Continuing the previous Post, besides the set of experiences that shapes Egos, people are also marked by experiences that will be introjected and become part of their “repertoire”/personality, which doesn’t come from family or important identity references. I’ll call them, following P.A referential, “own experiences”[1][2]. They are genuine experiences (not learned from role models) that will be better or worse incorporated to personality to the extent that people are in touch with their intimate feelings and desires (to integrate them to their personalities). These values, ideas, tastes, etc that set self-perception is known as Ego. Ego offers a support that gives people a sense of being and belonging to a culture/society as individuals. It is also our “healthy part” and it works as a “psychological ground”, which is responsible for keeping emotional balance, enabling one to find motivation and engagement in projects, i.e, finding meaning and purpose to life. For this reason, it is also known as a moral instance, whose function is detaching the mind from conflicts that could threaten people’s emotional balance.
From puberty on, bodies start producing sexual hormones, being provided by agent eroticism[3] and sexual identity is, then, started. It is constituted by erotic fantasies, which are directed to other bodies, and it is also developed into an idealization process that is completed by the time sexual identities are concluded. At that point, people should be emotionally ready for sexual and loving interaction. Moreover, Ego also comprehends moral and intellectual development. From puberty on, an intellectual leap that increases logical/analytical repertoire brings, as a result, awareness of their ambivalences. Such ambivalences will be added to conflicting memories linked to early years’ inhibitory atmospheres -oppression, abandonment, rejection- and might result in an emotional collapse, if such memories are incompatible with
one’s self-perception (their moral coherence). In order to avoid such threaten, Ego blocks consciousness’s access to such memories. These two groups: contradictory feelings and moral ambivalences, which are also parts of what we call “own experience”, remain excluded from consciousness and in silence (unconscious) until the urge of symptoms.
To be continued on the next Post
[1]I’m calling “Own Experience” what in Portuguese, is called “vivência”. It means the result of personal experiences that marked individuals- events, sensations, emotions- which become part of their intimate way of defining themselves. In fact, “vivência” is slightly different from ‘personal experience’, since it stresses aspects of personality lived and developed by children without any interference from role models. Once there is no such a word in English, I’ll refer to it as “Own experience”. [2] For more details see Dias in 5 Essay -Adolescence and Anguish. Post 3-Nuerotic anguish and Ego in: www.ceciliapsicologa.org. Talking about Psychology with Cecília Leite. V Chapter-Sexual Identity Development. Episode 1-Premisses and Episode 2-Puberty in YouTube [3]For more details see Dias in 5 Essay-Adolescence and Anguish.Post4-Sexual energy and ambiguity in: www.ceciliapsicologa.org.Talking about Psychology with Cecília Leite. Chapter V-Sexual Identity development. Episode 2- Puberty and Episode 3- Adolescence in YouTube
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