Human minds are complex, which is something all of us know and agree on. This is also what Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist often referred to as the ‘father of modern psychology,’ stated. Freud divided human consciousness into three levels of awareness: the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. 

‘Consciousness’ simply means being aware of what is happening around us as well as within us.

• Preconscious: Anything that could potentially come into your conscious mind.
• Conscious mind: All thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes you’re aware of at any moment. It’s what you can think and talk about rationally, including easily retrievable memories.
• Unconscious mind: Holds feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories beyond your conscious awareness. It may contain unacceptable or unpleasant content, like pain, anxiety, or conflict.

Each of these levels of consciousness corresponds and overlaps with Freud’s ideas of the id, ego, and superego.

Freud states that personality is composed of three elements: the id, the ego, and the superego. These elements work together to create human behaviours which happen to be complex.

• Id: According to Freud, the id is the main part of our personality. It’s the only part of the personality that’s there right from birth. The id is unconscious and involves basic, instinctive behaviours.
• Ego: Freud believes that the ego grows from the id and helps us acceptably express id impulses in real life. The ego works in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind. It is the part of the personality that handles reality.
• Superego: According to Freud, the superego starts developing around age five. It holds our sense of right and wrong, learned from parents and society. It also helps us make judgements by providing guidelines. The superego helps us behave well and follow rules. It stops bad urges from the id and pushes the ego to do what’s right, even if it’s hard. The superego is in our conscious and unconscious minds.

Humans are constantly tangled up in internal conflict, which is the conflict between basic desires (the id), the morality of being a good person (superego), and the ego.

When you are practising diet control and suddenly crave a meaty, cheesy burger, the id will urge you to order and eat the burger immediately, ignoring the consequences. Meanwhile, the superego will whisper to you about the consequences and remind you of your diet control. The ego will then decide which action to take.

It is important to understand this and make choices and decisions for yourself which will eventually mould your personality.

When discussing the moulding of personalities based on ego, four terminologies in yogic studies explain the hierarchy of ego and its impacts on human personality and behaviour. 

• Aangaaram: It is the centre point that the human mind uses to systematise itself. Aangaaram is what we refer to as ‘I’ or ‘me’. If you have the Aangaaram of wanting to be a doctor, you will accordingly need to study medicine. If you want to become a good doctor, your mind will systematise itself accordingly, leading you to become a good or the best doctor.
• Ahangaaram: When you become a good doctor and are praised by those around you, a state called Ahangaaram will be created in your mind, which is like saying, ‘Wow! I am a good/the best doctor’. As long as this Ahangaaram makes you a good doctor and helps protect your reputation, things will be fine.
• Aanavam: The negative side of Ahangaaram is Aanavam, which leads you to believe that you are the only good doctor out there.
• Asooyai: The states of Aanavam and Asooyai usually occur together. When you are in the state of Aanavam, you are automatically also in the state of Asooyai, which is the jealousy you experience toward other doctors.
• Ahandhai: The union of Aanavam and Asooyai creates Ahandhai, which can be understood as ‘arrogance,’ which is the state where you begin to insult others.

As long as you are in the states of Aangaaram and Ahangaaram, you are doing just fine without harming yourself and the others around you. However, when you enter the state of Aanavam, Asooyai inevitably follows, and eventually, Ahandhai emerges. 

This is when people may say to you: ‘Let your ego go.’

It is fascinating how the human mind operates, isn’t it? Understanding our thoughts, feelings, and how our minds function is crucial for us to remain humble, maintain a peaceful state of mind, and continue to grow personally and professionally. Understanding them will help us better understand ourselves, benefiting both ourselves and those around us.

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