Functions of Id, Ego and Superego
Freud breaks down our mental structures into
three parts.
·
Unconscious
·
Pre-conscious
·
Conscious
According to Freud, two things affect our behavior;
·
Childhood experiences
·
Unconscious desires
Look at this iceberg.
 |
| Conscious, Unconscious mind |
The top of the iceberg, which is above the
surface of the water, is the conscious part of our mind. So this is everything we
are aware of.
The bottom is the unconscious mind. The
unconscious is a lot larger than the conscious.
 |
| Id, Ego, Superego |
Id:
The first structure of our mind is the id. So the id is located in unconscious mind. And it's the unconscious part of our mind that makes up most of the mind. And it develops right after birth, and demands immediate gratification.
Ego:
Now, the second part of this structure is the ego.So the ego is part of our conscious and our unconscious mind. But the ego is involved in our perceptions, thoughts, and judgments. And it seeks long-term gratification as opposed to the id's immediate gratification.
Superego:
The superego develops around the age of four.
And it's our moral compass or our conscience.
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| Function of Id, Ego, Superego When Id does not get anything then it really becomes
upset, because it's demanding gratification isn't immediately getting it. We have the superego. Superego is preaching
to the id about what's moral. What about the ego Well, it's going to be in the middle. Because
the id wants gratification and it's going back and forth with the superego. So the ego is trying to gratify the id, but
it also has to take into account what the superego is saying. The superego is
moral oversight, which represents the values
of society. Ego is part of the conscious and the
unconscious minds. So it basically acts as a mediator between the unconscious desires
of the id and the moral demands of the superego. This is actually an example of
a mental conflict. |
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