Dispositional Hypo-egoicism

This chapter examines the cognitive, motivational, emotional, and interpersonal characteristics that distinguish hypo-egoic from egoic individuals and speculates about the origins of these differences. Cognitively, hypo-egoic people tend to be more focused on stimuli in the present moment, which they process in an experiential fashion with minimal internal commentary. They also tend to be less egocentric and to have a less individuated identity than people who are more egoic. In terms of motivation and emotion, hypo-egoic people appear motivated to balance their own self-interests with the needs of other people, show less concern with how they are evaluated by others, and display greater emotional equanimity. Interpersonally, hypo-egoicism appears to be associated with an agreeable, attentive, and caring style of relating to other people. In addition, people with these characteristics are probably more likely to experience hypo-egoic phenomena such as flow, awe, compassion, and mystical experiences.