Virtually all that we know about the ego function of protest rhetoric has come from studies of social movements such as ones fighting for the rights of women, workers, African‐Americans, and gays. Each of these movements is self‐directed in that (1) it is created, led, and populated primarily by those who perceive themselves to be dispossessed and (2) it is struggling primarily for personal
... [Show full abstract] freedom, equality, justice, and rights. But not all social movements are self‐directed. The animal rights and pro‐life movements, for example, appear to be other‐directed in that (1) they are created, led, and populated primarily by those who do not perceive themselves to be dispossessed and (2) they are struggling for the freedom, equality, justice, and rights of others rather than selves. This study compares the ego function in the rhetoric of three contemporary, other‐directed social movements to what we know about the ego function from studies of self‐directed social movements.