Ego State

In a variety of psychological and spiritual circles there is this concept of ego states and that idea that we all have various states of mind or ways of being in the world.

For example, I have my professional ego state, the set of beliefs, feelings and considerations that color my behaviors and how I present myself at work or in professional settings.

I also have my daughter ego state that is about how I interact with my mom and the thoughts, feelings and patterns that come up when I related to her.

For the average person we have a variety of ego states, although the differences between them may be subtle and they all feel like us. In more extreme cases these ego states take on a life of the own so to speak and have a sense of individuality and autonomy.

Stay tuned for more on ego states based in the transactional analysis framework. Other frameworks include ego-state therapy and internal family systems therapy.