There are many different things to consider when trying to understand the concept of comparing self-esteem vs. ego. Let’s begin by defining both terms. Brainstorming for a definition of either term would be like asking a psychologist which one is going to come first. It would almost be like asking a builder which one is going to make him feel more comfortable when working on a particular project. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this because every person has their own unique way of viewing themselves and others.
Now that we have defined the two terms, it’s time to compare self-esteem vs. ego. What makes these two concepts so difficult to understand is that they are directly related but yet not the same thing. When comparing self-esteem and ego, we are basically looking at what is the ultimate prize for our efforts. This might be somewhat difficult to understand because we typically rate our own self-worth as the best attribute in us. This is an illusion however and our ego isn’t the one who determine our level of self-esteem.
Let’s assume that our personal ego doesn’t directly affect our level of self-esteem. If we were to ask an expert in this area to rank the attributes of identical twins, the answers wouldn’t be that far off. One would be higher than the other and the one ranked number one would be lower than the other. In this example the outcome of the experiment was dependent upon which attribute was deemed to be the best or “alpha” quality. It was not dependent upon which one had the lowest value.
If instead we took two strangers, placed them in a room together, and asked them to rate each other on a scale of 1 to 4, then their scores would be very similar. Their self-esteem would also be close to one another. So this can help us to understand that the concept of self-esteem has little to do with how high a person’s ego is and how they view themselves, but is much more related to how they think about themselves and how they judge others.
One of the most common problems that most people have related to working on time. Those with low self-esteem often feel like they don’t matter and that somehow their efforts aren’t really worth anything. This may be due to the fact that their egos are so inflated to begin with. On the other hand, people with high self-esteem feel that they are the center of the world and that no matter what they do, people will respect them.
A common example of where this occurs is in sports. In many sports you will find that those who have a high sense of self-esteem will always outperform those with a low one. This is why so many of the best professional athletes in the world are able to compete at such an incredible level for years on end. They are the epitome of overcoming any adversity that they may face. Their ability to bounce back and not let it stop them shows us that true mental strength and self-confidence are what truly makes the difference between winners and losers.
Another situation where this occurs is when we are faced with a situation that we know we cannot handle and our ego takes over. Sometimes we may not know what to do in these types of situations and our ego is so strong that we allow our emotions to rule our behavior. In these cases, we are usually worse off than before because we didn’t know how to react or how to overcome our emotions. If this happens to you frequently, then you need to work on clearing your mind and clearing your emotions before you can handle a difficult situation.
It should also be noted that in most cases it is our perception of a situation that dictates our actions and not the reality. If we feel that we are going to be affected greatly by a certain situation and it makes us angry, then we probably will. But if we take a look at the situation rationally, we will see that there is a great deal of logical and real reasons for acting the way we do. While it is true that our ego can affect our behavior, it does not have to and should not be the determining factor in everything that we do.