ego
n. countablen. your sense of your own value and importance. If someone has a big ego, they think very highly of themselves and might act a bit arrogant.
n. a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance. In psychoanalysis, it refers to the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious, though general usage typically implies conceit or pride.
Winning the award was a huge boost to his ego.
The director's massive ego made it difficult for anyone else on the team to share their creative ideas.
A successful negotiation often requires setting aside one's own ego to understand the underlying anxieties driving the opposing party's demands.
From Latin ego (“I”). Chosen by Freud’s translator as a translation of his use of German Ich as a noun for this concept from the pronoun ich (“I”). Doublet of I and Ich.
Often modified by adjectives like 'big', 'fragile', or 'bruised'.