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Sometimes, I wonder if there is such a thing as a “Collective Ego?”
I mostly understand the differentiation between Ego/Id identity with personality, verses going through an individuation process to come to a realization of being part of a Greater Self or “Collected Unconscious.”

And resistance is the Ego’s fear of losing personal identity?

However, at times in life, it feels as though there is more than one “collective,” at play.

When I think of the “Collected Unconscious,” at the risk of being flowery, I think of words like transcendence, adventure, horizon, reflection, “facing the dragon” walking like Siddartha between Fear and Anger, I think of compassion  and reaching that state beyond oneself beyond words.

But my thought is a Collected or Collective Ego would be opposite of all that.

Traditionally in the way of Campbell and Jung, I understand the struggle is between a Singular Ego and finding wholeness in a Collective or Collected Unconscious, which we all share.

But it’s always felt like there was a missing piece. Peer pressure for one example. And yes I understand that the desire to keep up appearances may be born in an Individual Ego. However, I think it’s possible for an individual to trade their own identity or self for a Collective Ego. For whatever reasons.
And then a Collective Ego behaves the same way a heightened individual Ego might.
Not to say that Individual Egos (heh) can’t have influence. But just my opinion “collective ego,” makes that influence stronger…gives it power.

Yet it also seems to me that a “Collective Ego,” can eclipse or pose as “The Collected Unconscious.”
Perhaps someone honestly desires to free themselves from Ego attachment. But a “Collective Ego,” could convince them if they join it…they will…all for a greater cause. And as we know such things have played havoc and mischief throughout history.
If one is a part of a Collective Ego, then it’s not just them. Albeit their ego probably was at play in choosing to join. But they may also loose themselves to the Collected Ego and even though it’s a kind of Collective, that does not necessarily stop fear, anger and fights.

So in my imagination there is not only the Ego and Shadow Self and the Collected Awareness, but that perhaps

The Collective Ego is the shadow side of the Collected Unconscious. Or even that

The Collective Ego and the Collected Unconscious are in a mythic metaphorical battle. That the Collective Ego is the illusion, which poses as the Collected Unconscious. Perhaps  it is up to each journeyer  to distinguish between the two and decide in their heart which is the illusion and which is realization…wholeness…And perhaps the Collective Ego feels safer than the Collected unconscious and maybe that’s where something bites into the psyche because the infinite could be both scary and sublime.

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