Is Ego Really That Bad?

I realized I needed to make a post about this topic, because people use this term a lot when talking about the workplace, and that term is “ego”.

People can tend to oversimplify the term “ego” to mean “egotistical”, “too imposing”, “not letting people speak”, etc. In reality, ego is much more than that.

Ego is a term in psychoanalytic theory that refers to the self as it is distinguished from others. Ego is essential for our survival. If we had no ego, we as the self would not exist.

I think it is easy to see the ego as something that we don’t need, that we need to eliminate, or that causes a lot of problems. We need to recognize ego as a more complex structure that really governs our lives. You cannot simply get rid of it.

Of course, we as humans don’t just survive. We need to also thrive. Ego can definitely hinder our ability to thrive and can prevent us from making higher level changes in our lives because it can keep us in the same place.

A solution would be to practice what Buddhism calls “The Middle Way”: meaning you recognize that the ego is there and that it serves its purpose, but that you can move towards something higher or spiritual than mammals who just survive. It places emphasis on balance. This balance is key not only to your survival, but your ability to thrive. By simply trying to get rid of ego, you get rid of what makes you you.

I will end off by saying that it is definitely OK to have ego. If you talk to others in the workplace, you will deal with ego in some capacity whether you like it or not. If you are the one to write “must not have an ego” in job listings, I would suggest you change it to something like, “displays emotional intelligence” or “is considerate and mindful of others.” I wouldn’t use a term like “ego” just because it is common parlance. It reinforces your own ego and can turn people off.

By the way, I have an ego because I wrote this article, and that's OK :)