Sigmund Freud believed that human personality consisted of three components: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is the part of the personality that includes such basic biological impulses or drives as eating, drinking, eliminating wastes, avoiding pain, attaining sexual pleasure, and aggression. The id operates on the "pleasure principle," seeking to satisfy these basic urges immediately with no regard to consequences. Only when tempered through interaction with the ego (reality) and superego (conscience) does the id conform to what is considered socially acceptable behavior. According to Freud, anxiety is caused by the conflict between the id's powerful impulses and the modifying forces of the ego and superego. The more id-driven impulses are stifled through physical reality or societal norms, the greater the level of anxiety. People express their anxiety in various ways, including nervousness, displaced aggression, and serious anxiety disorders. Healthy personalities are those that have learned to balance the id, ego and superego forces.
Atkinson, Rita L.; Richard C. Atkinson; Edward E. Smith; and Ernest R. Hilgard. Introduction to Psychology. 9th ed. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987. Zimbardo, Philip G. Psychology and Life. 12th ed. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1988. (Last Updated On: January 22, 2022) Sigmund Freud suggested that human personality was made up of three key elements. He called these the id, the ego, and the superego. According to Freud, it was the interaction of these three parts of personality that influence how people behave. The id is what drives our needs and desires and the superego strives for morality and perfection. The ego is the mediator between the two that tries to fulfill the needs of both the id and the superego while accounting for the demands of reality. In order to understand Freud’s theory, it is important to understand how he described each of these components of personality. This article describes Freud’s theory of the id, ego, and superego and explores how these three aspects of personality interact. Read more: What Is Personality Psychology What Is the Id?Freud believed that the id was the most basic and primal part of personality. It is the only part of personality that is present at birth. The id controls all of a person’s instinctual behaviors. Since the id is primitive and instinctual, it operates on an unconscious level. Also, it is guided by what Freud referred to as the pleasure principle. The pleasure principle works to pursue the immediate gratification of any need or desire that a person has. For example, feelings of hunger produce an immediate desire for food. When these needs are not met, people may experience feelings of anxiety, tension, or unease. Not every need or want that a person experiences can be satisfied immediately. If you were to try to satisfy an urge at the wrong time in the wrong setting, you might find yourself behaving in ways that are inappropriate or socially unacceptable. What Is the Ego?Freud described the ego as a part of personality that allows the id’s desires to be expressed in a way that is realistic and acceptable. The ego develops from the id, but has been modified by the influence of the real-world. It operates on what Freud described as the reality principle. Where the id’s demands are unconscious, unrealistic, or at times unacceptable, the ego’s goal is to fulfill those desires in a way that accounts for reality. This means assessing the situation and weighing the pros and cons of taking an action. Freud compared the relationship of the ego and id to that of a rider and horse. The horse is the powerful force that propels the two forward, but it is the rider that controls the direction and course that they follow. In some cases, this might simply mean waiting to fulfill a need until you are in the right time and place, a process known as delayed gratification. For example, if you are tired, the ego would keep you from taking a nap until you are at home in a bed instead of drifting off in the middle of the work day. What Is the Superego?The superego is part of personality that strives for moral behavior. It is made up of all the internalized beliefs, values, and morals that people learn from their parents and from their society. It is the last component of personality to form and usually begins to emerge sometime between the ages of three and five. The superego plays an important role in decision-making and judgments. Freud suggested that the superego is made up of two components:
The goal of the superego is to suppress the primitive urges of the id. If the superego had its way, you would live up to the high idealistic standards without ever giving into the urges and demands of the primal id. How the Id, Ego, and Superego InteractThe id, ego, and superego don’t function separately and independently. Instead, they overlap and interact in a variety of ways to influence how people think, feel, and behave. These forces are also dynamic and always shifting. Sometimes the demands of the id might take precedence. In other cases, it might be the superego that takes the lead. In every situation, the ego serves as the mediator trying to strike a balance between the demands of the id, the superego, and reality. Ego strength is what Freud called the ego’s ability to effectively manage these competing forces. Having poor ego strength means that you might give in to your impulses more frequently while having too much might mean an inability to adapt and compromise. Read More: What Is a Type A Personality? InfluenceIt is important to recognize that Freud’s concept of the id, ego, and superego is a theory and not actual physical regions of the human brain. Freud’s theories are generally viewed as interesting but flawed by today’s standards. However, researchers have also pointed out that the id, ego, and superego described by Freud are closely aligned to the concepts of the unconscious, conscious, and metacognition structure of the mind that is currently studied in the field of neuroscience. Frequently Asked QuestionsHow are the id, ego, and superego related to one another?Freud believed that each of these three components of personality represents a distinct component, but that they interact with one another to form an individual’s personality and direct behavior. The id provides the drives for behavior, the superego strives for moral perfection, while the ego works to strike a balance between those two needs and the demands of reality. A healthy, well-functioning personality is all about striking a need between the id, ego, and superego. What is the difference between the id and the ego?The id represents all of a person’s most basic primal urges. Left unchecked, the id would direct a person to fulfill all of their desires with no consideration for reality or the consequences of their actions. The ego is the part of personality that must account for reality. It helps restrain the desires of the id and fulfill these urges in ways that are realistic and socially appropriate. What is the difference between the ego and the superego?The ego is realistic, whereas the superego is idealistic. SummaryFreud’s id, ego, and superego describe different aspects of personality that interact to help shape human behavior. This theory suggests that the id is made up of basic instincts and that the superego is made up of internalized moral ideals. The ego is the part of personality that deals with reality and manages the demands of both the id and superego. Sources: Bargh JA, Morsella E. The unconscious mind. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2008;3(1):73-9. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6916.2008.00064.x Churchill R, Moore TH, Davies P, et al. Psychodynamic therapies versus other psychological therapies for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(9):CD008706. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008706 Freud S. Beyond the Pleasure Principle. SE. 1920;18:1-64. Freud S. The Ego and the Ed. SE. 1923;19:1-66. Schalkwijk F. A new conceptualization of the conscience. Front Psychol. 2018;9:1863. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01863
 The Id: The id is the very immature component of personality. It operates only on the pleasure principal with no regard for anything else. One could say that it is completely instinctual. Freud referred to the id as the reservoir of psychic energy. It only consists of our basic biological needs. To eat, sleep, defecate, etc... The id is only a primary process thinker, so it is primitive, irrational, and illogical. Example: Jack is walking down the street and he is very hungry. He only has an id so when he sees an apple pie cooling in a window, he takes it for himself. The Superego: The superego is our morals, principals, and ethics. It considers the social standards for social behavior and guides us on what is right and wrong. The superego begins to develop between 3 and 5 years of age. It is mostly shaped by what we learn as young children from adults. Eventually we accept this training as a part of who we are. We put pressure on ourselves to live up to how we think we should behave. Example: Jack is walking down the street and he is very hungry. He only has a superego so when he sees an apple pie cooling in a window, he does nothing. His superego tells him that it is someone's pie and that it is not acceptable to trespass on someones property and take their pie. The Ego: The ego is the moderator between the ego and the superego. It operates on the reality principal. It makes the decisions that dictate behavior. The ego also considers social realities, norms, ediquette, rules, and customs when it makes a decision on how to behave. It seeks to delay gratification of the id's urges until appropriate outlets can be found. It uses secondary process thinking to avoid negative consequences from society. Example: Using the examples from above, Jack's ego would tell him that he should not take the pie from the windowsill, but instead he can buy some pie right up the street at the local grocery store. Page 2 |
What is Id Ego superego in personality?
Pos Terkait
Copyright © 2024 ketiadaan Inc.
