http://boards.elsaelsa.com/topic/do-you-have-a-big-ego

Still thinking about the topic of ego. Having a conversation with someone the other day, realized in the middle of it that we had different semantic values for "ego."

Pulled the e-brake..."Wait, wait, wait... how do YOU define ego?"

So now I ask you... How do YOU define Ego?

Your self-esteem.

The conscious part of our personality

The part that gets me in trouble all the time.

First House

This is likely totally wrong, but I see it as the unconscious part of personality. I'm not sure. All I know is I enjoy it when it's happy ego. When it's negative ego that is a serious bummer.

The unconscious part of the personality is the subconscious, lol

My sense of my 'self', and my place in the world. My 'self-worth' if you like

eg....lololol  Thank you!!!! Knew I was trying to say something there just wasn't sure what!

lolol, no prob, Caribou :-)

According to classical (Freudian) psychoanalysis, the ego is the conscious self, and the unconscious is known as the id. The super-ego relates more to our dealings with the outer world:

http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/personalityelem.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ego_and_the_Id

yeah, subconscious/id are the same thing, right?

my id, my id... oh where is my id???? what is the etymology of that damn word?

I very much agree with this definition

http://www.messagefrommasters.com/Osho/osho/osho_on_individuality_ego.htm

"Osho - Individuality means your uniqueness -- not compared with anybody else. Your incomparable uniqueness: that is individuality. Individuality is beautiful; that's how God has made you -- as an individual. Ego is comparison. Ego is your invention. God has not given you any ego; he has certainly given you an individuality.

Ego is comparison: you think yourself more intelligent than the other, you think yourself more superior than the other -- or inferior. You think yourself more beautiful than the other. Then you are bringing ego in: the moment you compare yourself with somebody, the conclusion that comes out of the comparison is ego. If you stop comparing then you are there -- tremendously beautiful and unique. All superiority or inferiority, all anxiety of where I am, where I stand, who is above me and who is below me, are ego problems. The superior person suffers, the inferior suffers; both suffer -- because even the superiormost cannot have a state where he can be satisfied.

My definition of EGO is--PRIDE. The word means, to me, a sense of over-inflated self-importance. *ducks*

@josefina: great words!
i also love the way he explains complex things in a very simple and touchy way.

Just like every other psychological theory, the meaning as accepted and used by society is different than  the meaning intended or used by the theorist.

When I hear the word, I think about who's using it. As for my definition, it has a few.

Ego1- Complex-ass composite of elements that makes up the adult psyche.

Ego2-Concept of the individual as an individual, while still taking into account all the component parts that make it up.

Ego3-Word people generally use as a slightly more derogative synonym for "state of, or predisposition to arrogance."

We all have egos, but since the concept represents an integrated self separate from others, it gets a bad rap. If a person views thier individual will or concept of self as more important, more complete, or righteous than others, then he is said to have a big or overinflated ego, which is not necessarily the case. I believe it is very possible to believe very strongly in one's will, or the integration or solidarity of thier ego, without necessarily viewing others as inferior. Again, people hear a small part of the whole theory, then suddenly, everybody's an expert.

I believe the Ego has a function to protect our body. It keeps us physically safe by constantly remindng us we are in a body. If we aren't constantly grounded we can end up in dangerous situations. The problem with the Ego, is it turns into a control freak and tries to censor messages coming in from our subconscious, i.e. dreams, intuitive thoughts, gut reactions. the Ego has an agreement while we are sleeping and our bodies don't need constant monitoirng, I.E. they are on automatic control, that it must hand over the reins to our subconscious side. the Ego is not happy with this which is why it scrambles much of the night messages we get into garbled dreamscapes on awakening. I think the clue is here to look at what the dreams are masking, and to listen to our intuition as well.

Osho scares me, but at the same time he says some pretty amazing things. I really enjoyed reading that on comparing to others. INSTA HEAL.

Wow -- we have some variables in definition here! 

I think of ego as the part of us that contends with the outside world. The part that is visible that we take pride in. The assertive portion of our persona. 

That definition by Osha is actually pretty spot on, according to my conceptualization at least...

Wow -- we have some variables in definition here! 

I think of ego as the part of us that contends with the outside world. The part that is visible that we take pride in. The assertive portion of our persona. 

That definition by Osha is actually pretty spot on, according to my conceptualization at least...

IMO, I associate ego with negative connotations.

I think words should always be defined clearly otherwise the definition just becomes too convoluted. A word such as ego shouldnt have a multitude of different interpretations, and it shouldnt matter from whom its said. If it doesnt describe the word ego, then its probably another word with a fundamental shift in nuance. According to the dictionary...

Ego - An inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others.

(see post #11 above) Osho's in-depth definition is spot on.

So, if the word ego was coined to attribute negative connotations, then any other positive interpretation of that word should be the definition of a seperate word altogether.

Surely minimising your ego can only be a good thing?

When you describe someone as *not* having an ego, thats a good trait no?

The problem with going strictly by the dictionary is that a dictionary is like a snapshot of a language at a particular point in time, and usually a little behind the vernacular.  Languages evolve regardless of what words "should" mean.  Words morph meanings via common usage, rarely does usage follow the dictionary.

For me ego is the part of the self that sees itself as separate from the whole.  The idea of the individual.  Individual self-value.

I think some ego is necessary or we lose our instinct of self-preservation.

The parts that people consider "me" - can be positive if healthy and strong! But over-inflated egos are something else. I know many spiritual people strive to be ego-less or at least not ego-driven, but for me at this stage, I think it's a healthy thing to have and acknowledge where one ends and someone else begins.