is the psychic unity imposed by consciousness on its own acts, through

which it personalizes the universe. The ego-self is a person's point of view on

&c world-that is, the crystallization of the totality of attitudes taken by
consciousness, It is consciousness's attempt at objectification of itself in rela-
tion to the world. The ego-self is a stance one takes toward objects, things,
and people. It: is one's choice of being, &rough which one relates to the
world,
Furthermore, ego may be regarded as one's attempt at creating oneself as a
work oh: art. If one is bumble, aggressive, heroic, cowardiy, creative, submis-
sive, fearful, angry, frustrated, anguished, or depressed, one has created one-
self this way through intentional acts. Though the ultimate responsibility for
constructing the ego falls on one's shoulders, this construction may also be
influenced by one's upbringing (family, society, culture, books one has read,
art one has been exposed m, etc.). During me's developmentd years, m e
may accept Chese external influences, yet might challenge &em later on. The
levels of acceptance, reiection, and modification of these influences are ulti-
mately chosen by the individual. When taken together, these intentional acts
consdtute onc's ego, The ego-self so construcccd, &rough which one per-
ceives, apprehends, and appropriates the world, is one's unique approach to
reality.
The ego-self can be defined through the follo~iingessential points. First, it
is a product of consciousness and not something one is born with; second, it
is a combination of at1 one's mental or psychic acts; third, it is a unified re-
sponse uf one's psyche through which one relates to the wortd and to other
people; fourth, it expresses itself through such words as I, me, my, and mitle;
fifth, it is onc's unique individual self that is more or less permanent; sixth, it
is a combinsion of a11 of one" past acts &at make up one's script of Life; and
seventh, it is the solidification of one's freedonl.

Body LZS Self

Sartre7s phenomenological analysis further reveals the connection between
&c self and the ontological dimensions of the body. A buman being is not
just a consciousness or an ego but also a body. It is through the body that
one b e c m e s aware of other people and oneself. According to Sartre, the
body is grasped at three feuels: as being-for-itself, as being-fur-other, and as
being-known- by -other.
In the first dimension, the body is a being for itself. Here one exists as one's
body. Consciousness and body are inseparable at this lcvel. A person is one's
body, and one's body is the person. Funhermore, the world of objects and
people exisrs in relationship to one's body, The body is the center, whereas
everything else becomes the locus, Every item in the world is
measured with reference to one's body. The body constitutes one's unique