5 Main faces of ego.
Ego means getting identified with things. First, understand what identification is. Identification means we derive our sense of self from the object of identification. If I am identified with my body and I have a perfect body, I am proud of my body, I enjoy it when somebody praises me, and I get angry when someone speaks less about my body. My actions depend on the object of my identification. I am attached to the object of identification. If something happens to my object of identification or if my object of identification is threatened I am in pain. This is what identification is.
Our mind is identified with everything and the degree of identification can range from low to high. It can be physical appearance which is commonly seen in women(how the hair looks, does the dress suits the body, skin tone), social status, profession, personality and it can be even small things like how I talk within a crowd or how people think about my dressing style.
- Identification with things
People are in pain if they lose their expensive mobile not because it is costly but because they are identified with itself. It is a part of their selves. It applies to relationships too.
2. Identification with body and senses
Obese people who couldn’t give up eating more are identified with the sense of taste from which they derive their pleasure.
3. Identification of the role
People enjoy being a parent because they are identified with their children. Some are identified with their work and the things they do.
4. Identification with ideas
When a person is identified with a specific Actor in the film industry, he couldn’t miss any of his movies because of his identification and when one speaks ill of the actor, the person becomes tempered.
5. Identification with suffering
All the above-mentioned are positive forms of identification. When someone couldn’t get any of these, he picks something negative. In social media, you can see victim identification all the time. If someone insults me, I am identified with the fact that ‘I am a victim’ and enjoy being a victim. So I enjoy sharing with others that I am insulted. The joy is not direct, it is behind the scene. Some people do this during breakups.
Thanks for reading.
References
- The book ‘A new earth’ by Eckhart Tolle
