The term ego refers to a person's sense of self or their individual identity. It is often used in psychology and psychoanalytic theory as a way to describe an individual’s perceived importance, confidence, and independence. In Freudian theory, the id, ego, and superego are three components of the human personality that work together to shape behavior. The ego is seen as the rational part of our psyche that mediates between the primitive desires of the id (our basic instincts) and the moral conscience of the superego (the internalized values we learn from society). In essence, the ego represents a person's sense of self-awareness and helps to regulate behavior in accordance with reality.