Ego Development

Ego development is a product of ego psychology, a psychoanalytic theory about how individuals adapt to the reality of the external world while they also respond to internal needs and emotions. The theory is rooted in Sigmund Freud’s tripartite structural model of the mind that includes the id, ego, and superego. The ego as a theoretical construct describes a collection of capacities and abilities that are fundamental to day-to-day adaptation and functioning. Memory, attention, decision-making, emotion regulation, and planning are each examples of individual ego functions. Others include reality testing, impulse control, abilities for interpersonal relationships, and for synthesis and integration of information and experiences. Each of these capacities has a developmental trajectory that, when considered together, profiles the development of the ego. Ego development ...