The Ego: A leadership perspective



The biggest opponent to being an effective leader is oneself. We mostly hear about the id, ego and super ego based on the Sigmund Freud’s (psychoanalyst) structural model of the mind (Carducci, 2009).  The Id is considered a person’s ability to function in the reality. The Ego is defined as a person’s need to meet the needs and desires of their Id by operating within principles they considered reality (p. 84).  The Superego is the chamber in which a person’s moral standards lay. For example, a person who operates solely in the Id can be considered impulsive, a person who operates solely in the Superego can be considered a very moral person such as a television evangelist; and a person who operates solely within the Ego can be considered rigid and unable to be spontaneous. In regards to leadership the ego is something that most people operate in. Many people want to be a great leader, but have fears that prohibit them from being an effective leader. Even in the mist of one searching to become a better leader, one’s ego may hinder this growth because it may want to take control because it is trying to deal with the natural world around them (the Id). As a leader, whether a Fortune 500 executive, hometown leader, community activist, independent business owners, or so forth, it is imperative that one remain balance in all three with the Superego being the foundation. More so, instead of living a life with the Id (natural impulses) leading, it is essential for the development of one’s life to be that of the Superego (moral standards). Many operate with Id instead of the Superego because of what is in front of them, but it is the things that others do not see that should guide their leadership skills, abilities and motivation. (More to come).

~ Ronnie O'Brien Rice

References 
Carducci, B. J. (2009). The psychology of personality: Viewpoints, research, and applications (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to handle your divorce?

Going through a divorce is never an easy process to initiate. I’ve been through one. You make a vow to stick with someone for the rest of your life. And then all of sudden, you find yourself arguing everyday and totally loathing the presence of the person.  So I’m writing this blog post to hopefully help others who are thinking about going through this process; or those who have started the process already.   I handle a few divorce cases and I’ve learned prearranged agreement is always better. I think too many times spouses are wanting to get the most out of a divorce. But, in the process they drain their personal finances. People see a lot of high-net-worth individuals on social media and television getting divorces. You see the ridiculous amounts of money for child support and alimony.  However, in everyday life, people don’t have access to millions of dollars and multibillion dollar companies.  With that being said, my encouragement a lawyer is to make sure you to work out an agreem
Read more

Forgive yourself. Allow yourself to succeed.

Image
From Will Smith's fourth single "Just the two of Us" A great actor, motivator and lyricist:  Will Smith As I’ve been pondering about my life, my travels and the people I’ve met, I realized that I made a lot of bad choices and/or mistakes. However, I think what has allowed me to succeed in spite of my downfalls is the ability to look towards the future and forgive myself. There is no way to ‘right’ your every ‘wrong’:  (1) it could be very time consuming; and (2) it takes you away from the things you could be doing in the present. A major reason for people not succeeding in their own desired capacities is because they are either stuck in the past or living in the future. On one hand, you want to remember the past and learn from your mistakes. On the other hand, you want to have goals and continuously strive to meet those goals. As a person who has done both and some time struggle to balance those behaviors, it is extremely important to be well balanc
Read more

Criminal Charges and Mental Health

One of the increases legal issues that I see in present day society is the increased rate of arrest with people who have mental illness.   You might have heard of Matthew Rushin, a 22-year-old who was arrested for hit and run motor vehicle accident in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was diagnosed with a mental illness and acquitted of the charges. But, just think about the use of taxpayers' money for the arrest, imprisoning of Rushin, and district attorney time for trying the case.  This post isn’t about money, but more so on how to deal with law enforcement and the court system with someone who has mental illness. One of the issues you must understand when it come to this is that not everyone is a psychologist and/or psychiatrist. You will have to do the educating of the law enforcement agency, the prosecutor, and the judge.   Too many times, individuals think that everyone has the same level of knowledge about mental illness, let alone a specific one.   If you or a love is detained
Read more