In psychoanalysis, egosyntonic behaviors, values, and feelings are in harmony with or acceptable to the needs and goals of the ego, or consistent with one's ideal self-image. Egodystonic (or ego alien<ref>Howard Rosenthal, Human Services Dictionary (2003) p. 102</ref>) behaviors are the opposite, referring to thoughts and behaviors (dreams, compulsions, desires, etc.) that are conflicting or dissonant with the needs and goals of the ego, or further, in conflict with a person's ideal self-image.
ApplicabilityEdit
Abnormal psychology has studied egosyntonic and egodystonic concepts in some detail. Many personality disorders are egosyntonic, which makes their treatment difficult as the patients may not perceive anything wrong and view their perceptions and behavior as reasonable and appropriate.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> For example, a person with narcissistic personality disorder has an excessively positive self-regard and rejects suggestions that challenge this viewpoint. This corresponds to the general concept in psychiatry of poor insight. Anorexia nervosa, a difficult-to-treat disorder (formerly considered an Axis I disorder before the release of the DSM-5) characterized by a distorted body image and fear of gaining weight, is also considered egosyntonic because many of its sufferers deny that they have a problem.<ref>E. Hollander, Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (2010) p. 44</ref> Problem gambling, however, is only sometimes seen as egosyntonic, depending partly on the reactions of the individual involved and whether they know that their gambling is problematic.<ref>Jon Halliday/Peter Fuller eds., The Psychology of Gambling (London 1974) p. 236 and p. 31</ref><ref>E. Hollander, Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (2010) p. 92</ref>
An illustration of the differences between an egodystonic and egosyntonic mental disorder is in comparing obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). OCD is considered to be egodystonic as the thoughts and compulsions experienced or expressed are not consistent with the individual's self-perception, meaning the thoughts are unwanted, distressing, and reflect the opposite of their values, desires, and self-construct. In contrast, obsessive–compulsive personality disorder is egosyntonic, as the patient generally perceives their obsession with orderliness, perfectionism, and control, as reasonable and even desirable.<ref name="Aardema, F. 2007">Aardema, F. & O'Connor. (2007). The menace within: obsessions and the self. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 21, 182–197.</ref><ref name=Aardema>Aardema, F. & O'Connor. (2003). Seeing white bears that are not there: Inference processes in obsessions. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 17, 23–37.</ref>
Freudian heritageEdit
The words "egosyntonic" and "egodystonic" originated as early-1920s translations of the German words "ichgerecht" and "nicht ichgerecht", "ichfremd", or "ichwidrig",<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> which were introduced in 1914 by Freud in his book On Narcissism<ref name="J. Palombo 2009 p. 55">J. Palombo et al., Guide to Psychoanalytic Developmental Theories (2009) p. 55</ref> and remained an important part of his conceptual inventory.<ref>Teresa Brennan, The Interpretation of the Flesh (1992) p. 82</ref> Freud applied these words to the relationship between a person's "instincts" and their "ego." Freud saw psychic conflict arising when "the original lagging instincts ... come into conflict with the ego (or ego-syntonic instincts)".<ref>Sigmund Freud, Case Studies II (PFL 9) p. 206</ref> According to him, "ego-dystonic" sexual instincts were bound to be "repressed."<ref name=":0" /> Anna Freud stated that psychological "defences" which were "ego-syntonic" were harder to expose than ego-dystonic impulses, because the former are 'familiar' and taken for granted.<ref>Janet Malcolm, Psychoanalysis: The Impossible Profession (London 1988) p. 36</ref> Later psychoanalytic writers emphasised how direct expression of the repressed was ego-dystonic, and indirect expression more ego-syntonic.<ref>Daniel Rancour-Laferriere, Sign and Subject (1978) p. 52</ref>
Otto Fenichel distinguished between morbid impulses, which he saw as ego-syntonic, and compulsive symptoms which struck their possessors as ego-alien.<ref>Otto Fenichel, The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis (London 1946) p. 382 and p. 367-8</ref> Heinz Hartmann, and after him ego psychology, also made central use of the twin concepts.<ref name="J. Palombo 2009 p. 55"/>