The Totalitarian Ego And The Prejudices Of Self-awareness

The popular culture has assimilated the interaction between personal tendencies and the influence of the environment. However, there are many theories prior to this conception that are, at best, curious. A good example is the totalitarian ego theory.

In this article, we will recall Anthony Greenwald’s theory of the totalitarian ego. The way he discusses the formation of ideas and the perception of the world is fascinating.

the totalitarian ego

The usual conception of the formation of ideas and the subjective view of the world is that the outside shapes them as we experience them. Our memory and thoughts would be the product of the interaction of our genetic tendencies with the influence of the environment. In this way, we build our history.

Well, as Greenwald proposed in 1980, the totalitarian ego would be in charge of keeping all this information that composes us integrated.

How does he do it? The answer: through cognitive biases or, in other words, by distorting the way social information is processed to create memories and a positive ego concept.

The reason for calling it totalitarian is that, according to this theory, the ego polarizes and selects information in a similar way to a totalitarian government. The processes you will see below are very similar to the censorship that dictatorships use to maintain an image of need and kindness.

Cognitive Biases in the Totalitarian Ego

You may have heard of cognitive biases: they can be defined as the systematic misinterpretation of information when making judgments, making decisions, or processing thoughts. Although it may seem negative, its function is quite adaptive, as it facilitates decision-making for survival. However, when it comes to social issues, they can be a real problem.

There are a multitude of cognitive biases described, but the totalitarian ego would maintain the self-concept through three main biases: self-centeredness, conservatism and self-sufficiency bias. Below, you can read carefully about each of them.

Egocentrism: the ego as a protagonist

If a person is asked to tell us one of their memories, they will likely tell it as if they were the protagonist of a story. Even if the main events of the story occur with someone else, she will tell how they affected her as a spectator.

That is, a large part of the knowledge that a person has about the world is autobiographical, as it is through experience that they build their memories and learning. In fact, information is much more easily remembered when it concerns oneself than when it relates to other people. This is called egocentric prejudice.

One of the consequences of this prejudice is the tendency to exaggerate our own contribution to the events happening around us, even if the participation of others is not accurately remembered. In this way, the totalitarian ego maintains the perception that the person is important to his environment.

The self-sufficiency prejudice

With this bias, it is possible to focus on the responsibility for one’s actions in a way that benefits the idea of ​​being efficient and capable. We can illustrate with two examples:

• Focus on yourself when it comes to success: passing an important test just by studying the day before.
• Blaming external circumstances or bad luck on failures: “I failed because I got sick and couldn’t study.”

Therefore, the purpose of this prejudice is to protect self-esteem and create a self-concept consistent with positive ideas about yourself. It also has a protective value against the negative emotions that accompany failure. This creation of positive self-concept and its protection is the trait shared with totalitarian regimes.

Conservatism or resistance to change

Self-esteem and self-concept must be minimally stable to ensure consistency, since a change or fragility of identity is a reason for psychological discomfort for most. In general, changes in the realm of personality and identity are slow and consist of small steps that project a sense of stability.

Therefore, the totalitarian ego would favor all thoughts and judgments that help confirm our identity, but not only that: because they are judgments that are usually positive, they would also be motivating the absence of change. As in an authoritarian regime, this preservation of the established is sought.

Although the term “totalitarian” does not have a very good reputation, the intent of this theory is nothing more than to define the strategies the mind follows when it comes to protecting our self-esteem. It goes without saying that knowledge of these “tricks” is extremely helpful for introspection and for being honest with yourself.

On the other hand, this theory was formulated sixty years ago; therefore, certain details may not fit well into the current framework. The totalitarian ego, paradoxically, has evolved over the years to adapt to current theories so that, little by little and together, we can unravel the processes of the mind.