The Id, Ego and Superego.

When I sit down to write this article is Tuesday March 9, 2020. Late afternoon. I will be continuous today of Freud’s Psychoanalytical thinking, including the Id, Ego & Superego

You can listen to this post on my podcast.

Continuity of Freud’s Psychoanalytic Thinking, Including Id, Ego, and Superego

In the 1920s, Sigmund Freud named the three parts of the human mind that were the basis of the personality structure. Freud called it Id, which deals with the principle of pleasure. The ego was related to the reality principle and conscious as full superego consciousness, which is related to the morality principle as pre-conscious and subconscious beyond our consciousness and is unavailable. All of them have played a vital role in the function of our behaviour and each of them is in a conflict beyond human consciousness.

ID

The Id component is with us from birth and can be inherited. It is completely unaware and includes instinctive and primitive behaviour. Our psychoanalytic Freud believed that Id is the main ingredient of nature. Guided by the principle of pleasure, interestingly, if we vented our Id, an element of our psyche could lead to socially unacceptable and burdensome behaviour. As Freud’s psychoanalytic hypothesis of personality indicates, Id is a segment of identity consisting of unconscious mystical vitality that attempts to satisfy fundamental desires and need. Id works on the principle of joy, which requires immediate satisfaction. Id is one of the three unusual parts of identity that Freud hypothesized. Id is essential for young children as it allows them to make sure that their basic needs such as food or drink are being met. Id functions are found in the irrational and emotional part of the mind. After birth, your baby’s brain is loaded with a full ID for all your baby’s needs. It is helpful for the survival of a living organism, and in the human and animal world, ID acts as a self-preserving instinct. It is difficult to imagine a life or ordinary existence without it.

Ego.

Freud argued that the Ego mediates the demands of the Id and the Superego, finding an intermediate path that is realistic in the world around. The ego is an assembly with three different levels of consciousness and it develops in the first three years of life. The ego is the conscious and rational aspect of the mind. In addition, it is an element of the personality that is responsible for dealing with reality and tries to satisfy Id’s wishes in realistic and socially appropriate alternatives. The ego prevents us from acting on our basic urges but also works to achieve balance with our moral and idealistic standards. The ego focuses on a more rational, problem-solving state of mind and will try to think through solutions until the problem is resolved. This is sometimes referred to as “reality testing.”

Without our ego, we would have remained in the past and our conservative functions would have remained primal and undeveloped. One can here consider the morality of the Ego, although I believe that opinions can be divided and there will be people who testify that it is the ego that created morality.

Superego

This aspect of the personality, called the Superego, is the last to develop and appears when the child is about five years old; it contains the standards and ideals that a child adopts from our guardians. He tries to suppress Id’s urges and make the Ego act idealistically rather than realistically. The superego also works on all three levels of consciousness. The superego deals with self-criticism, self-observation and idealism. The superego becomes the embodiment of parental and social values. It stores and enforces the rules. It constantly strives for perfection, even though this idea of perfection may be far from reality or the ability of individuals. However, this element of our psyche will be work on implementing new laws and behaviours. This work will come from the ability to induce anxiety, the end result will be turned back into the perfectionism of the surrounding morality and ethics.

When talking about Id, Ego, and Superego, it is important to remember that they are not three separate beings with clearly defined boundaries. These aspects of personality are dynamic and always interact with people, affecting the individual’s overall personality and behaviour.

For fun and greater understanding, ask two more people to do this exercise. Let’s say you are Ego. Your Id may be on the left and a superego on the right. Now both Id and Superego start talking to you aloud at the same time on the same topics.

They both have different opinions because they were built on different core beliefs and values.
Do you remember?
You are the EGO and you have to make the right decision.

Finally, you see the hard work our Ego. 🙂

Just on the end …

The horse is the Id, and the rider is like ego which controls the movement. (Freud, 1923, p.15)