Sigmund Freud argued that the creation of civilisation has resulted in the repression of basic human instincts. Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality states that personality is composed of three elements. These elements of personality known as the id, the ego and the superego work together to create complex human behaviours.
The Id
- The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth.
- This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes the instancing and primitive behaviours.
- According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality.
The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension. E.g. an increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt to eat or drink. This is very important in early life, because it ensures that an infants needs are met. If the infant is hungry or uncomfortable, he or she will cry until the demands of the id are met.
However, immediately satisfying these needs is not always realistic or possible. If we were ruled entirely by the pleasure principle, we might find ourselves grabbing things we want out of other peoples hands to satisfy our own cravings. This behaviour would be disruptive and socially unacceptable. According to Freud, the id tries to resolve the tension created by the pleasure principle through the primary process, which involves forming a mental image of the desired object as a way of satisfying the need.
The Ego
The Superego
However, immediately satisfying these needs is not always realistic or possible. If we were ruled entirely by the pleasure principle, we might find ourselves grabbing things we want out of other peoples hands to satisfy our own cravings. This behaviour would be disruptive and socially unacceptable. According to Freud, the id tries to resolve the tension created by the pleasure principle through the primary process, which involves forming a mental image of the desired object as a way of satisfying the need.
The Ego
- The ego is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality.
- According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world.
- The ego functions in both the conscious, preconscious and unconscious mind.
The ego operated based on the reality principle, which strives to satisfy the id's desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways. The reality principle weights the costs and benefits of an action before deciding to act upon or abandon impulses. In many cases, the id's impulses can be satisfied through a process or delayed gratification, the ego will eventually allow the behaviour, but only in the appropriate time and place.
The ego also discharged tension created by unmet impulses through the secondary process, in which the ego tries to find an object in the real world that matches the mental image created by the id's primary process.
The ego also discharged tension created by unmet impulses through the secondary process, in which the ego tries to find an object in the real world that matches the mental image created by the id's primary process.
The Superego
- The superego is the aspect of personality that holds all of our internalised moral standards and ideals that we acquire from both parents and society. Our sense of right and wrong.
- The superego provides guidelines for making judgements.
- According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five.
There are two parts of the superego:
- The ego ideal includes the rules and standards for good behaviours. These behaviours include those which are approved of by parental and other authority figures. Obeying these rules leads to feelings of pride, value and accomplishment.
- The conscience includes information about things that are viewed as bad by parents and society. These behaviours are often forbidden and lead to bad consequences, punishments or feelings of guilt and remorse.
The superego acts to perfect and civilise our behaviour. It works to suppress all unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards rather than upon realistic principles. The superego is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious.
Interaction between the Id, Ego and Superego
With multiple competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict may arise between the id, ego and superego. Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego's ability to function despite these duelling forces. A person with good ego strength is able to effectively manage these pressures, whilst those with too much of too little ego strength can become too unyielding or too disrupting. According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance between the id, the ego and the superego.
With multiple competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict may arise between the id, ego and superego. Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego's ability to function despite these duelling forces. A person with good ego strength is able to effectively manage these pressures, whilst those with too much of too little ego strength can become too unyielding or too disrupting. According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance between the id, the ego and the superego.
No comments:
Post a Comment