Ego, Id, and Superego!

“Das Es,” “das Über-Ich,” and “das Ich,” as called by Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud has proven to be one of his most significant insights into the human psyche (personality). These three very different constructs of Freud’s psychoanalytic personality theory handle certain parts of behavior, often conflicting in the process. We are not, however, born with these three “characters,” rather we develop them with age. The Id, Ego, and Superego are best represented alongside the following Iceberg Model.

A newborn child has only the Id in its early life. It is very primitive and instinctive, responding directly to instincts and needs. As you can see, the Id is completely present in the unconscious mind; it operates purely on pleasure or lack thereof. Throughout a person’s lifetime, the Id will not experience developments or growth with time or experience. It will continue to be selfish and instinctual, unaffected by morality and the world around it; thus, it is described as the devil perched on your shoulder.

The so-called shoulder angel is the Superego, which develops between the ages of 3 and 5. The Superego’s main purpose is to act as a moral conscience, one that opposes and controls the impulses of the Id. It has two parts, first of which is the conscience. The conscience punishes or rewards the ego with feelings of guilt or pride. The second part of the Superego is the ideal self, which is the ideal or perfect version of yourself and who you should be, even if it is fairly unrealistic. It is present in the preconscious mind just beneath the conscious mind on the iceberg, meaning that while it is not currently in a person’s thoughts and memories at that point in time, the “voice” of the Superego can easily be recalled.

When you have the conflicting forces of the Id and the Superego, the Ego is necessary to act as a mediator between these two characters. It works by compromising to the desires of the Id but doing so in manner that is socially acceptable. Despite also wanting pleasure, the ego strives for the most realistic way possible to do so. Therefore it can be said that the ego is “driven by the Id and confined by the Superego" (tvtropes.org). The ego is closest to the conscious mind although it does “float” between levels as noted in the image. Another important association with the Ego is “Ego Strength,” or the ability to function among these conflicting forces. It is best to have moderate ego strength as too little will lead to being torn and conflicted by these pressures, and too much may be cold, boring, and distant.

www.simplypsychology.org