ego-ideal

e·go-i·deal

(ē'gō-ī-dēl'), In psychoanalysis, the coalescence in the superego of internal representations of what one ought to be, arising from aspects of an admired parent and/or hero figure, a concept of self that would gain maximal approval from valued authority figures, and a concept of those actions that are necessary to attain valued relationships with significant others. See: ego, persona. Compare: shadow (2).