Ego is everything that we really are not, it is our false essence, which is in constant search for something, wants something, doubts something, is afraid and constantly complexes. Our other self is made up of our beliefs, convictions, doubts, hidden fears and desires. It is our uncontrolled mind that constantly criticizes and condemns. The subconscious mind decides whether it is good or bad, like or dislike. There is also such a thing in psychology as an alter ego. What's this? The second hidden essence of a person, the second person, a person within a person. The alter ego manifests itself in a particular environment or under the influence of any external or internal factors.
Definition of concept
Alter-ego psychology (Alter ego - "the other me" in Latin) calls the real or fictional alternative essence of a person. It can be absolutely any person or image: a literary hero, a pseudonym and a prototype associated with it, a governor. In addition, a person may have not one, but several personalities that appeared as a result of a mental disorder.
What depends onour alter ego
What is this alter ego? What does it give us and what depends on it? It is the ego that determines what we want from life: love, material we alth, beauty, he alth, and so on. All these desires give rise to constant suffering, because there is no limit to our requests. As long as we compare ourselves with our alter ego, we do not see reality as it really is. The present and real is death to our false hidden self. It is for this reason that our alter ego does everything possible to run away from what is happening here and now. In moments when the mind is silent, when we are in present time, our ego dissolves, and in that moment we become who we really are.
The false essence of a person is “I”
Depending on the context, the word "I" represents either the deepest truth or a huge mistake. This word is inherently the most used in conjunction with its derivatives - "me", "mine", "me" and so on. However, it is one of those words that are highly misleading. The word "I" within the normal daily use in speech initially indicates a misperception of the entity that you are. That is, his alter ego. That this word represents an imaginary sense of identity, not everyone understands.
Having the gift to feel the very essence of the reality of space and time, Albert Einstein called this false perception of himself and his essence "an optical illusionvision." In the future, this imaginary "I" is taken as the starting point for subsequent incorrect interpretations of reality. Alter ego - what is it? This is the foundation on which relationships and interactions of mental activity are built. And as a result, reality becomes only a reflection of the original illusion.
Where the term " alter ego" is used
Sometimes the term " alter ego" can be found in literature and creative works when describing characters whose images are similar to the author or to each other. For example, one of the heroes of several films, Antoine Doinel, is the alter ego of the creator and screenwriter of the film, Francois Truffaut.
The expression " alter ego" (playing a game of the same name is said to be quite exciting) was first used by the Greek philosopher Zeno of Kita, who lived in the 4th-3rd centuries BC. e. It gained its distribution thanks to the tradition adopted in some European states in past centuries. When the ruler transferred his power to the successor, he gave him the title of the second "I" of the king - " alter ego-regis." It is believed that this tradition originated in Sicily.