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How to Build Ego Strength

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Ego strength is a psychological concept that refers to an individual’s ability to cope with stress, deal with adversity, and recover from setbacks. When a person has good ego strength, they can manage the challenges that they face without resorting to harmful or unhealthy coping mechanisms.

InSigmund Freud’spsychoanalytic theory of personality, ego strength is the ability of the ego to deal effectively with the demands of the id, the superego, and reality. Those with little ego strength may feel torn between these competing demands, while those with too much ego strength can become too unyielding and rigid.

Ego strength helps us maintain emotional stability and cope with internal and external stress.

At a GlanceEgo strength has a few different meanings in psychology. Freud described it as the ego’s ability to manage the demands of the id, superego, and reality. Erikson described it as the ability to persevere through each stage of life.What these different definitions boil down to, however, is an ability to carry on despite life’s challenges with resilience and determination.

At a Glance

Ego strength has a few different meanings in psychology. Freud described it as the ego’s ability to manage the demands of the id, superego, and reality. Erikson described it as the ability to persevere through each stage of life.What these different definitions boil down to, however, is an ability to carry on despite life’s challenges with resilience and determination.

Ego strength has a few different meanings in psychology. Freud described it as the ego’s ability to manage the demands of the id, superego, and reality. Erikson described it as the ability to persevere through each stage of life.

What these different definitions boil down to, however, is an ability to carry on despite life’s challenges with resilience and determination.

The Origins of Ego Strength

According toSigmund Freud, personality is composed of three elements:the id, the ego, and the super-ego.

Where the id compels people to act on their most basic urges and the superego strives for adherence to idealistic standards, the ego is the aspect of personality that must strike a balance between these baser urges, moral standards, and the demands of reality.

When it comes to mental well-being, ego strength is often used to describe an individual’s ability to maintain their identity and sense of self in the face of pain, distress, and conflict. Researchers have also suggested that acquiringnew defensesand coping mechanisms is an essential component of ego strength.

Erikson’s View on Ego Strength

Characteristics of High Ego Strength

People with well-developed ego strength tend to share several essential characteristics. They tend to be:

An individual with good ego strength approaches challenges with a sense that they can overcome the problem and even grow as a result.

By having a strong ego strength, the individual feels that they can cope with the problem and find new ways of dealing with struggles. These people can handle whatever life throws at them without losing their sense of self.

People with good ego strength tend to be very resilient in the face of life’s difficulties. Rather than giving up in the face of an obstacle, these individuals view such events as tasks to be mastered and overcome.

Even when complicated events or tragedies occur, those who possess ego strength can pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and move forward with a sense of optimism.

Characteristics of Low Ego Strength

On the other hand, those with weak ego strength view challenges as something to avoid. In many cases, reality can seem too overwhelming to deal with. Characteristics of deficits in ego strength can include:

Individuals with low ego strength struggle to cope in the face of problems and may try to avoid reality through wishful thinking, substance use, and fantasies.

Like a muscle, ego strength is something you can build with work, practice, and dedication. Developing effective coping strategies can help.Tactics that can help you develop better ego strength include:

Therapycan also be an effective way to develop a stronger, more resilient ego. Working with a therapist, you can identify different thought patterns and behaviors that make it more difficult to cope with the challenges in your life. You can then find ways to change those thoughts and learn more effective coping skills.

What This Means For YouEgo strength is a personality characteristic that can determine how resilient you are in the face of life’s challenges. If you have good ego strength, you can better cope with stress and bounce back from challenges. Problems with ego strength, on the other hand, can result in unhealthy coping mechanisms. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to develop new skills and develop healthier ego strength.

What This Means For You

Ego strength is a personality characteristic that can determine how resilient you are in the face of life’s challenges. If you have good ego strength, you can better cope with stress and bounce back from challenges. Problems with ego strength, on the other hand, can result in unhealthy coping mechanisms. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to develop new skills and develop healthier ego strength.

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Curtis RC.Self-defeating behaviors. In:Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. Elsevier; 2017:B9780128093245065000. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.06551-2Besharat MA, Ramesh S, Moghimi E.Spiritual health mediates the relationship between ego-strength and adjustment to heart disease.Health Psychol Open. 2018;5(1):2055102918782176. doi:10.1177/2055102918782176Freud S.The Ego And The ID And Other Works. 1923.Ziarko M, Mojs E, Sikorska D, Samborski W.Coping and life satisfaction: Mediating role of ego-resiliency in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Med Princ Pract. 2020;29(2):160-165. doi:10.1159/000503708Markstrom CA, Marshall SK.The psychosocial inventory of ego strengths: Examination of theory and psychometric properties.Journal of Adolescence. 2007;30(1):63-79. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2005.11.003Lee JY, Lee Y ae, Yoo MS.Development of the child’s ego strength scale: an observation-based assessment of the board game behaviors in play therapy in Korea.Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2021;15(1):20.doi:10.1186/s13034-021-00369-3Farkas D, Orosz G.Ego-resiliency reloaded: a three-component model of general resiliency.PLoS One. 2015;10(3):e0120883. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120883Additional ReadingBoag S.Ego, drives, and the dynamics of internal objects.Front Psychol. 2014;5:666. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00666Freud S.The Ego And The ID And Other Works. 1923.

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Curtis RC.Self-defeating behaviors. In:Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. Elsevier; 2017:B9780128093245065000. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.06551-2Besharat MA, Ramesh S, Moghimi E.Spiritual health mediates the relationship between ego-strength and adjustment to heart disease.Health Psychol Open. 2018;5(1):2055102918782176. doi:10.1177/2055102918782176Freud S.The Ego And The ID And Other Works. 1923.Ziarko M, Mojs E, Sikorska D, Samborski W.Coping and life satisfaction: Mediating role of ego-resiliency in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Med Princ Pract. 2020;29(2):160-165. doi:10.1159/000503708Markstrom CA, Marshall SK.The psychosocial inventory of ego strengths: Examination of theory and psychometric properties.Journal of Adolescence. 2007;30(1):63-79. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2005.11.003Lee JY, Lee Y ae, Yoo MS.Development of the child’s ego strength scale: an observation-based assessment of the board game behaviors in play therapy in Korea.Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2021;15(1):20.doi:10.1186/s13034-021-00369-3Farkas D, Orosz G.Ego-resiliency reloaded: a three-component model of general resiliency.PLoS One. 2015;10(3):e0120883. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120883Additional ReadingBoag S.Ego, drives, and the dynamics of internal objects.Front Psychol. 2014;5:666. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00666Freud S.The Ego And The ID And Other Works. 1923.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Curtis RC.Self-defeating behaviors. In:Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. Elsevier; 2017:B9780128093245065000. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.06551-2Besharat MA, Ramesh S, Moghimi E.Spiritual health mediates the relationship between ego-strength and adjustment to heart disease.Health Psychol Open. 2018;5(1):2055102918782176. doi:10.1177/2055102918782176Freud S.The Ego And The ID And Other Works. 1923.Ziarko M, Mojs E, Sikorska D, Samborski W.Coping and life satisfaction: Mediating role of ego-resiliency in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Med Princ Pract. 2020;29(2):160-165. doi:10.1159/000503708Markstrom CA, Marshall SK.The psychosocial inventory of ego strengths: Examination of theory and psychometric properties.Journal of Adolescence. 2007;30(1):63-79. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2005.11.003Lee JY, Lee Y ae, Yoo MS.Development of the child’s ego strength scale: an observation-based assessment of the board game behaviors in play therapy in Korea.Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2021;15(1):20.doi:10.1186/s13034-021-00369-3Farkas D, Orosz G.Ego-resiliency reloaded: a three-component model of general resiliency.PLoS One. 2015;10(3):e0120883. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120883

Curtis RC.Self-defeating behaviors. In:Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. Elsevier; 2017:B9780128093245065000. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.06551-2

Besharat MA, Ramesh S, Moghimi E.Spiritual health mediates the relationship between ego-strength and adjustment to heart disease.Health Psychol Open. 2018;5(1):2055102918782176. doi:10.1177/2055102918782176

Freud S.The Ego And The ID And Other Works. 1923.

Ziarko M, Mojs E, Sikorska D, Samborski W.Coping and life satisfaction: Mediating role of ego-resiliency in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Med Princ Pract. 2020;29(2):160-165. doi:10.1159/000503708

Markstrom CA, Marshall SK.The psychosocial inventory of ego strengths: Examination of theory and psychometric properties.Journal of Adolescence. 2007;30(1):63-79. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2005.11.003

Lee JY, Lee Y ae, Yoo MS.Development of the child’s ego strength scale: an observation-based assessment of the board game behaviors in play therapy in Korea.Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2021;15(1):20.

doi:10.1186/s13034-021-00369-3

Farkas D, Orosz G.Ego-resiliency reloaded: a three-component model of general resiliency.PLoS One. 2015;10(3):e0120883. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120883

Boag S.Ego, drives, and the dynamics of internal objects.Front Psychol. 2014;5:666. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00666Freud S.The Ego And The ID And Other Works. 1923.

Boag S.Ego, drives, and the dynamics of internal objects.Front Psychol. 2014;5:666. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00666

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