The birth of ourselves
The birth of our ego is explained through the processes of maturation and learning, from the acquisition of our sensorimotor skills. This birth and growth, that of our self, is highly important insofar as it is the center of the psychic apparatus, the core of our desires, our activities and our inhibitions.
After the birth of our self, it begins to interact with the objects of oneself. It is first of all external objects but which are felt as clean by the child, and internalisations are gradually realized and form psychic structures that unite the self.
The evolution of the birth of our ego
When the child is born, he does not distinguish himself from the world and makes his first introjections where he does not differentiate the image of the object and the image of himself. Through our emotional matrix, we begin to differentiate and discriminate the boundaries of the ego (of our selves).
Between the first and second year of life, the child's cognitive abilities increase, and he begins to recognize the roles in interpersonal interactions. Gradually begins the identification, discriminating between the subject and the object.
Finally, the identity of the self is the product of the synthetic function, where the objects are linked and integrated in a coherent way. This is the highest level of ego structure, which results in part from the interaction between oneself and objects.
The stage of the mirror as a trainer of the ego
A very important moment of the birth of our ego occurs between six and eighteen months of life. At this stage, the child tries to recognize himself in the mirror, he is interested in this image and it gives him a certain pleasure to play with this sensation.
The mirror is a metaphor that refers to the human being who is around. Being able to recognize the real body and the imaginary space is a sign of good human development, without fragmentation of the ego. A father or mother who does not care for or prejudices his baby, supports his image, but at the same time produces fragmentation that can lead to psychotic processes.
In these ages, a baby does not cling to anyone and when he does, he can sometimes become anxious because the image he sees does not reflect what he hopes. For example, when a baby sees his mother instead of seeing a stranger. The child does not recognize the mother with only six months of life, but he recognizes himself through it.
The birth of our cohesive self is built from a stable relationship with the objects of self, based on the experiences of satisfaction that have been experienced at various times. In other words, the child fuses with the image he sees of himself (original alienation).
The individuation
The process by which a person becomes himself, in totality, is called individuation. When this process is completed, the unconscious and the conscious integrate the "me" into a larger personality.
It is a process of unification, purification and discovery of one's own being. Success occurs when archetypal images of oneself appear.
The 3 functions of the ego
The body and the mind are united and fused and both interact and influence each other. Our "me", that is the body-mind union, fulfills three main functions:
- Control: the ego has a function of control and regulation of instinctive impulses. Through test or inhibition signals, it establishes defenses against possible threatening stimuli.
- Adaptation: our ego is related to external and internal reality, trying to adapt to it.
- Integration: refers to the capacity of the self to integrate the different aspects of our life.
To achieve a better adaptation to reality, our ego has the ability to defend itself against the excessive flow of drive energy. Finally, the self seems autonomous, as if it were a synthesis of functions.
The autonomy of the self
Our "me" is formed of two structures. The primary structure of the self is a sphere of self free from any conflict with the "it" (the seat of impulses). It was later called "primary autonomous functions of self" that correspond to memory, thought and language. These functions do not present themselves as defenses against impulses (that).
The energy withdrawn from the "it" (impulses) is neutralized thanks to the transformation of instinctive and aggressive libidinal energies into non-instinctive energies. Hartmann called it "primary autonomy" to the autonomous development of the self which is not born from the struggle against impulses and desires.
On the other hand, the secondary structure of the self or the secondary functions of the ego appear when the function changes. This change includes the passage of a structure of the self in conflict against the puls.
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yes your are right the ego starts developing in six to eight month