The theoretical position of this paper is that the essential character of the ego-ideal, a part of superego functioning, is unconscious, universal, and The root of the unconscious ego-ideal is the infantile illusion of omnipotence and feelings intimately connected with this state. For the infant, the essence of reality is his or her own weakness and dependency on the mother, which shatters this blissful fantasy. Narrowing the hiatus between feeling all powerful and feeling helpless is a lifelong struggle. This paper will focus on this phenomenon in analytic group therapy, its appearance as an entity, and therapeutic attempts to bring the ego and the unconscious ego-ideal into a more realistic and harmonious balance. In a former paper, I stressed the important role of the group leader in this process (Edwards, 1983); now I wish to attend more exclusively to the group members' contributions to this process.The theoretical position of my presentation is that the essential character of the ego-ideal, a part of super-ego functioning, is unconscious and functions Copyright,