacity to means your activities are socially acceptable. They conform and adhere to social mores, conventions and norms. A strong ego is resistant to regression under instinctual pre. You don’t infantilize yourself. And a strong ego can allow transitory regression for the purpose of replenishment because it’s in control. It’s not afraid to regress for a few hours, to become a baby for 2 hours, a child for 6 hours just to replenish um to nourish itself. An ego weakness is the is the opposite. It’s a deficit in the capacity to
80:08 negotiate between the demands of external reality and instinctual urges and super ego dictates. the instinctual urges, the wishes, irres irresistible impulses and the demands of the super ego, the no of the super ego, the harsh sadistic criticism. Sometimes they come from the inside. And yet there is an external reality out there which you cannot be ignored. And a weak ego cannot put the two together, cannot negotiate between these two states, internal and external. So he chooses if it exists at all. This kind negotiate between the demands of external reality and instinctual urges and super ego dictates. the instinctual urges, the wishes, irres irresistible impulses and the demands of the super ego, the no of the super ego, the harsh sadistic criticism. Sometimes they come from the inside. And yet there is an external reality out there which you cannot be ignored. And a weak ego cannot put the two together, cannot negotiate between these two states, internal and external. So he chooses if it exists at all. This kind
80:44 of ego chooses to focus on the internal to the exclusion of the external. Which is why narcissists cannot perceive external objects only internal ones. The manifestations of ego weakness according to Kernburg belong to two categories. Those specific to lower levels of character organization and those which are non-specific signs of ego weakness. The specific signs for example a blurring of boundaries predominance of primitive defenses. A weak ego has illdefined boundaries. They result in shaky reality testing. There’s a of ego chooses to focus on the internal to the exclusion of the external. Which is why narcissists cannot perceive external objects only internal ones. The manifestations of ego weakness according to Kernburg belong to two categories. Those specific to lower levels of character organization and those which are non-specific signs of ego weakness. The specific signs for example a blurring of boundaries predominance of primitive defenses. A weak ego has illdefined boundaries. They result in shaky reality testing. There’s a
81:22 difficulty in discerning whether your effects, your ideas, your impulses are originating from either within you or from external objects. This is what happens in pathological narcissism. All the dynamics are experienced as if they’re emanating from the inside. Even when they are not, they’re coming from the outside. A weak ego is also characterized by the use of primitive defenses that I mentioned, splitting, projective identification, denial, primitive idealization. Among the non-specific manifestations of difficulty in discerning whether your effects, your ideas, your impulses are originating from either within you or from external objects. This is what happens in pathological narcissism. All the dynamics are experienced as if they’re emanating from the inside. Even when they are not, they’re coming from the outside. A weak ego is also characterized by the use of primitive defenses that I mentioned, splitting, projective identification, denial, primitive idealization. Among the non-specific manifestations of
81:53 ego weakness there, there’s a lack of anxiety tolerance, poor impulse control, impaired capacity for sublimation, and so on. The lack of anxiety tolerance is key. It is reflected by the extent to which any stress leads to the the individual thoughts regression, decompensation, symptom formation and discharge through action. The lack of impulse control manifests as structured impulsivity that is focal repetitive egoonic specific acts or diffuse loss of restraint on inner urges, a kind of permanent structural ego weakness there, there’s a lack of anxiety tolerance, poor impulse control, impaired capacity for sublimation, and so on. The lack of anxiety tolerance is key. It is reflected by the extent to which any stress leads to the the individual thoughts regression, decompensation, symptom formation and discharge through action. The lack of impulse control manifests as structured impulsivity that is focal repetitive egoonic specific acts or diffuse loss of restraint on inner urges, a kind of permanent structural
82:31 disinhibition. The lack of well-developed sublimatory channels also suggests ego weakness and altogether we are talking about ego defects. An ego defect in psychonalytic theory is the absence or limitation of ego functions. The prime function of the ego is perception of reality and adjustment to it. A defect in this function can be either the target of treatment or a deficiency u that slows recovery. And so the ego appears to be malleable, reactive, responsive, alert, the healthy ego, alert, aware of the environment and disinhibition. The lack of well-developed sublimatory channels also suggests ego weakness and altogether we are talking about ego defects. An ego defect in psychonalytic theory is the absence or limitation of ego functions. The prime function of the ego is perception of reality and adjustment to it. A defect in this function can be either the target of treatment or a deficiency u that slows recovery. And so the ego appears to be malleable, reactive, responsive, alert, the healthy ego, alert, aware of the environment and
83:14 so on. And Gwood Blanc and Ruben Blanc in 1974 came up with the idea of ego modification concept of ego modification. The collective designation of four types of impairment of ego functions. Ego defects which refer to the constitutionally determined compromise of autonomous ego functions. Perception, control of motility, temporal ordering of events. They’re all um impeded. They’re all partial or absent altogether. Ego deviations which involve developmentally induced departures of ego growth from normal so on. And Gwood Blanc and Ruben Blanc in 1974 came up with the idea of ego modification concept of ego modification. The collective designation of four types of impairment of ego functions. Ego defects which refer to the constitutionally determined compromise of autonomous ego functions. Perception, control of motility, temporal ordering of events. They’re all um impeded. They’re all partial or absent altogether. Ego deviations which involve developmentally induced departures of ego growth from normal
83:54 expected course. So precautious independence due to neglect by parents who are busy taking care of some other sibling or just absent because they couldn’t care less. That’s an example of ego deviation. We remind you we’re talking about the concept of ego modification and ego distortion which involves impairment of ego functions due to the internalization of faulty perceptions of the self by others. inhibitions of intellect and creativity because of being viewed as unintelligent and non-creative by the parents for example. expected course. So precautious independence due to neglect by parents who are busy taking care of some other sibling or just absent because they couldn’t care less. That’s an example of ego deviation. We remind you we’re talking about the concept of ego modification and ego distortion which involves impairment of ego functions due to the internalization of faulty perceptions of the self by others. inhibitions of intellect and creativity because of being viewed as unintelligent and non-creative by the parents for example.
84:28 So there is an internalization of a bed object. This is what used to be known as primitive ego. Um, in the mid 1930s when a child and later on an adult internalizes a perception of itself as unlovable, non-talented, stupid, ugly, good for nothing, loser, etc., etc. This cluster or coalition of voices or intrajits internally generate an a regulatory environment which prevents the ego from functioning because ego is founded on reality principle and the bad object that keeps telling you you’re unlovable So there is an internalization of a bed object. This is what used to be known as primitive ego. Um, in the mid 1930s when a child and later on an adult internalizes a perception of itself as unlovable, non-talented, stupid, ugly, good for nothing, loser, etc., etc. This cluster or coalition of voices or intrajits internally generate an a regulatory environment which prevents the ego from functioning because ego is founded on reality principle and the bad object that keeps telling you you’re unlovable
85:07 and so on is not a reality is not a reality. And finally there’s ego regression which includes loss of ego functions under bio psychosocial stresses. Um so this is an outlier which I will not discuss. If your ego is illequipped to deal with your internal reality and external reality and to reconcile them in a seamless way to compromise to negotiate. If your ego is fragmented, disrupted, primordial, primitive, you’re likely to experience ego depletion. It is a state marked by reduction in one’s capacity for vition and so on is not a reality is not a reality. And finally there’s ego regression which includes loss of ego functions under bio psychosocial stresses. Um so this is an outlier which I will not discuss. If your ego is illequipped to deal with your internal reality and external reality and to reconcile them in a seamless way to compromise to negotiate. If your ego is fragmented, disrupted, primordial, primitive, you’re likely to experience ego depletion. It is a state marked by reduction in one’s capacity for vition
85:57 to have a will uh to initiate, to choose, to self-regulate uh your self-regulatory resources. It’s a theory, by the way. There’s a theory known as self-regulatory resource theory. But your self-regulatory resources are depleted. It’s typically a temporary state and it’s restored by rest, positive emotions and positive experiences. But not with in psychopathology. In psychopathology such as pathological narcissism, ego depletion is a constant state. In pathological narcissism is compensatory to have a will uh to initiate, to choose, to self-regulate uh your self-regulatory resources. It’s a theory, by the way. There’s a theory known as self-regulatory resource theory. But your self-regulatory resources are depleted. It’s typically a temporary state and it’s restored by rest, positive emotions and positive experiences. But not with in psychopathology. In psychopathology such as pathological narcissism, ego depletion is a constant state. In pathological narcissism is compensatory
86:34 to that. I mentioned that there is a huge debate regarding the development of the ego. The uh in classical psychoanalysis ego development is a process. A part of the id is gradually transformed into the ego as a result of environmental demands. And there is a preconscious stage in which the ego is partly developed and then a conscious stage in which many ego functions such as reasoning, judging and reality testing come to fruition and help to protect the individual from internal and external threats and so on to that. I mentioned that there is a huge debate regarding the development of the ego. The uh in classical psychoanalysis ego development is a process. A part of the id is gradually transformed into the ego as a result of environmental demands. And there is a preconscious stage in which the ego is partly developed and then a conscious stage in which many ego functions such as reasoning, judging and reality testing come to fruition and help to protect the individual from internal and external threats and so on
87:08 so forth. There’s a whole cycle of ego development and it involves also the body ego which is a part of the ego that develops out of self-perception of the body. It’s the first manifestation of the core of the ego around which all perceptions of the self are grouped including individual memories, sensations, ideas, wishes, strivings and fantasies. The body serves as the organizing template or the organizing principle. And then this leads later to the ego itself. Then within the ego there is the ego ideal. The part of the so forth. There’s a whole cycle of ego development and it involves also the body ego which is a part of the ego that develops out of self-perception of the body. It’s the first manifestation of the core of the ego around which all perceptions of the self are grouped including individual memories, sensations, ideas, wishes, strivings and fantasies. The body serves as the organizing template or the organizing principle. And then this leads later to the ego itself. Then within the ego there is the ego ideal. The part of the
87:41 ego that is a repository of positive identifications with parental goals and values that the individual genuinely admires and wishes to emulate such as I don’t know integrity loyalty maybe accomplishments. And this acts as a model of how people wish to be. So your ego ideal informs you what to aspire to become. When I grow up I want to be this and that. It doesn’t have to be parental figures. could be role models and so on. As new identifications are incorporated in later life, the ego ideal may develop ego that is a repository of positive identifications with parental goals and values that the individual genuinely admires and wishes to emulate such as I don’t know integrity loyalty maybe accomplishments. And this acts as a model of how people wish to be. So your ego ideal informs you what to aspire to become. When I grow up I want to be this and that. It doesn’t have to be parental figures. could be role models and so on. As new identifications are incorporated in later life, the ego ideal may develop
88:15 and change. Later on, Ziggman Freud incorporated the ego ideal into the concept of the super ego and renamed it self ideal. I mentioned the primitive super ego in object relations theory. Um it is a kind of early super ego that is formed in the pregenital phase by the introjection of especially harsh and terrifying bed objects was first suggested by the British psychoanalyst in 1934 James Stra. But the primitive super ego now known as the internalized bed object is an aside much more critical is the super ego. and change. Later on, Ziggman Freud incorporated the ego ideal into the concept of the super ego and renamed it self ideal. I mentioned the primitive super ego in object relations theory. Um it is a kind of early super ego that is formed in the pregenital phase by the introjection of especially harsh and terrifying bed objects was first suggested by the British psychoanalyst in 1934 James Stra. But the primitive super ego now known as the internalized bed object is an aside much more critical is the super ego.
88:55 Super ego is the moral component of the personality that represents parental and societal standards and that determines personal standards of right and wrong. The conscience could be described as the synonym of the super ego could also be described as a coalition or cluster of intrajigs or internal voices which represent the seat of the repository of socialization. Anyhow, that’s a super ego. Uh the super ego also provides aims and aspirations. So in many scholars believe that the ego ideal is a part of the Super ego is the moral component of the personality that represents parental and societal standards and that determines personal standards of right and wrong. The conscience could be described as the synonym of the super ego could also be described as a coalition or cluster of intrajigs or internal voices which represent the seat of the repository of socialization. Anyhow, that’s a super ego. Uh the super ego also provides aims and aspirations. So in many scholars believe that the ego ideal is a part of the
89:36 super ego. In the classic Freudian tripartite structure of the psyche, the ego which controls personal impulses and direct actions operates by the rules and principles of the super ego. Super ego is the chief executive officer and the ego is the chief operating officer and the super ego dictates what can and cannot what should and should not done and it represents in Freud’s work the parental demands and prohibitions. The formation of the super ego occurs on an unconscious level more or less around super ego. In the classic Freudian tripartite structure of the psyche, the ego which controls personal impulses and direct actions operates by the rules and principles of the super ego. Super ego is the chief executive officer and the ego is the chief operating officer and the super ego dictates what can and cannot what should and should not done and it represents in Freud’s work the parental demands and prohibitions. The formation of the super ego occurs on an unconscious level more or less around
90:11 five years of life and continues throughout childhood and adolescence into adulthood largely through identification with parents and then admired models of behavior, role models and and so on so forth. You you understand now that if you are mentally two years old or three years old because the formation of your ego and then the formation of yourself has been disrupted you’re very unlikely to develop a super ego process of socialization would be equally perturbed and hindered in object relations theory there’s a five years of life and continues throughout childhood and adolescence into adulthood largely through identification with parents and then admired models of behavior, role models and and so on so forth. You you understand now that if you are mentally two years old or three years old because the formation of your ego and then the formation of yourself has been disrupted you’re very unlikely to develop a super ego process of socialization would be equally perturbed and hindered in object relations theory there’s a
90:47 school fair uh Ronald Fairburn uh he created a school in the in British object relations and he came up with the idea of antileninal ego. It’s a portion of the ego structure that is similar to Ziggman Freud’s super ego. The antilonal ego constitutes a nonpleasur gratifying selfdeprecating or even hostile self-image. It is posited to develop out of the unitary ego present at birth. When the infantile libidal ego which is reminiscent of the id experiences deprivation at the hands of the parent school fair uh Ronald Fairburn uh he created a school in the in British object relations and he came up with the idea of antileninal ego. It’s a portion of the ego structure that is similar to Ziggman Freud’s super ego. The antilonal ego constitutes a nonpleasur gratifying selfdeprecating or even hostile self-image. It is posited to develop out of the unitary ego present at birth. When the infantile libidal ego which is reminiscent of the id experiences deprivation at the hands of the parent
91:28 and the infant suppresses their frustrated needs. It is suggestively also called the internal sabotur. I have dealt with the work of fairburn in multiple videos and I’m not going to do it again but I would like to mention the the basics of the theory. the the Ferrernian theory is the psychoanalytic concept of Furburn which uh he saw personality structure developing in terms of object relations. He said that the personality is relational. It’s it’s not the Eid or the ego or the super ego which are imminently and and the infant suppresses their frustrated needs. It is suggestively also called the internal sabotur. I have dealt with the work of fairburn in multiple videos and I’m not going to do it again but I would like to mention the the basics of the theory. the the Ferrernian theory is the psychoanalytic concept of Furburn which uh he saw personality structure developing in terms of object relations. He said that the personality is relational. It’s it’s not the Eid or the ego or the super ego which are imminently and
92:07 autonomously unfolding within the mind but it is an outcome of interactions with others. He proposed the existence of an ego at birth. You’re born with an ego which then splits apart during Klein’s paranoid schizoid position. And when the ego splits apart, it forms the structures of personality in response to frustrations and excitement experienced in the relationship with the mother. For example, the infant’s ego is split into a central ego, which corresponds to Freud’s concept of the ego, the libidal autonomously unfolding within the mind but it is an outcome of interactions with others. He proposed the existence of an ego at birth. You’re born with an ego which then splits apart during Klein’s paranoid schizoid position. And when the ego splits apart, it forms the structures of personality in response to frustrations and excitement experienced in the relationship with the mother. For example, the infant’s ego is split into a central ego, which corresponds to Freud’s concept of the ego, the libidal
92:42 ego, which is more or less the id, and the antilipidal ego, which is bas basically the super ego. Okay, now you know everything there is to know about the ego, I think, and realize why ego death is a profoundly stupid idea by even more profoundly ignorant people. Where does the word ego come from? Ego was first mentioned in literature in in Britishly in English literature in the 12th century and it is probably derived from the Latin ego and the Greek ego. Both languages had the word eagle in them. Uh ego, which is more or less the id, and the antilipidal ego, which is bas basically the super ego. Okay, now you know everything there is to know about the ego, I think, and realize why ego death is a profoundly stupid idea by even more profoundly ignorant people. Where does the word ego come from? Ego was first mentioned in literature in in Britishly in English literature in the 12th century and it is probably derived from the Latin ego and the Greek ego. Both languages had the word eagle in them. Uh
93:28 in 1707 for example uh we find um someone writing the ego is the self that which feels acts or thinks. Uh and then uh we find in in in in the same piece of work uh written by Richard Baxter. So we find uh an elaboration of the concept of the ego where he says they have pleaded against propriety and would have all things common in this world have forgotten that there is a propriety in our present egoy and natural constitution which renderth some accidental propriety necessary to us was the first intimation of Freud’s in 1707 for example uh we find um someone writing the ego is the self that which feels acts or thinks. Uh and then uh we find in in in in the same piece of work uh written by Richard Baxter. So we find uh an elaboration of the concept of the ego where he says they have pleaded against propriety and would have all things common in this world have forgotten that there is a propriety in our present egoy and natural constitution which renderth some accidental propriety necessary to us was the first intimation of Freud’s
94:18 reality principle the war ego of assumed its current uh dominance and preponderance via Freud starting in 1894 and uh later on metamorphosis later on acquired all kinds of completely wrong connotations for example egory and ego death and and so on and so forth. George George Meredith in 1879 wrote in the egoist uh possession without obligation to the object possessed approaches felicity. So already there was a hinder of egotism and so so what about egoism? Where did this word come from? Uh in 1785 we find the sentence the reality principle the war ego of assumed its current uh dominance and preponderance via Freud starting in 1894 and uh later on metamorphosis later on acquired all kinds of completely wrong connotations for example egory and ego death and and so on and so forth. George George Meredith in 1879 wrote in the egoist uh possession without obligation to the object possessed approaches felicity. So already there was a hinder of egotism and so so what about egoism? Where did this word come from? Uh in 1785 we find the sentence the
95:09 theory that a person has no proof that anything exists outside his own mind. the exact opposite of how ego is used in psychoanalytic theory. Uh in French there was egoism and uh and so on. And all of this came from modern Latin where the word egoismos did exist. So egoism is is a very old word and in Latin egoismos meant doing or seeking of which affords pleasure or advances interest. A definition from 1800. And it was opposed even then to altruism which is not necessarily selfish. So the meaning of egoism is self-centeredness theory that a person has no proof that anything exists outside his own mind. the exact opposite of how ego is used in psychoanalytic theory. Uh in French there was egoism and uh and so on. And all of this came from modern Latin where the word egoismos did exist. So egoism is is a very old word and in Latin egoismos meant doing or seeking of which affords pleasure or advances interest. A definition from 1800. And it was opposed even then to altruism which is not necessarily selfish. So the meaning of egoism is self-centeredness
95:54 dates back to the 19th century. We find it in this clear sense in 1840 in writing between egoism and egotism. Egoism is more correctly is more the is the more correct word. Egoism is a um a right derivation from the word ego. But today egotism takes on the sense of self-centeredness and the extensive use of I, my, me, and mind. What I call pronoun density. And egoism is more theoretical sense in metaphysics, in ethics and so on so forth. What about egoomania? Egoomania is obsessive self-centeredness. dates back to the 19th century. We find it in this clear sense in 1840 in writing between egoism and egotism. Egoism is more correctly is more the is the more correct word. Egoism is a um a right derivation from the word ego. But today egotism takes on the sense of self-centeredness and the extensive use of I, my, me, and mind. What I call pronoun density. And egoism is more theoretical sense in metaphysics, in ethics and so on so forth. What about egoomania? Egoomania is obsessive self-centeredness.
96:37 according to a letter written in 1825 by the critic William Sydney Walker published in 1852 and it’s a combination of ego and mania it was not in common use before the 1890s and in German it was okay the max nal the famous famous Jewish essaist wrote an essay titled degeneration translated into 1895 and he explains the egoomaniac as opposed to the megalomaniac does not regard it as necessary to dream of himself as occupying some invented social position. He does not require the world or its according to a letter written in 1825 by the critic William Sydney Walker published in 1852 and it’s a combination of ego and mania it was not in common use before the 1890s and in German it was okay the max nal the famous famous Jewish essaist wrote an essay titled degeneration translated into 1895 and he explains the egoomaniac as opposed to the megalomaniac does not regard it as necessary to dream of himself as occupying some invented social position. He does not require the world or its
97:26 appreciation to justify in his own eyes himself as the sole object of his own interest. He does not see the world at all. Other people simply do not exist for him. Well said. The whole non-ego appears in his consciousness merely as a vague shadow or a thin cloud. The idea does not even occur to him that he is something out of the common that he is superior to other people and for this reason either admired or hated. He is alone in the world. Soist more than that he alone is the world and everything else men animals things are appreciation to justify in his own eyes himself as the sole object of his own interest. He does not see the world at all. Other people simply do not exist for him. Well said. The whole non-ego appears in his consciousness merely as a vague shadow or a thin cloud. The idea does not even occur to him that he is something out of the common that he is superior to other people and for this reason either admired or hated. He is alone in the world. Soist more than that he alone is the world and everything else men animals things are
98:09 unimportant accessories not worth thinking about. Brilliant observations which preceded object relations theories by 70 years and preceded my work by well over 140. NO’s book the generation was bestseller at the time. the word became associated with no doubt. So this is the history of of uh of uh these things these these uh words. Uh Walker elaborated a bit on the idea of ego mania and ego disturbances and so on so forth. He said, “The most frequent yet the most extraordinary of these perversions of unimportant accessories not worth thinking about. Brilliant observations which preceded object relations theories by 70 years and preceded my work by well over 140. NO’s book the generation was bestseller at the time. the word became associated with no doubt. So this is the history of of uh of uh these things these these uh words. Uh Walker elaborated a bit on the idea of ego mania and ego disturbances and so on so forth. He said, “The most frequent yet the most extraordinary of these perversions of
99:02 temper are seen in young females. It is a species of aberration. temper are seen in young females. It is a species of aberration.

Summary Link:

https://vakninsummaries.com/ego-death-ignorant-bad-idea/

https://vakninsummaries.com/ (Full summaries of Sam Vaknin’s videos)

http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/mediakit.html (My work in psychology: Media Kit and Press Room)

Bonus Consultations with Sam Vaknin or Lidija Rangelovska (or both) http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/ctcounsel.html

http://www.youtube.com/samvaknin (Narcissists, Psychopaths, Abuse)

http://www.youtube.com/vakninmusings (World in Conflict and Transition)

http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com (Malignant Self-love: Narcissism Revisited)

http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/cv.html (Biography and Resume)

Summary

Ego Death, it's, Meaning, narcissism, narcissist, Personality, Psychology, Reality, Sam Vaknin, Self, Vaknin Summaries

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