The Problem with the American Ego
The Ego is universal. Every human being that happens to have conscious thoughts has an ego. The ego is volatile. It’s constructive, productive, yet dangerous. However, the most frightening aspect of the ego is that it is malleable. In the following section, I will highlight and breakdown the human ego in efforts to answer the question of why the majority of Americans believe that media violence is a major cause of real world violence, but don’t take any action in combatting it.
Defined psychoanalytically as, “the part of the psychic apparatus that experiences and reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment,” the ego gives one their sense of self. It allows one to individualize, separating oneself from everyone around them. In furthering that thought, the late Wayne Dyer conceptualized the ego in six separate components; a list of things the ego allows the human being to synthesize and believe. Dyer proposes that the ego allows one to believe that (I) am what I have, I am what I do, I am what other people think of me, I am separate from everybody else, I am separate from all that is missing in my life, and I am separate from God. While one might disagree with some of the ideas on Dyer’s list, the most important thing to derive, once again, is the notion of the ego allowing for one to separate, or alienate oneself from others.
As defined above, The Third Person Effect is simply a media theory that focuses on people’s perceptions and behaviors. There are two parts to the theory of TPE. One is that people will perceive that others are more affected by media than themselves and the second is that this will then drive them to action (Perloff, 2002). In analyzing the possible roots of this cognitive process, it’s hard to ignore the role of the ego. In being certain that it aides humans in the process of individualizing themselves, the problem is not if the ego has a role in The Third Person Effect, but identifying the roots of its contribution. In order to propose any sort of solution to the problem of TPE and media effects existing in harmony, it’s necessary to pinpoint the causes first and attack this complication from the inside-out. Unfortunately, after deep thought and considerable research, we’ve found that culture, more specifically the ideologies embodied by American culture, to be one of the main culprits.
Culture is everywhere. It influences individuals from moment they enter Piaget’s Preoperational Period to the moment their heart decides it’s over. It’s almost inescapable, capturing and cultivating humans at all times. It’s fair to say that the ego, is influenced by the surrounding culture. It decides for the self what is right and what is wrong. It decides for the self what is cool and what is not. It decides for the self what is important and what is to be forgotten and perhaps the most grim, it tell’s one how to live.
The United States of America is a place where individualism thrives and separating oneself from “the next guy” remains paramount. It’s a place where, in order to get what one wants, one must prove to society that they are better than the average. It’s a place where competition rules; where the strong go to survive and the weak go to die. That’s the way it goes. That’s the American way. Whether one likes it or not, those are the definitive cultural norms, rather the aspects that teach Americans the “right” way to live. Where this becomes dangerous is when the ego is introduced to these customs and ideologies. These qualities, which are very much alive in America, inflate the ego. These qualities, over time, have created a society of what Carl Jung would identify as, a collection of “Heroes.”
According to Dr. Jung, a hero is simply an archetypal ego based on overcoming obstacles and achieving certain goals. While this certainly has its positives, such as stimulating one’s self motivation and providing inspiration, it also has its drawbacks. The embodiment of this archetype is highly incendiary, as it also suggests that the hero fears failure, weakness, and if exposed to such experiences, the hero will feel like a coward.
That’s where the paradox is birthed.
If TPE is indeed a psychological process that, in this case, puts forth the notion that people will perceive that others are more affected by media than themselves, it’s clear to see that the ego fuels this notion and culture acts as the driver. Being that the ego is influenced and cultivated by culture and that the dogmatic ideologies of American culture align perfectly with those of the Jungian archetype, “The Hero”, the roots of the problem (that media effects are recognized, but not acted on) have been identified. If one were to accept that media violence does indeed affect them, then their ego (hero within) would be hurt, as they would be internally exposed and feel weak. f not required, it should not be expected for humans to bring self-induced melancholy and internal conflict into their lives. Therefore, in a nation comprised of “heroes”, the problem is far from being resolved. Yet, the saddest realization remains; With each day comes new life and in a society of heroes, that simply means with each new life, comes another hero.