Today, we're talking about EGO.

What is EGO?

EGO operates on reality principle. It operates mainly in the conscious and preconscious mind. It serves as the rational part of our personality. Surprising, isn't it? I'll explain.

EGO plays a crucial role in maintaining psychological balance because the key characteristics of it are that it is the decision maker and it is a defense mechanism.

Confusion arises because the word "ego" has a different meaning in everyday language compared to its psychological context. In common usage, "ego" refers to someone's pride. However, in Freudian terms "ego" is about self-regulation, and it is also a form of defense mechanism.

So, an example of how ego functions to "SAVE" you can be illustrated through the cases of severe trauma.

The following example is from class 11 psychology textbook, HSC.

Azhar went to a fair against his father's wish and got lost, when he was a child. He slept on the street for 3 days. He went through a lot of stress during that period. But, he does not remember this incident at all in his adulthood.

This is an example of how the ego may employ 'REPRESSION' as a defense mechanism. Which means, it is an unconscious defense mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts outside Azhar's conscious awareness.

Repression in this context makes the individual forget those memories completely and the individual can't retrieve them back. This protective function of ego illustrates its crucial role in maintaining psychological stability in an individual.

A great example of an individual under the control of EGO is RAHUL MEHRA.

RAHUL is obsessed with Kiran, driven by his ID's desire for love and possession. However, his EGO constantly controls his actions, preventing him from acting in completely impulsive or reckless way. Instead, his ego allows him to appear rational and conceal his darker impulses.

I hope this has provided you with a little insight and I hope you enjoyed reading :)

Stay tuned, the quest continues!