Ego & Alternate Ego

[Cognisant]

For the purposes of this thread "Ego" is referring to one's concept of oneself.

There is the Ego we develop in society, the mundane self, and for some of us (probably most, if not all of us here) there is the Alternate Ego, that being who we are in videogames, on forums, even in our dreams, the fantastic self that exists in the world of fantasy.

I ask you, which is the true self?
The facade we wear in the grand masquerade that we call the real world, or the projection of personal values and ideals that manifests itself once we're freed of the Other's judgement.

Or are we something in between, perhaps the combination thereof?

 

[Dimensional Transition]

Of course the ego you are in your head, completely free of other's judgement.
BUT if you take in account how you respond to others and such... Actually probably a combination of both, because they both say something about you.

 

[Jennywocky]

It depends on what we believe to be true about oneself.

Is someone a hero because they imagine themselves to be one and have internal asperations to be one, yet take no action to be one? They do no good, regardless of how they view themselves.

Or is someone a villain because, while they have a persona of doing good things that help others, inside they are empty and demented and aimless and really don't care at all? They do good that others experience, despite their own self-absorbed intent.

It is kind of a choice about whether we value external reality and action more than we value internal motivation and perception.

But taking it from another angle: If one has a self-perception that runs counter to what is worn (willingly or not) as the social mask, it eventually feels like a lie, and the inner self ends up needing to be liberated and made manifest.


...........................


There are many similar discussions that can occur, for example:
- Comparisons between this and movies like Inception or The Matrix.
- Fe vs Fi valuesets
- James' contrasting with Paul's comments in the New Testament about faith without deeds vs deeds without faith

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I don't think you need to go so far to say that we actually have an alternate ego. I'd like to think it's who we are when we don't feel pressured. Therefore the alternate Ego is actually the real Ego.

 

[snafupants]

Nice concept. I would say who we are in dreams is closer to our real selves, our real desires, our insecurities, and how we want people to take us, than the face we put on when we walk out the door and talk to ourselves.

 

[SpaceYeti]

The self in our head is prone to be exaggerated and defined only in a manner we like. The external self is how we really are, regardless what fantasies we create about ourselves.

However, I also see no reason to create such a dichotomy. Sure, we have an intangible inner world and a tangible outer world, but they're only separated by the thin wall of perception. Our physical body contains our personality/intellect. Anything we cannot actually do, physically, we cannot do at all. The intangible world in our head is a result of our meaty bodies. It's something we do as part of reality. We simply see it from inside.

 

[blogdogcop]

Wether it be how you act in the flesh or one of your alternate egos in another world like forums, online games, secret organizations or just with a certain group of peope.. it is still YOU.

If someone asks you the question "how would you describe yourself?" You would answer either how you see yourself or how you think others see you.

If someone is asked "how would you describe me/him/her?" that person's answer will be grately affected by who is asking the question.

Whatever the answer is, it is a projection of who you are. Not a concrete reflection.
So which is the true self? There is no true self. Everything that comes out of you comes from nowhere else but YOU. [ in assuming that the subject involved is not just copy pasting from some whatchamacallit source]

Let's not chitchat about the minute factors.
Acceptance is the key, brother!

 

[dark]

I don't know much about myself, but I think I have one ego. Maybe many personas from views of all the people I know, but they all are part of me, even the me in my head. Of course there are thing I want to do, like climb a mountain, sky dive, etc. and those things I think I will eventually do when I get out of school. I am guessing though this doesn't matter for these. Inside my head I cannot see myself as either good nor evil. On the outside I am as neutral as it gets. I can seem evil to some, and benevolent to others. But that is just parts they see. My personal ego is always the same, or I would like to think, but my human view ego, the ones other people know me as, are all different per person, yet they all add up to one, me. So my alternate ego would be the many views people observe me from. But of course I could be rambling shit like usual, which just means more for me to learn.

 

[wadlez]

I don't think we have two selves which are separated in our minds.
We have ideals and a self we perceive we truly are (the fantasy self) which might not get confirmed in reality, but for each setback or time we cannot act how in a way congruent with this self we rationalize it away such that we can keep one stable self concept.
As an example, you could see your self as funny and cool, but in your working life you don't have the social circumstance to ever show these traits. You would then think its because of the dorks that work there not that you are this repressed character you perceive your self to be.
There is also the feedback from your social interactions and feed back from reality which shape this ideal self. You may pride your self on favorable friendships and times you are funny, such you incorporate it into your ideal self concept. Most likely your self concepts prides itself on abilities you have demonstrated which allows you to keep a positive self esteem for why you do so badly in other areas.

In the book "essential Jung" Carl Jung talks of two concepts similar to your idea of two selves called the persona (which is your social self) and the self. His theory is that your have one self concept which is a combination of these two and that identifying too strongly to either direction causes problems. Many people build strong social characters then try to truly become them, resulting in inner turmoil and requiring a constant effort to live this ideal social self.

 

[Jesse]

I think we have heaps of selves, each dominating the mind at different points like a person with split personality except for the continuation part. We are different people at different times.

 

[phial]

*waves at a fellow Jesse*



There is the ego or false-self we create, then there is the I observing it. You are the I (or eye), nothing more.