As-Salaam alaikum,
Imam Sahl Ibn Abdullah al-Tustari (d. 896), a student of Dhul'l-Nun al-Misri (d. 860), described the human soul as a theater for the struggle between the luminous heart and the dense lower self. While the former is a positive force which inclines towards Allah Ta'ala, the latter is a negative force which turns man in the direction of his ego and disobedience.

Since the human being is pulled by these 2 opposing tendencies, the task of the spiritual seeker is to overcome the negative impulses of the lower soul and constantly return to the higher self and Allah through the transformative power of tawba..repentance..lots of Istigfar.