Tracing the Ego of Mankind – Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud was a medical doctor, physiologist, and psychologist who lived from 1856-1939. He was born in Frieberg, Moravia to a Jewish family who moved to Vienna where he accomplished most of his work. Freud is considered the father of psychoanalysis for his invention of the science of the mind, though this is the subject of critical debate and controversy. By elaborating a theory of the mind as a complex energy system and then refining the concepts of the conscious and unconscious mind, Freud was able to develop a therapeutic frame of reference for understanding human psychological development and for treating abnormalities of thought.

Through observation Freud came to the conclusion that the human mind has three parts: the id, ego, and super-ego. He describes id as that part of the unconscious that provides instinctual behavior and is totally self-serving. All babies are born with only id behaviors.

He tells us the ego is partly conscious and partly unconscious and is the controlling part of the mind that guides actions in the real world. The ego attempts to satisfy the needs of the id. It is this part of the mind that makes us each appear as unique personalities to the outer world.

The super-ego is also described as partly conscious and partly unconscious. The super-ego is our conscience or guidance mechanism. It attempts to temper the ego’s desire to satisfy id through responsible interactions in the real world.

Freud understood that most of what humans act upon results from thoughts developed in the unconscious mind. The conscious mind is most often unaware of what is causing the person to think or behave as they do as a result of this. He studied not only other people, but also himself through both hypnosis and direct observation and was able to develop methods of discovery of the origins of certain thoughts within individuals and a method for correcting those thoughts leading to a healthier mental state.

However, though Freud was born Jewish he practiced a much more humanistic view point that failed to see any connection between his observations and the spiritual nature of man. If one were to make these connections from a metaphysical point of view it would be clear that the id which he describes is our karma. The ego he describes has been described continually throughout spiritual history but without the word ego attached to it. Ego is what engages us to interact and survive in the physical world around us. The super-ego Freud has described would be better described as one’s True Self, one’s Spirit, or one’s Soul, for it is when we are being True that the urges of the id to influence our ego are being controlled for our higher good.

Freud recognized that ego is awakened or activated as a process of growth when he observed that babies at birth act only from id and that ego becomes part of their nature sometime later. Again, had he drawn upon his Jewish faith he may have seen that this ego development was described in the story of the Garden of Eden. It is in this story that Adam and Eve eat from the Tree of Knowledge and are cast out of the Garden for their sin. Adam and Eve are metaphors for all people in the world who began life living from id. The process of evolution developed or awakened the nature of their ego, which is represented by the Tree of Knowledge. Their being cast out of the Garden for their sin speaks to the separation ego has created between their human form and their Spirit, or super-ego. Freud has given the modern Western world a gift that is not yet fully realized.

We have made great strides in using Freud’s findings to help improve how many people relate to the world. However, psychoanalysis is going to jump a great divide when the spiritual reality of life is introduced to this process. This change is already occurring and can be seen in the work of Dr. Paul Leon Masters, founder of the International Metaphysical Ministry and its two universities. Dr. Masters has developed a doctoral study program for Theocentric Psychology. This program has been developed through his 50 plus years studying and working in the field of metaphysics, and is based on the concept that life is primarily spiritual and that it is within this realm that our problems in the world can be explained and solved.

The breakthrough in this shift to Theocentric Psychology is that problems are examined at a much deeper subconscious level than the ego, which only manifests the symptoms. Solving errors in thought at the karmic level provides eternal benefits that transcend the current physical life.

Tracing the Ego of Mankind – Reviewing the Literature

Ancient Hindu texts are a rich source of insight into the nature of man‟s ego.

“…The ego gropes in darkness, while the Self lives in light…”  ~ The Katha Upanishad

“The ego is like a stick dividing water in two. It creates the impression that you are one and I am another. When the ego vanishes you will realize that Brahman is your own inner consciousness.”  ~ Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ancient Eastern religious texts are available primarily as translations and excerpts. They are filled with references to ego and advice for living with or managing ego. Ego appears to have been a very key concept in understanding their relationship to God.

The Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions are considered to be Western traditions and are relatively young at about 2,000 years old. The basis of Jewish sacred texts is the Torah, which became the first five books of the Bible used by Christianity. The principal message of the Torah is the absolute unity of God, His creation of the world and His concern for it.

The Koran is the sacred text of Islam. However, most of the Western world is more familiar with the wisdom provided by the poet, Rumi; also a Sunni Muslim Islamic Jurist, a theologian and Sufi mystic. His current popularity is the result of his tolerance of all religions, and the emphasis he placed on love and charity in his teachings.

“If the foot of the trees were not tied to earth, they would be pursuing me. For I have blossomed so much, I am the envy of the gardens.”  ~ Rumi

“The idol of your self is the mother of all idols. To regard the self as easy to subdue is a mistake.”  ~ Rumi

Sylvia Brown provides a concise description of many indigenous and Native American spiritual beliefs in her book End of Days. The recurring theme in these traditions is a deep regard for the earth and for the plant and animal kingdoms. This regard for animate and inanimate creation outside of the human being demonstrates an awareness of the Oneness of creation and sensitivity to the damaging power of ego.

Clearly, man has had ample opportunity to examine the state of his ego long before Sigmund Freud gave us a proper name and definition for it. It appears that Freud ushered in a new era of thought regarding ego. The ways in which he dissected, analyzed, and proposed curing its ailments, removed any and all spiritual consideration. This mentality became the basis for psychology, sociology and much of the self-help literature that appeared through the latter half of the twentieth century.

The Western world has embraced science and disregarded ego almost since the inception of Christianity. The sacred texts of the Western world provided ample guidance on the matter of ego, yet it appears largely ignored. In fact, strong ego is even admired in certain occupations; including lawyers, politicians, sports figures, and business leaders.

Now as we have entered the twenty-first century we are seeing a new kind of literature entering the market. Interestingly, this literature is the result of science proving what spirituality has been telling us since ancient times.

The Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden, describes a web of energy that connects absolutely everything in the universe. Miraculously, this web is affected by emotion pointing directly back to the power of each individual to influence the world by their thoughts.

Blinded by Science by Matthew Silverstone, investigates the ground-breaking principle that everything vibrates and therefore has an effect on everything else. Water is particularly susceptible to vibration, holding on to it for long periods of time. This has implications for sleep disorders, homeopathy, healing, body rhythms, lunar cycles and much more.

The rise in quantum physics, which is where these amazing new discoveries are being made, coincides with a spiritual movement called Oneness. Authors like Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Don Miguel Ruiz and others, are capturing large audiences, hungry for a gentler life filled with meaning and purpose. 

The literature seems to mimic the circle of life. We begin knowing that ego separates us from the world; we succumb to the darkness of our ego and wreak havoc on the world; and finally we experience an awakening which brings us back to understanding that beyond our ego, we are all one.

The challenge before us is to fashion a peaceful world where some live in ego while others are awakening to the desire to transcend it. The Awakening is in its infancy, and it seems the ramifications of the coming change haven‟t dawned on the world as yet. Books like Suze Orman’s Action Plan: New Rules for New Times may be just the beginning of what we are going to see in coming years. Orman‟s book is an acknowledgement that we are entering a new economic era that promises to be difficult and long term. Practical books like this one help everyone navigate through the changes that are occurring, without regard to one‟s level of spiritual enlightenment.