The Gifts of Ego

I have been interested in ego psychology for a long time. Coming to understand the nature and purpose of the ego from a spiritual perspective has been [third] eye opening for me. This week I stumbled upon an interview with a Jungian analyst who explains the gifts of the ego.

Here is one quote from the interview that I love:

[T]he ego is a necessary formation for the creation of identity, consciousness, intentionality and purpose—all of which are pluses. The ego itself is not a problem. However, when it's in a state of possession by our insecurities, when it's in the grip of our history, it becomes neurotic, so to speak—it gets in the way. So the problem is not the ego; the problem is what happens to the ego. The perfect balance—if we could ever achieve it—would be an open ego state in dialogue with the other parts of the outer and inner world, where we could absorb messages from the culture, but not necessarily be subsumed by them, and we could also dialogue with the unconscious.