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After [[Freud]], a [[number ]] of prominent [[psychoanalytic ]] theorists began to elaborate on Freud's [[functionalist]] version of the ego. They put much effort into theorizing the ego's various functions and how they can be impaired in [[psychopathology]]. Much of their [[work ]] focused around strengthening the ego so it could better cope with the pressures from the id, [[super-ego]], and [[society ]] in general.

The central functions of the ego were traditionally seen as [[reality]]-testing, impulse-[[control]], judgment, [[affect ]] [[tolerance]], [[defence]], and synthetic functioning. An important [[conceptual ]] revision to Freud's [[structural ]] [[theory ]] was made when [[Heinz Hartmann]] argued that the healthy ego includes a sphere of [[autonomous ]] ego functions that are independent of [[mental ]] [[conflict]]. [[Memory]], [[motor coordination]], and reality-testing, for example, ought to be able to function without the intrusion of emotional conflict. According to [[Hartmann]], psychoanalytic [[treatment ]] aims to expand the conflict-free sphere of ego functioning. By doing so, Hartmann believed, [[psychoanalysis ]] facilitates ''[[adaptation ]] '', that is, more effective mutual regulation of ego and [[environment]].

David Rapaport systematized Freud's structural [[model ]] and Hartmann's revisions of it. Rapaport argued that the central [[principle ]] of [[Freudian ]] theory is that mental [[processes ]] are motivated and shaped by the [[need ]] to [[discharge ]] tension. Clarifying Freud's work, Rapaport portrayed the [[mind ]] as [[divided ]] into ''[[drives]]'' and ''[[structures]]''. Drives contain fluid [[energy ]] that pushes for rapid discharge through the immediate [[gratification ]] of wishes. Because it is rare that wishes can actually be immediately gratified, the mind develops the capacity to delay gratification or achieve it through detours. Consequently, [[drive ]] energy becomes tied up in the relatively [[stable ]] mental ''structures'' comprising the ego. Rapaport defined structures as ''mental organizations with a slow rate of [[change]]'', slow in comparison with the more fluid drives.

Arlow and Brenner argued that Freud's earlier theory of the [[conscious]], [[preconscious]], and [[unconscious ]] systems of the mind ought to be abandoned, and the [[structural model ]] used as the sole [[psychoanalytic theory ]] of the mind.

[[Recent ]] ego [[psychological ]] authors have taken the approach in a number of directions. Some, such as [[Charles Brenner]], have contended that the structural model should be abandoned and [[psychoanalysts ]] should focus exclusively on [[understanding ]] and treating mental conflict. [[Others]], such as Frederic Busch, have argued for an increasingly nuanced and sophisticated [[concept ]] of the ego.

Ego [[psychology ]] is often confused with [[self (psychology)|self psychology]], which emphasizes the strength and [[cohesion ]] of a person's [[sense ]] of [[self]]. Although some ego psychologists write [[about ]] the self, they usually distinguish the self from the ego. They define the ego as an [[agency ]] comprised of mental functions, whereas the self is an [[internal ]] [[representation ]] of how one sees oneself. In [[ego psychology]], emphasis is placed on understanding the functioning of the ego and its conflicting relations to the id, [[superego]], and reality, rather than on the [[subjective ]] sense of self.

The [[clinical ]] [[technique ]] most commonly associated with ego psychology is ''defence [[analysis]]''. Through clarifying, confronting, and [[interpreting ]] the typical defence mechanisms a [[patient ]] uses, ego psychologists hope to [[help ]] the patient gain control over these mechanisms.

Many authors have criticized Hartmann's conception of a conflict-free sphere of ego functioning as both incoherent and inconsistent with Freud's [[vision ]] of psychoanalysis as a [[science ]] of mental conflict. In Freud's view, the ego itself takes shape as a result of the conflict between the id and the [[external ]] [[world]]. The ego, therefore, is inherently a conflicting [[formation ]] in the mind. To [[state]], as Hartmann did, that the ego contains a conflict-free sphere may not be consistent with key propositions of Freud's [[structural theory]].

Some have also accused Hartmann of proposing a conformist psychology in which the ego is considered most healthy when it adjusts to the status quo. Hartmann claimed, however, that his aim was to [[understand ]] the mutual regulation of the ego and environment rather than to promote adjustment of the ego to the environment.

Also, [[Jacques Lacan]], a prominent [[psychoanalyst]], had a certain disdain for [[ego-psychology]]. He took issue with the movement insofar as his [[form ]] of psychoanalysis focuses on the unconscious. It also splits the ego and theorizes how one never has a [[true ]] relation to their ego because it is an illusionary [[relationship ]] to an [[ideal ]] [[image]], and is a product of the unconscious itself.