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Rethinking the Ego

Pop-psychology has banished the Ego and its accompanying traits to the wasteland of human behaviour. But what if this move is doing us more harm than good?

I cannot tell you how many times during my early 20s older and wiser adults told me I needed to believe in myself more. I would nod along awkwardly and appreciatively, all the while thinking to myself how foolish they are; self-belief was useless for a budding psychoanalyst like me. Back then, trying to believe in myself felt like coming in last and still accepting an award for showing up. Not me, no sir; I am perfectly content sitting alone at home on my high horse as my hard-earned self-doubt, low self-esteem and evergrowing agoraphobia kept me locked inside.

But there is something amiss here that goes beyond my own brand of mental anguish. How is it that my psyche – and that of many others I know – managed to convince ourselves that this kind of maddingly egotistic behaviour was, in fact, egoless?

What is the Ego?

Ego is a Latin word meaning ‘I’ derived from the Greek world Εγώ (Ego), which also means ‘I’. The Cambridge ictionary defines it as your idea or opinion of yourself, especially your feeling of your own importance and ability”. We generally understand the Ego as existing on a spectrum; you might say someone needs an ego boost because they feel insecure or are on an ‘ego trip’ when their self confidence could do with deflating. owever, the Ego takes on a new form when we move into the self-help genre of psychology.

In that context, the Ego is usually depicted as an obstacle to happiness. Influenced by uddhist teachings, the Ego is often seen as an attachment we hold to a concept of ourselves. Attachments bring suffering, and in the case of the Ego, it shackles us to cruel narratives about ourselves, unhealthy beliefs and ultimately resentments.

All of this is well and good. However, we are using the word Ego as a placeholder for a much more complex process.

The Ego as a mediator

Sigmund Freud popularised the term Ego in his famous text The Ego and the Id (1923). Freud outlined his structural model of the mind that can metaphorically be understood as existing of three competing agents: the Ego (I), the Id (It) and the Superego (the over-I). The Id refers to our primitive and unconscious urges. These are self-centred, pleasure-seeking, and primal. The Superego refers to our self-observational and often critical capacity.

The Ego, then, is the conscious thought process we have as a mediator between these two unconscious forces. A textbook example would be when you are sitting at a bar around 10 pm, and you know you need to work in the morning. There’s a battle in your mind between the pleasure-seeking Id that wants to stay and the sensible Superego that is already punishing you for not leaving at 8 pm; the Ego could be seen as the voice between those forces.

So, when we speak of our Ego as how we perceive ourselves, a Freudian could argue we are really speaking about how peaceful or turbulent the relationship is between our sense of enjoyment and our sense of obligation.

For example, if the Id and Superego are at war (e.g., you are trapped in a self-destructive -perfectionist cycle), your Ego can struggle to mediate and employs defence mechanisms as backup. In these moments, you might enter an ‘ego trip’ and become overly confident in your abilities. Arrogance can then function as a compromise; you defend yourself against the Superego’s harsh punishment and, as it is pleasurable to think highly of yourself, you can also satisfy the Id.

The Ego as a paradox

Of course, this is only one school of thought and a highly contested one at that. For example, Lacanian psychoanalysis elaborates upon the Freudian to argue that the Ego is not an agency-less mediator. Rather, due to various developmental factors, it is always striving for an illusionary sense of perfection or wholeness. For some, that will manifest as a job, a salary or a relationship status. For others, it shows itself as a paradox – our Egos lead us to search for an ‘Egoless’ state born of meditation and yoga. For others still, the Ego is the idea of being so self-aware and ‘tuned in’ that self-belief becomes something to scoff at.

But, in any case, demonising the notion of Ego does more harm than good. Instead, when we speak of Ego, let’s try to remember we are speaking about defence mechanisms we employ to navigate inner conflicts. The Ego’s function is to mediate (albeit biasedly) that relationship. By focusing on it, we shoot the messenger, so to speak.

Written by Molly Fitz

Modern Dutch Heroes: Johan Cruyff

It’s hard to imagine the Netherlands not being one of the top football (soccer) countries in the world. But before the late 60s, the Dutch football program had not won any significant titles or matches since before WWII, and the Eredivisie (the highest tier of football) was not much more than a group of semi-professional teams that entertained the local fans but didn’t make much of an impact beyond Dutch borders.

That was until a young player from eastern Amsterdam began playing for the Amsterdambased Ajax team and began to transform the Dutch football program. Johan Cruyff entered the Ajax youth division when he was 10 years old and made his Eredivision debut when he was ust . Though the club finished last that year, the following years Cruyff’s influence began to show: Ajax won the national title the following several years, Cruyff was the highest scorer in two of those seasons and he was named Dutch footballer of the year three years in a row. Johan Cruyff went on to take Ajax and the national team to championship after championship and helped create the foundation for the international football powerhouse that it is today. But the most remarkable part of Johan Cruyff’s story goes beyond the number of games, championships, titles and trophies. It’s how he played the game and how he transformed the way it was played. For Cruyff there was a difference between how you play the game (an athletic competition between two teams) and how the game is played (the philosophy behind the game and how that developed the team). Not only was he himself an outstanding footballer, but he introduced several revolutionary principles that transformed the sport – including ‘total football’, a method of playing where a player who moves out of his position is replaced by another player from their team to help maintain the team’s onfield structure. This method of playing completely changed the Dutch football program and gave the national team the moniker ‘Clockwork Orange’ for their precision and teamwork.

Then, during a 1974 World Cup group game against Sweden, Cruyff stunned the football world when he executed a fake-out against one of the Swedish defenders. Being heavily guarded by the Swedish player, Cruyff faked a pass, then in one fluid motion drew the ball back behind his standing leg, turned around 180 degrees and dribbled off with the ball, much to the confusion of the Swedish defender. The simple but effective move was replayed the world over and since then has been one of the most popular dribble moves in soccer. To truly appreciate the Cruyff Turn, just do a quick YouTube search for ‘Johan Cruyff turn’. Other players throughout the years have replicated it, but none quite as well as its creator. at the time), he signed with FC Barcelona. He immediately helped take the club to the national title for the first time since . uring his time at Barcelona, he also executed what has been named ‘the impossible goal’. In a game against Atlético Madrid, a Barcelona player took a goal shot, but the ball flew wide past the goal post. But Cruyff was there, leapt into the air and with the back of his heel kicked the ball back into the goal. It’s another display of his football artistry that can really only be appreciated by watching it (just search for ‘Cruyff impossible goal’ – you’ll be mesmerized!).

Johan Cruyff played at Barcelona until 1978 and continued to play in the United States, came back to Ajax and the moved to Rotterdam-based Feyenoord (incidentally, the arch rivals of Ajax). He also went on to develop systems of player development for the youth academies at Ajax and Barcelona. These systems have become blueprints all over the world. In fact, it is said that if it weren’t for the youth academy at Barcelona, Messi might have been rejected as an underdeveloped youth. Cruyff also managed several teams, being regarded as one of the few players who was also a great coach.

Sadly, Cruyff passed away in 2016 at the age of 68. In the Netherlands, his jersey number 14 will always be synonymous with Johan Cruyff and the Ajax stadium is now called the Johan Cruyff Arena. The world over, Johan Cruyff will be remembered as one of the greatest influencers in the game that ever lived. For having transformed the entire game of football in the Netherlands and all over the world, Johan Cruyff is truly a modern Dutch hero.