The Vicissitudes of the Ego
July 27, 2018 DOI: 10.4324/9781315122649-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the egocentric mind is an unhealthy mind because the ego produces four "normal pathologies" - internal conflict, moods, loss of one's true self, and the mind films and existential ruts they create - which cause anyone with an ego to lead unhappy and inauthentic lives, even when their lives appear happy and successful. |
Abstract
Chapter 9 demonstrates that the egocentric mind is an unhealthy mind because the workings of the ego create a group of “normal pathologies” that cause anyone that has an ego to lead unhappy and inauthentic lives. The normal pathologies of the ego are (1) internal conflict, (2) moods, (3) loss of one’s true self and (4) the mind films and the existential ruts they create. The ubiquity of the normal pathologies has led us to accept them as a normal and inevitable part of life. As a result, most of us go through our lives without realizing that the ego causes much of life’s everyday unhappiness, and some of our larger problems as well. Even those of us who succeed in building relatively happy and successful lives for ourselves live with the normal pathologies of the ego day in and day out. Chapter 9 enlists the findings of the science of the stream of consciousness to describe (1) the normal pathologies of the ego, (2) the processes by which the ego creates the normal pathologies and (3) the unhealthy state of mind they generate.