An auxiliary ego, also known as simply an auxiliary, is the position taken by other participants in a role-playing exercise, or psychodrama, in order to simulate particular situations for the protagonists. Another conceptualization describes it in psychodrama as "the representation of absentees, individuals, delusions, symbols, ideals, animals, and objects" that make the protagonist's world real and tangible.
Technique
As role-playing can include more than one protagonist, each may be operating in the role of auxiliary ego to each other as the exploration of each role changes with the entrance of new situations. The director of the role-play, often a teacher or counselor, can also be an auxiliary and typically is when clients are in the position of protagonist. It is also noted that the role of the auxiliary ego is crucial because in the course of the role-playing, its behavior provokes the protagonist into a deeper involvement in the drama. Auxiliary ego is also used as a technique in psychotherapy, offering a way to treat personal and interpersonal problems at the same time. It creates a triangular neurosis, which involves interpersonal disturbance between three persons so that the patient can get started in identifying the psychological level he is most spontaneous. Here, a person takes on the role of another person and act as if he is this person in therapeutic session. In the process, a protagonist's life can be recreated with others in the group assuming roles that complete the psychodrama. Members of the group do not necessarily need training and participate out of their desire to help.
Children
For infants, the auxiliary ego is ideally provided by the mother, who is often able to anticipate his needs and to consolidate his gains in his development. There are also psychoanalysts who hold that caregivers can provide infants with auxiliary ego since this said to enhance their ability to survive. The idea is that it contributes in the ego's experience, helping shape the child's psychicorganization and achieve the optimal psychic development.
