The Ego Trick

Do you ever wonder who you truly are—or if the concept of 'you' even exists in the way you believe?

1. Spiritual awakenings or brain misfires?

When Suzanne Segal lost all sense of personal identity while waiting for a bus, she experienced what she believed to be a spiritual awakening. Her ego dissolved, leaving her feeling like "nothingness" and part of everything at once. Initially baffled and frightened, over time she embraced this as a Buddhist-like state of "anatta," or non-self. But her unusual experience came with neurological symptoms, eventually leading to a diagnosis of a brain tumor.

The connection between mystical moments and brain dysfunction questions the line between spirituality and biology. Neuroscience suggests that transcendental episodes may result more from physical brain processes than genuine spiritual enlightenment. Segal's supporters, however, attribute her declining state to losing a supposed connection to a higher consciousness.

Examples

• Suzanne Segal's "awakening" following her loss of personal identity in Paris.
• Her later confusion and physical symptoms tied to a brain tumor.
• The debate between neuroscience's explanation and spiritual interpretations by her followers.

2. The soul feels intuitive, but logic falters.

Many cultures and religions hold firm beliefs in the soul as eternal and distinct from the body, propelled by thought experiments like Avicenna’s floating man. Imagine yourself floating in total void, free from sensation or bodily awareness; does your essence—your "existence"—persist? Such exercises evoke a soulful presence independent of physical form.

Yet logically, these exercises don't hold. While people can "imagine" disembodiment, maintaining a soul-like presence, it’s the mind tricking you. Experiences under substances like psychedelics reveal how perceptions, even of an independent self, are unreliable constructs. Similarly, while René Descartes' declaration, "I think, therefore I am," reinforces belief in a sole thinking identity, critics argue his reasoning assumes the very thing he's proving.

Examples

• Avicenna's floating man thought experiment.
• René Descartes' concept of self-proving existence through thinking.
• Psychedelic drug studies revealing constructed sensations.

3. The fragmented world of multiple personalities.

Robert B. Oxnam’s multiple personality disorder demonstrated how subjective and fractured identity can be. Hosting eleven distinct identities, ranging from playful Bobby to tantrum-prone Tommy, his mind presented these personalities like actors on a stage. They not only shaped his decisions but were unaware of one another, complicating his sense of "self."

Such conditions often stem from severe childhood trauma. To cope with unbearable experiences, young minds dissociate, forming personas like shields. Over time and therapy, Oxnam reduced his personalities to three, regaining some integration and clarity. The case reveals that who we are is deeply tied to how our mind adapts to life’s harshest moments.

Examples

• Robert Oxnam's eleven personalities, including mischievous Bobby.
• His therapy sessions gradually merging personalities.
• Childhood abuse as a common trigger for dissociative identity disorder.

4. Society shapes who we are.

Identity isn’t formed in a vacuum; it’s strongly influenced by how others perceive and react to us. For Dru Marland, who transitioned to female at 43, "passing" as female was essential for maintaining confidence. When others mistakenly treated her as a man, it clashed painfully with her inner truth.

Cultures vary widely in how they define selfhood. While the West emphasizes individual achievements and autonomy, communal societies like the Inuit view identity as collective, tied to shared emotions and decisions. This demonstrates how context alters the framework of "being oneself."

Examples

• Dru Marland's experience needing societal affirmation of her gender.
• Western individualism versus Inuit communal identity.
• Shared community emotions linking the Inuit sense of self.

5. The ego is a mental illusion.

Philosopher David Hume argued that the ego doesn’t exist as a stable core identity but as a patchwork of fleeting thoughts, sensations, and emotions. Through introspection, he sought an unchanging "I" but only found fragments connected by consciousness. This perspective reframes identity as a story our mind tells, piecing together ever-changing experiences.

Similarly, contemporary cognitive studies resonate with Hume’s conclusion, showing how memories, even when inaccurate or distorted, shape identity. This reconstruction gives us the illusion of a constant "self," though it’s simply a function of a dynamic human brain.

Examples

• David Hume's introspective search for a solid self.
• Memory studies uncovering reconstructed rather than fixed identities.
• The phenomenon of seeing the "self" created from pieced-together experiences.

6. Buddhism’s centuries-old perspective on the self.

Buddhism has long called the self an illusion, interpreting identities as fleeting aggregates of thoughts and feelings. Anatta, meaning non-self, challenges Western notions by suggesting we're mistaken in viewing ourselves as fixed entities. Instead, Buddhists propose that the self is dynamic and intertwined with the universe.

Different schools of thought refine this further. Some argue the self is simply what we construct through actions and choices, not an eternal core. This pragmatic take reframes identity as fluid, built by living fully in present experiences instead of searching for fixed essence.

Examples

• The Buddhist doctrine of anatta, or the "non-self."
• Non-dualist interpretations comparing self with universal consciousness (Brahman).
• The practical view: Selfhood is built by our actions, not predestined.

7. What if free will isn’t real?

Without a self at the core, the notion of free will crumbles like a house of cards. Decision-making—from career paths to tea-versus-coffee choices—feels intentional but is likely an automatic result of past experiences and environmental triggers. It gives the illusion of freedom while acting predictably under set conditions.

This challenges our everyday beliefs. Just as weather feels unpredictable but obeys physical laws, human decisions reflect countless variables aligning. Awareness of this concept helps us pause and reflect on our motives but also questions whether trying to make the "right" choices matters at all.

Examples

• Our belief in "free choice" when picking a drink or outfit.
• Environmental and personal history shaping inevitable outcomes.
• The complex system analogy: Like weather patterns, life follows cause-and-effect.

8. Technology rewires the self.

Globalization and digital media have drastically altered identity development. Unlike past generations with consistent, cultural upbringings, today’s youth engage with varied worlds through social media and globalization, shaping fluid, multi-faceted selves. Instead of set identities, they adapt, mix, and match elements from online interactions across cultures.

Yet technology also promotes "losing ourselves." People increasingly immerse in media, from binge-watching to virtual realities, shedding individuality for shared experiences or "being nobody." With time, this loss of defined boundaries could reshape identity into something entirely unfamiliar.

Examples

• Internet culture exposing young users to diverse, global ideas.
• Media environments encouraging moments of "losing oneself."
• Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield's theory of dissolving identities in multimedia landscapes.

9. The self as an ever-evolving construct.

All evidence points to this conclusion: The self is not static. Whether shaped by culture, beliefs, brain functions, or circumstances, our identities are more like living processes than unchanging truths. At its core, identity reflects how we adapt, respond, and interact in the dance of life.

Acknowledging this opens possibilities. We aren’t "stuck" as someone—we evolve. By embracing this, we also gain the freedom to rethink how life’s choices define us, not as a matter of pre-set destiny, but as an ongoing creation.

Examples

• Cultural fluidity influencing identity’s constant evolution.
• Brain plasticity reshaping how we view thinking and feeling selves.
• The non-static concept found both in neuroscience and Buddhist thought.

Takeaways

1. Regularly reflect on how personal experiences and external influences shape your current identity.
2. Practice mindfulness or meditation to step outside the narrative of a "fixed self" and see your mind’s processes more clearly.
3. Embrace change in yourself and others, recognizing that identity is something dynamic and ever-evolving.