ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ego ideal

Ego ideal is like a picture in our heads of someone we want to be like. It can be made up of qualities or traits that we think would make us happy or make us successful. For example, if we think about our favorite celebrity or role model, we might imagine that if we were like them, then we'd be really cool or really successful. Ego ideal can be considered as a way of motivating ourselves to become better versions of ourselves.