As far as i can tell the following is the nature of the operations of the human mind....... Picture in your'e mind an upside down triangle containing three parts. The first part is the beast, the animal nature and sits up top. The second part is the mind, the will to power, that which directs action yet not reaction and it sits up top adjacent to the beast and holds equal position. The third part sits below on the bottom it is the ego, the emotional desires born of feelings and is that which directs reaction yet not action. These are the parts that make up thoughts and feelings and there effect on the self and others as well as the world around the self. This is merely a metiphor to better understand a more advanced concept, to further elaborate the nature of each part is as follows..............
The beast which is the first part and it is with us from the day of birth, it is our natural instinct it speaks to our mind and our mind speaks to it. The beast is primal, unsophisticated instinct for survival and action, it tells us what we need to live and to understand the wolrd from a life and death perspective. The beast speaks with equal footing to the mind and both it and the beast work together in order to live and to function.
The mind is the second part and it is with us once we begin to grow and learn, yet it is week and does not take hold until it is properly developed, however even when it is not properly developed it can still serve as an effective guide for correct and incorrect action as in the example of a child or the uneducated fool. Until the mind is developed the beast directs action alone and uninhibited. It tells us how to understand the wolrd from a perspective of knowledge and judgement.
The ego is the third part and it is with us from almost the very beginning win we start to feel emotion, it is the emotional desire which is suberservant to and is silinceable by the mind as well as the beast. The ego reacts either positivly or negativly to life events and the normal balance is usually positive but can be negative depending on circumstance. More often than not the beast will give into the ego, the mind however will only give into the ego if it allows itself to do so.................
For a proper happy and safe life these three must be balanced with ego on bottom and mind and beast on top as equal, lack of balance creates instability as well as a dangerous and ultimatly an unfortunate person. A proper balance is mind leading with knowledge and judgement guiding immediate and future desicion concerning self fulfilment, the beast leading with the instinct needed to make immediate and future desicion concerning survival and ego is the glue that makes it all work providing happiness as well as all other emotions along with motivation and a healthy sense of self worth.