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Introduction. The highest stage in the development of man's mind can be called the stage of the abstract ego. Here, the ego is able to separate himself mentally from the actions of the external world. In this way, the ego is able to think of and to separate an action in terms of a subject (of the action), an aim (of the action), an object (of the action), and an emotional reaction of either (or both) the subject or object (of the action).
In doing this, the ego becomes aware, for the first time, of himself as a subject, an entity independent of action or emotion, an I, a self. He becomes aware that he can think, that he can react emotionally to objects in the external world, that he can cause objects to react emotionally to him. In other words, with the development of the abstract ego, man becomes aware that he is aware. Thus, if awareness of the external world (object awareness) is a characteristic of the id and of the primitive ego, awareness of awareness (awareness of one's mental processes, or subject (subjective) awareness) is a characteristic of the abstract ego.
The ego as subject. The difference between the primitive ego and the abstract ego can be described very succinctly, using as a basis a quotation of James (5) about The Self: “Whatever I may be thinking of, I am always at the same time more or less aware of myself, of my personal existence. At the same time, it is I who am aware, so that the total self of me is duplex, being partly known and knower, partly object and partly subject, which can be called the me (the primitive ego) and the I (the abstract ego). … The I (the abstract ego) is that which at any given moment is conscious (aware), whereas the me (the primitive ego) is only one of the things which it is conscious (aware) of.” (Words in parentheses were inserted by us.)
The development of the abstract ego. In the primitive ego, a word or verbal thought about an object can only represent an action or emotion relating to the object be