Want to learn the ideas in The Alter Ego Effect better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman here.

Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.

Video Summaries of The Alter Ego Effect

We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on The Alter Ego Effect, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Todd Herman.

1-Page Summary of The Alter Ego Effect

An Alter Ego can make you more resilient and unlock your Hero Self.

When he was younger, Bo Jackson had a lot of anger issues. He dealt with it by creating an alter ego named Jason, based on the main character in the _Friday the 13th _movie franchise. The alter ego helped him deal with his emotions and enabled him to be more successful at football. He also realized that people play many roles throughout their lives: they can be heroes or villains; there are times when we need to let our inner demons out and other times when we need to keep them locked away so that we don’t hurt others or ourselves.

People often get Superman and Clark Kent confused. However, they are actually opposites of each other. Superman is the core self, while Clark Kent is his alter ego who he uses to fit in with society.

The term alter ego was used by Roman philosopher Cicero in the first century BC. It translates as “the other I,” and he refers to it as a trusted friend. People can use their imagination to create alternate identities for themselves, which helps them overcome challenges that they might otherwise have trouble with. For example, athletes often struggle with being judged and criticized, but using an object such as glasses can help them transform into their Hero Self (a persona that is more easily able to deal with those issues).

The Core Self is where your aspirations reside, along with the motivation to act on them.

Ian gave up playing tennis as a young boy because he couldn’t separate his identity from the game. When he lost, to him that meant he was a failure as a human being. He didn’t understand that he wasn’t bringing his most intentional self to the court. To get to the heart of intentionality, you must understand that you have an intrinsic motivator which pushes you toward achieving your goals and dreams.

Everyone has many layers. The Core Self is your potential, but the Core Driver Layer most motivates you to do something greater. This can be your family, community or nation. Your Belief Layer is how you perceive the world around you according to your attitudes and beliefs. The Action Layer holds the skills and knowledge that you’ve developed over time; it determines how you behave in the Field of Play (the context).

Your Trapped Self exists in the Ordinary World. Your Hero Self exists in the Extraordinary World.

You live in a world of opposites. They are necessary to delineate how your core self divides its time. The enemy lurks in the ordinary world and tries to sabotage you from reaching your full potential. You have two selves: one that feels trapped, and another heroic self that the alter ego protects from harm.

The Heroic Self is a positive attitude that allows you to fight the Enemy. The Alter Ego helps deal with life’s problems and expand your Heroic Self. Your actions are what define you, not your intentions. Some people find their Alter Ego to be their “truest self.” It adapts to each role they play in life. Define the Field of Play (personal or professional) that most frustrates them, then develop an Alter Ego for it.

Moments of Impact signal what skills, traits, attitudes and beliefs you need to get the outcomes you want.

Shaun needed help to improve his sales at a large firm. He wanted to be the best, and he knew that he could do it if only he had a plan. To do that, he needed to think about what opportunities were available for him in the field of play (where people work). He also needed to think about what moments of impact would determine whether or not he succeeded in meeting his goals. Shaun’s moments of impact included taking shots at hoop (business), making speeches and even saying “I love you.”