Id, Ego, Superego - personality structure according to Freud

The idea that a person’s inner world has a complex structure has existed for a long time. Even philosophers of the era of Antiquity and early Christianity identified three spheres: spirit, soul and mind or reason. Currently, the most popular and at the same time the most developed structure of the psyche is the model of S. Freud. It includes three levels - consciousness, unconscious and superconscious - and is the basis of the theory and practice of psychoanalysis.

Structural model of the psyche of S. Freud

Modern psychoanalysis differs in many ways from the classical teachings of Freud and is not a single entity, but includes a number of areas. However, there is something in common between them. And first of all, these are concepts such as “unconscious” (“id”, “it”), “consciousness” (“I”, “ego”) and “superconsciousness” (“super-I”, “super-ego”) . The interaction of these levels gives an idea of the processes occurring in the human psyche and their impact on his life.

The core of psychoanalysis can be considered the idea of the unconscious. By developing the theory of this area, S. Freud made a real revolution in psychology. However, he was not the discoverer of the concept itself. Back in the 17th century, G. Leibniz wrote about unconscious phenomena in the human psyche. True, from the point of view of modern science, his theory looks rather primitive. It comes down to the statement that the human soul perceives many things that the mind is not able to comprehend.

Taking this idea as a basis, Freud not only described in detail the functions of consciousness and the unconscious, but also identified another level, standing above consciousness and formed under the influence of society. This is the “super-ego” or superconsciousness. In a simplified form, it can be characterized as conscience or a set of social attitudes that influence human behavior and limit the manifestation of animal instincts and desires.

Each of these three levels or spheres performs its own functions in the human psyche.

Links[edit]

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The unconscious, or "it"

S. Freud called this level id, which can be translated from Latin as “this” and “something”, and in Russian psychology the concept “it” is more often used. The founder of psychoanalysis considered the unconscious to be the most important area of the psyche. It is innate in nature and is subject to biological, not social laws, because instincts and natural, mainly sexual, needs play a significant role in this area.

In many ways, the content of “it” is determined by hereditary factors. By the way, one of Freud’s followers, K. Jung, believed that the level of the unconscious is also connected with the ancestral memory of the ethnic group, and the archetypes of the collective unconscious are stored there - the most ancient prototypes that we inherited from our distant ancestors.

The content of the unconscious is quite diverse, and at this level there are not only archetypes, but also many other mental formations:

instincts;
natural, primarily sexual needs;
asocial (forbidden) desires repressed from the level of consciousness;
aggressive impulses and desires to dominate;
psychological complexes resulting from the unrealized energy of forbidden desires.

From the point of view of psychoanalysis, it is “it” that largely controls human behavior. If anything, most of the behavioral problems and communication difficulties we experience are related to this level. The whole point is that the unconscious is, as it were, focused on obtaining pleasure at any cost, and society introduces its own, often quite strict, restrictions into this process.

"Ego" - "I"

To denote the level of consciousness in psychoanalysis, the Latin concept ego is used - “I”. If the “id” is the animal nature, then the “ego” is the rational part of the psyche. These are all things that we are aware of, that we can manage and meaningfully regulate. Strange as it may seem at first glance, the volume of the “ego” is not too large compared to the “id”; the sphere of the conscious is much smaller than the region of the unconscious.

Although S. Freud himself paid less attention to the analysis of this level, its functions are not difficult to determine. These include the following:

assessment of the real situation;
analysis of meaningful information received by consciousness from external and internal sources;
making decisions;
control over their implementation;
partial understanding of desires and transforming them into actions or moving them to the level of the unconscious (displacement);
rationalization (explanation) of actions and actions.

In fact, the “I” is a mediator in the struggle between the “it” and the “super-ego”. This level of the psyche is constantly looking for a compromise between natural needs and the demands of society.

"Super-ego" or "super-ego"

Superego is a kind of superstructure over consciousness, which is formed during a person’s life under the influence of social norms, requirements, prohibitions - taboos. On the one hand, the “superego” allows us to distinguish between good and evil, good and bad, and to be aware of moral principles and ideals. But on the other hand, according to Freud, the “super-ego” limits a person’s freedom, driving him into the framework of generally accepted norms. Moral prohibitions prevent the satisfaction of natural needs and the manifestation of equally natural aggressiveness. This leads to various mental problems, such as neuroses.

To avoid a critical situation, a person’s consciousness, his “I”, invents various methods of compensation or sublimation - transforming the energy of forbidden desires into something more acceptable to society.

Manifestation

So, the Super-Ego is the social shell of the personality. The minds of many people are not active, and they perceive the surrounding reality not with their own, but with the collective mind. That is, a person’s personality is labeled as Super-Ego. This label is a criterion for how a person will be treated by society.

That is, if the Super-Ego is disharmonious, the reaction of others to the person will be negative. A person with a harmonious Super-Ego will always be understood, normally perceived and supported by others.

The negative reaction of society absorbs a huge amount of personal power and creates an uncomfortable and unpleasant environment around the person.

I am you, you are me

Another concept that is associated with the concept of ego is the alter ego or alternative ego. In simple words, an alter ego is a split personality. There are several types of alternative ego:

feminine, when a man clearly exhibits qualities characteristic of the feminine principle, which he considers his second true manifestation;
masculine: a woman believes that her second “I” is masculine;
dark: manifested in the uncontrolled use of obscene language, unpleasant character, selfishness, bad habits;

Photo by Matúš Kovačovský on Unsplash

identifying oneself with fictional heroes, characters from books, films.

Eid

It is innate because it helps the baby survive, that is, it ensures safety and satisfaction of basic needs. In fact, these are our instincts, primitive, but effective and vital. Have you noticed that you do some work automatically, while thinking about completely distant things that are more relevant at the moment? This is the manifestation of the id. It controls us, so much so that sometimes we are unable to cope with it, or we do not always monitor these manifestations.

When a person is hungry, he is unable to concentrate on the tasks at hand. He will not be able to think about anything, since his thoughts will be devoted to food. Do you find yourself daydreaming or daydreaming on an empty stomach about what you would eat if you had a choice? By the way, it is for this reason that it is not recommended to visit supermarkets and grocery stores if you have even the slightest feeling of hunger. A person will not be able to think critically and objectively examine the situation and evaluate it. And this threatens with unintentional expenses. And the products may be chosen completely different from what was previously planned.

In fact, it is an excellent marker; it allows you to notice in time that the body is in a state of frustration against the background of unmet needs. That is, what a person wants to eat, sleep, drink, relax, reproduce, and so on. But there are also disadvantages. If a person lived guided only by instincts, he would be no different from an ordinary animal, and would lose the status of a higher being.

Just imagine, you saw a beautiful thing on someone, and you instantly started taking it off because you liked it. We would snatch food almost from the mouth of the chewer and go to bed at the first signs of fatigue, regardless of where we are at the moment and whether there are conditions for rest. In general, they would turn into savages. And then there could be no talk of any civilized society.

Violations

Psychosis, by the way, develops precisely due to problems with this unbridled primitive energy. The individual loses contact with reality and other components of the personality, which is why he behaves at ease and primitively. He can no longer creatively adapt to different situations, and produces the same reactions to any stimulus. He is unable to understand what his body needs at the moment, as well as what others want and expect from him.

Due to these circumstances, a lot of tension arises, which is not so easy to contain. Therefore, cases of uncontrolled destructive aggression are not uncommon. It can be directed both at yourself and at those around you.

Those who have difficulty with this element may become desensitized to themselves. There is even a condition called alexithymia. A person diagnosed with it is unable to recognize feelings, both his own and those of others. Sometimes it seems to him that he does not know how to experience emotions at all. And indeed sometimes he looks a little distant. He doesn't know what he wants, he doesn't care what happens in the world around him. He does something out of inertia, relying only on the knowledge that this is necessary and correct. But whether you want it or not is not clear.

Formation.

The structure of a person’s Superego is formed (encoded) by his social name (full name), recorded in his passport or other document that determines his civil status. Therefore, stateless persons cannot become full members of society, i.e. their sociogram cannot be formed.

Thus, the personal name (full name) of a person determines the harmony of his superego. Any change of full name leads to a change in the structure of the superego and, accordingly, changes the social conditions of a person’s life, therefore the correct choice of full name is a very important condition for the formation of harmonious relationships between the individual and society.

Managing your life

In order to achieve balance in the manifestation of the influence of the ego in our lives, we must follow a few simple rules:

determine your own criteria for success and methodically move towards it;
don’t be a complete outsider, trying to swim against the current just for the sake of doing something contrary;
you should understand that the majority does not exist, there is only a specific person with whom you should interact;
anger and negativity must be transformed into creativity;
energy should not be spent on disappointment, but on the creative act.

How to detect influence

Selfish people are proud, vain, thirst for power and self-interest, aggressive competition. Their faithful companions are resentment, jealousy and envy. Passive egoists are cowardly, lazy, deceitful and hate others.

Getting rid of selfishness

It comes in two types: rational (sound) egoism and hedonism. Rational selfishness does not involve harming other people. To show your own individuality, there is no need to infringe on other people in any way. At the same time, hedonism is selfishness that causes harm to others. He is aimless, devoid of effectiveness. It is hedonism that requires its elimination or the search for a balance between it and healthy egoism.

Important! The main advice to help get rid of hedonism: “Do to people as you want them to do to you!”

Find out how to get rid of constant feelings of fear and anxiety.

Superego

Responsible for ideas about yourself and the world, people around you. That is, simply put, these are our attitudes, stereotypes, social roles, rules, norms of behavior, conscience, morality, identity, etc. You can learn more about how to develop morality, and indeed what this term means, by clicking.

These ideas are formed thanks to the ideals and values held by parents or figures with a certain authority for the individual. For example, a child who grew up around people with alcohol addiction may see nothing wrong with drinking a couple of bottles of beer every day.

Appears around the age of five. It tries to curb the id and force the ego to act according to accepted norms, ideal ideas. It is located both in consciousness and in the subconscious. And is an excellent behavior regulator. For example, a person knows that for some action he faces imprisonment and an unbearable feeling of guilt or shame. And then it’s easier for him to hold on than to later pay part of his life for a momentary desire.

Unfortunately, our ideas do not always correspond to reality and are useful. Some ideals really turn out to be impossible to realize, which is why the individual suffers and constantly experiences disappointment and powerlessness. Some of the rules are relevant for one group of people, and if you find yourself in a completely different community, a conflict of interest may arise.

This is why the balance and interaction of all elements is so important. The psyche, if it is not able to adapt to new conditions, will experience stress. And this affects the character of the individual. For example, those who are unable to bear responsibility for their actions and make choices are considered weak-willed. But unyielding, or if the ego is too strong, and although it is able to withstand stress, then it cannot adapt to changes.

We are not unique..

Let us first find out what is meant by “ego”. The meaning of the word seems to be simple: from Latin it is translated as “I” and, according to the theory of a number of psychoanalysts, is one of the components of the personality structure. Simply put, it is a set of our thoughts, beliefs, our daily habits. We always turn to our own “collection” of thoughts in order to make this or that decision, evaluate something, make a choice, thereby turning life in a certain direction. We often claim, and we ourselves firmly believe in it, that all thoughts are our own, when in fact most of them came to us from friends, family members, colleagues, acquaintances and even strangers. In order for a truly original idea to arise in your head, you need to engage in deep introspection for a very long time. But in everyday life it is difficult for us to do this, so we simply accept what is given to us. Agree, we are forced to keep up with fashion, religion, and ideals that are popular today. Those who seem to stand out from the general mass are looked upon as outcasts or eccentrics. We usually support our positions with statements such as: “But everyone else thinks...” or “What will people think...”. Essentially, this brings us back to the position that in psychology is called “herd mentality.”

Article information

This article was co-authored by. Trudy Griffin is a licensed psychotherapist in Wisconsin. She received her master's degree in clinical psychotherapy from Marquette University in 2011.

Category: Health

In other languages:

English: Understand the Male Ego, Español: entender el ego masculino, Português: Entender o Ego Masculino, Italiano: Capire l'Ego Maschile, Deutsch: Das männliche Ego verstehen, Français: comprendre l'égo masculin, Bahasa Indonesia: Memahami Ego Pria , Tiếng Việt: Hiểu cái tôi của đàn ông, ไทย: เข้าใจอีโก้แบบผู้ชาย, العر بية: فهم الأنا الذكورية, Nederlands: Het mannelijk ego begrijpen

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Psychosexual stages of personality development

Psychoanalytic developmental theory is based on two premises. First, or genetic

premise, emphasizes that early childhood experiences play a critical role in the formation of adult personality.
Freud was convinced that the basic foundation of an individual's personality is laid at a very early age, before the age of five. The second premise is that a person is born with a certain amount of sexual energy (libido), which then develops through several psychosexual stages
rooted in the instinctive processes of the body.

Freud has a hypothesis about four successive stages of personality development: oral, anal, phallic and genital

.
In the general scheme of development, Freud also included the latent period, which occurs between approximately 6-7 years of a child’s life and the onset of puberty. But, strictly speaking, the latent period is not a stage. The first three stages of development cover the age from birth to five years and are called pregenital
stages, since the genital area has not yet acquired a dominant role in the development of personality. The fourth stage coincides with the beginning of puberty. The names of the stages are based on the names of the areas of the body whose stimulation leads to a discharge of libidinal energy. The table describes the stages of psychosexual development according to Freud.

Stages of psychosexual development according to Freud

Age period	Libido concentration zone	Tasks and experience appropriate for this level of development
Oral	0 -18 months	Mouth (sucking, chewing, biting)	Weaning (from the breast). Separating oneself from the mother's body
Anal	Anus (holding or pushing out feces)	Toilet training (self-control)
Phallic	Genitals (masturbation)	Identification with same-sex adults who serve as role models
Latent	Absent (sexual inactivity)	Expanding social contacts with peers
Genital	Puberty (puberty)	Genital organs (capacity for heterosexual relations)	Establishing intimate relationships or falling in love; making your labor contribution to society

Since Freud's emphasis was on biological factors, all stages are closely related to erogenous zones, that is, sensitive areas of the body that function as loci of expression of libidinal impulses. Erogenous zones include the ears, eyes, mouth (lips), breasts, anus and genitals.

The term “psychosexual” emphasizes that the main factor determining personality development is the sexual instinct

, progressing from one erogenous zone to another throughout a person’s life. According to Freud's theory, at each stage of development, a certain area of the body strives for a certain object or action in order to produce pleasant tension. The social experience of an individual, as a rule, brings to each stage a certain long-term contribution in the form of acquired attitudes, traits and values.

The logic of Freud's theoretical constructions is based on two factors: frustration and over-concern

. In cases of frustration, the child's psychosexual needs (for example, sucking, biting and chewing) are suppressed by parents or caregivers and therefore are not optimally satisfied. If parents are overprotective, the child is given few opportunities (or none at all) to manage his own internal functions (for example, to exercise control over excretory functions). For this reason, the child develops a feeling of dependence and incompetence. In any case, as Freud believed, the result is an excessive accumulation of libido, which subsequently, in adulthood, can be expressed in the form of “residual” behavior (character traits, values, attitudes) associated with the psychosexual stage at which frustration or overprotectiveness occurred .