Battle of egos
A battle of egos is a phrase used metaphorically in an often pejorative manner to describe competitions that are based on pride and often entail prodigious and arrogant demonstrations of prowess. This type of dueling, which is conceptually similar to a pissing contest, is often seen as an arrogant way to determine who is the "bigger man" by a competitive methodology that is not especially productive. This colloquial usage differs from the psychological concept of the "ego and superego#Ego|ego]," which, according to psychoanalytic theory, refers to the rational part of the personality that mediates between the id, superego, and reality.