The English word "ego" is the Latin word for “I.” Literally translated, ego means “I.”
It is the ego sense of self that identifies and neutralizes perceived threats. It is the ego that often views life as a competition for the limited resources. All experiences of fear and resentment are directly related to perceived threats. Referred to as the ‘monkey mind’ in Buddhist scripture, the ego voice likes to bounce around weighing in on absolutely everything forming judgements, opinions and beliefs that can be easily misinterpreted as truth. The ego began forming in infancy and is the basis of your self image and personality. The ego is the voice of the subconscious mind and its primary job is to keep you safe. Though its motives are altruistic, its methods are obsolete in a world where no wild animals are about to eat you and finding food for dinner is the least of your concerns. Your ego develops to protect you from your reality. It creates an identity for you to cope with any confusion, disconnection, and loss of love that you experienced. It strengthens an identity (usually a false identity) to ensure to the best of your ability that we can still receive whatever love is available.
If it’s a thought out of fear, worry, guilt, shame etc... it’s the ego not the inner self. If the thought feels good, peaceful and true the it’s authentic-based not ego-based.
https://pathwaytohappiness.com/blog/what-is-the-ego/
http://motherhoodinpointoffact.com/parental-ego/
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/the-pressing-need-for-everyone-to-quiet-their-egos/
Daily Om article by Madisyn Taylor https://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/display/articledisplay.cgi?aid=71246
