Ego and a higher conciousness

[IdahoSamurai]

What is ego? Thoughts?

[Jack]

I spent 13 years in Idaho. Never met a samurai there. Welcome to Volconvo.

My first thought at reading your question was that ego starts with the awareness (or illusion, if you believe that way) of self. There is such a thing as group pride, but I think of true ego as totally self-ish. That's not to say that self-awareness always leads to egotism. And egotism is not always an "evil" thing. Ego can be healthy. It can also lead to social problems. Too much is sometimes just too much...as is too little. The totally selfless can be as annoying as the totally selfish. Balance is good.

[Plasma Snake[D]]

Well, not as much as "illusion" as it is a "construct". If it is real and now, is it an illusion? Kind of a grey area.

[Strange Dreamer]

I'm not overly familliar with phychology, but I think it was Freud who came up with ego, super-ego, and id. Anyway, from my own experience it seems that they may refer to the seperate awareness of the mind, body, and spirit. This seperation can even go so far as to seem as though seperate segments of our being bordering on distinct personallities. I have felt this quite distinctly for many years, and have even broken up arguements between my other parts (spirit and body). I realize this sounds odd, and could be explained in a different way, but that is my perspective at the moment.
Therefore...
ego = mind
super-ego = spirit
id = body

[gr8fuldaniel]

My opinion is derived from many sources. The ego is more of a mask we wear to hide our vulnerabilities. When the ego has too much power over ones self or being, it becomes destructive. the ego is a liar. It is an act that can sour on us. Often the man with the biggest ego in the room, is the the most scared man in the room. The ego is a defense mechanism, so when it is too weak you will find its host drawn to scenarios of being dominated, a victim.

The id is the primal nature of man. It deals with hunger and survival. It is the throne of a man. Its not concerned with appearances like the ego.

id, In Freudian theory, the division of the psyche that is totally unconscious and serves as the source of instinctual impulses and demands for immediate satisfaction of primitive needs. http://www.answers.com/id&r=67

The ego is responsible for the demise of many a daredevil.

Ever heard the famous last words; "Hey you guys, watch this!!" ?
Thats the work of the ego.

[Paramonkey]

Freud who came up with ego, super-ego, and id.

Freud's ego, super-ego and id are based around the assumptions of the conscious mind.

The first, the id, is what we are born with, all the unconscious unrestricted desires are located within the mind, its purely pleasure or comfort seeking, it has no concept of right or wrong.
The super ego is the learned part of the conscious mind which comes from internalised learning from the parent
The ego is mechanism which mediates between these two. Balancing the desires of the Id with the restrictions of the super-ego. A person's ego will depend on the internalised behaviour patterns of the super-ego, which emphasises the need for good parenting.

Here’s an example:
person one
id: I need money, lets take it from that guy
well developed super ego: No, stealing is bad
ego: super ego is dominant, No action takes place,
person two
id: I need money, lets take it from that guy
Poorly developed super ego: well... im not sure
ego: id is dominant, robbery takes place

Obviously these are simplified a lot, and there are many more process, its just for the sake of a simple example.

The ego remains control by using defence mechanisms. Freud also believed, amongst other things, a conflict between the ego's, or over/under developed components leads to mental illness or cognitive abnormality.