Our 'self' -our sense of identity- is the combination of several
aggregates (body, sensory signals, perceptions...) that generates us the
certainty that we exist and that manifests as continuity and consistency in our
behavior. Redundant ego is the sum of the mental conditionings that result from
cravings, aversions and biased views. The essential self is what is left of the
'enlarged self' after those conditionings are silenced (if we were able to do
so). In other words, the essential self is the remnant of the inflated 'self'
when we remove the redundant ego.
In our behavior, the redundant ego is what makes us very different from
one another; each individual distorts his or her mind with the conditionings
imposed by his or her upbringing, education, friends, culture... If by some
magic we could cut the redundant ego to a group of people, would each of them
behave in the same ‘decontaminated’ way as if they were now pure metal to which
the slag has been removed?
Although the conditionings that drive us are real (if we look inwards
carefully we will find them) and their elimination is feasible (we all have
eradicated at least one addiction), the notions of essential self and redundant
ego are hypothesis that science is not yet able to verify or deny. Neurologists
have not identified the brain circuits or the areas of the prefrontal cortex
where the essential self and the redundant ego are encoded. While the
instructions of the former originate in our genes, those of the latter come
from the outside world (family circle, friends, teachers, advertising,
media...). Our essential self is our personality, authentic and
'hypothetically' pure. Needless to say, 'decontaminated' individuals, free from
harmful influences, are rare and they do not boast of their mind development.
There are numerous questionnaires to identify our personality type. The
model of the five large factors is one of the most recognized by the scholars
of human behavior. On the other hand, there is no categorization approach of
any kind for types of essential selves.
The big five model proposes the definition of personality based on five
factors, each of them estimated between two extremes: (1) sociability
(extraversion versus introversion), (2) openness to experience (recklessness
versus caution), (3) level of responsibility (conscientious versus negligence),
(4) interest in social harmony (friendliness versus suspicion), and (5)
emotional level (stability vs 'neuroticism').
Several studies of identical twins have found that genetic and
environmental influences in our personality are roughly equivalent for each of
the five factors. The factor where genes have strongest influence is in
openness to experience (57-61% is the range of the three studies reviewed for
this note) while the dimension with the largest impact of the cultural environment
is in the emotional level (52-59%).
When we remove our redundant ego, the essential self takes over our
lives. Then, effortlessly, without any kind of struggle to complete specific
goals or reach any particular destination, we will flow spontaneously with our
existence, in the direction that our genetic preferences suggest to our
personality. "The Natural Order does nothing and yet leaves nothing
undone. When life is simple, the affectations disappear and our essential self
shines. When there are no cravings, everything is in harmony", wrote the
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu twenty-five centuries ago.
The essential self influences our personality to the extent that opens
the doors for us to move in an adequate direction, which is not standard or
universal, and does not imply or need qualifying labels. The essential self
results from the removal of acquired conditionings; the genetic remnant is
different for each person. Consequently, the answer to the question at the
beginning of this note is negative, and the behavior of our essential self is
unique and different for each individual.
And when our actions are free from unnecessary conditionings, the 'best'
of us is expressed and the likelihood of marching in the 'right path' is
optimal. On the other hand, when our pilot is the redundant ego, our
personality is distorted, and external factors and the media are the rulers of
our existence.
Gothenburg, July 3, 2015
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