Ego psychology is psychoanalysis that has instigated from the Sigmund Freud’s ego id superego model. After Feud, there were many psychoanalytical theorists who started detailing on the technical version of ego, as explained by Freud. These psychoanalysts have long tried to hypothesize on the ego functions and how can it cause harm to psychopathology. Most of the efforts of these psychoanalysts revolve around how to intensify the ego so that it can help a person to cope up with society, pressures and super ego in a better manner.

The basis of the ego psychology revolves around the point that healthy ego is independent of any mental divergence and is inclusive of autonomous ego functions like reality-testing and memory, it should be functioning without any interruption of any emotional conflict. Ego psychology also aims at increasing the conflict-free circle of the ego functioning. This will bring about a better adaptation and also an effective regulation of environment and ego.

However, the fresh ego psychological authors have a different approach, some argue that the structural model of ego analysis should be discarded, and the psychoanalysts should focus on treating the mental conflict in a better manner. Besides that are some authors who have argued on a totally irrelevant concept of ego. People usually mistaken ego psychology for self-psychology, which mainly aims at increasing the strength of the persona’s inner and true self. Most of the times the ego psychologists would also write about self psychology but they always keep their self away from the ego. For them, ego is better defined as a combination of mental functions, and the self-psychology is how a person distinguishes his inner self.

If you consider the clinical system, then the ego psychoanalysis is associated with defense analysis. With the interpretation, clarifying and confronting of the defense mechanism, a patient makes use of ego psychoanalysis to get a control over these issues. However, you can find a number of authors who have also condemned the concept described before of the conflict-free circle of ego functioning (proposed by Hartmann).

According to Freud, ego takes shape as a consequence of the disagreement between the external world and the persona’s inner self and identity. Hence, the ego is intrinsically a form of conflict that is going on in the mind. This concept of Freud is not in accordance with that proposed by Hartmann. There are many authors who have also gone ahead and said that Hartmann has given a traditional view on the ego psychology. However, Hartmann always claimed that his aim was to comprehend the mutual agreement of the environment and ego rather than giving an idea of adjustment of ego with the environment.

The interpretation of ego psychology depends on individual analysis. However, all the theories aim at here is no harm in having a little ego that can help you cope with the daily pressures that you face. Having an ego as a conflict of mind can be harmful when it comes in between a relationship, but for saving your self-respect it can be a helpful mechanism.

Jonathan Pitts

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