Eckhart Tolle describes how egos work very well. His work is also compatible with new social psychological research into cause of evil and violence. He describes its excesses and the need to be aware of its functions. However, he does not explain how and why it is constructed and why it has been useful. Please look up "Terror Mangement Theory" in Wikipedia and Pultizer Prize winning book "Denial of Death" by Ernest Becker's (1974)

Egos develop in the context of our dual natures. We are animals first. Just like any living thing, growth and mastery (power) over the environment is imperative. As purely organic, biological beings we hunger, thirst, defecate, desire security and belongingness. We are aware of our physical limits and vulnerability. The other part of ourselves is mind-centered - abstract, symbolic and represental. This part is able imagine ourselves as all powerful and masterful. We reconcile our physical limits with imagination. The reconciliation of these two parts is HOW and WHY ego's develop. This is the weak part of Eckahart's argument, which I will explain here. But, this lack in no way diminishes the value of his teaching.

The reconcilation of our animal and symbolic natures is clear when talking about the development of primitive cultures and evolutionary social history. It is also reflected in child development.

In primitive culture, physical ability provides the power and ability to contribute to the tribes survival. Power as physical ability is obvious. Tribe members valued physically powerful and skillful members and regard them as heros. That is the definition of hero. One who contributes to the welfare of the group. Trusting in anything "heroic" - including ideas - provides a sense of security and confidence. The reason we have the courage to confront life is our culture provides the heroic symbols that replace our animal consciousness of our physical vulnerability - our fear of death.

Affliation with the heroic is a fundamental human impulse because it promises innoculation of our dim awareness of our vulnerability. It also provides role models for our own development and mastery. Especially imaginative hunters claimed magical powers and turned into "all powerful" shamans. Shamans and chiefs encouraged members to develop specialized skills contributing to the group and providing self esteem and self worth to the members. Members becamed ranked by talent toward security of the group. The members of the tribe gladly submited to leaders because the survival imperative was very tangible.

As the ego's ability to label and categorize the world became more developed, heros used the symbols of security as a substitute of actual physical power and skill to organize the other members of the group. Magic, ritual sacrifice, nature worship organized the group more effectively. By extension, all religion and ALL cultural institutions provide this sense of security.

What is interesting, this same evolution is seen in the development of children. We go from developing physical skills to abstract powers. The social world is man-made. Society and its arbitary symbolic rules is presented to children in steps. The child's sublimation of animal fears is transferred to symbols of security. Hence, the mastery of social rules becomes more important than physical skills. We derive power - the ability to influence others and get what we want - from the this evolution. Witness the anxiety of infants with some real world experience and the gradual development of confidence by successfully adopting the social rules. We emulate the first Hero's - the parents - because the exhibit mastery.

As children, we begin to sense our real vulnerability as limits are confronted and are reminded of the dangerous world - a world of adult giants, electrial sockets, hot stoves and pedophiles. We begin to know how dependent we are on our parents. We submit to their rules because the threaten to punish, withhold care or approval. We vie for attention and strive toward our self worth with siblings, differentiating ourselves for self esteem. Note, how getting the bigger scoop of ice cream creates conflict. This is because 'more ice cream' is a symbol of more growth, worth and signifance. Organic growth becomes replaced with symbolic growth.

All cultural activity promotes symbols that promises more because they sublimate the fear death or vulnerability. Note, super sized food portions, whiter (most hygenic teeth), speeder internet connections, etc..infinitum. More of everything extends to more life and eventually immortality. So, cultures take once tangible dangers and anxieties and tranform them into agreed upon verbal and symbolic substitutes . This displaces the anxiety of our real physical vulnerability into the logical mind.

Counter to cultural norms that promise security is self expression. The drive toward self esteem is automatic. We will look for it wherever we can. In a sense, we raise ourselves. Individuals are born with varying dispositions that must be reconciled with cultural norms. All of us are born with varying dispositions that must be reconciled with arbitrary cultural expectations.

Self expression brings a sense of mastery of life, but so does adopting culturally sanctioned values. Most individuals mental health depends on the successful reconcilation of these forces. Cultures value occupations based on the heroic - those activities that are fundamental to life and prosperity. Money promotes power and more percieved life. But self expression in the now also engenders flow - when skills just match the situational challenge. People are happiest under flow and when there is a sense of belongingness. From athletism to scholarship - most activity is motivated by the ego's processing of symbols of security, approval and power. But self expression and connection to others transcends fear of death - especially when death and vulnerability are faced without illusion.

In a symbolic world, physical danger, injury and death turn into "social danger, injury and death". Comparison, ostracism, humilation, insult, status hierarchies are all symbolic combat. These conflicts substitute for actual physical violence, but easily transform into actual fighting. All organized cultural activity is "religious" in the sense that it seeks to protect and extend life in the sanctioned form. Secular humanism, Nazism and catholicism has the same emotional motivation at heart. Threatening symbols creates violence because they represent a real threat to life. The destruction of cultural symbols brings war. The very existence of another "immortality system" tends to generate conflict because these systems are most effective when viewed as absolute and mutually exclusive. How can everyone's belief be absolute? Mine must be defended. All of us have an incessant inner dialogue based on gauging status and by extension worth and significance.

For more information google "Terror Management Theory"