Ego, Id, Super-Ego

[Ready for Fall 2026]

Modified: 2026-08-03 8:46 PM CDST

• The structure of the personality in psychoanalytic theory is threefold.
  • Freud divided it into:
    • the id,
    • the ego,
    • the superego.
  • Only the ego was visible or on the surface, while the id and the superego remained below, but each has its own effects on the personality, nonetheless.

• The id represents biological forces.
  • It is also a constant in the personality as it is always present.
    • The id is governed by the "pleasure principle", or the notion of hedonism (the seeking of pleasure).
  • Early in the development of his theory Freud saw sexual energy only, or the libido, or the life instinct, as the only source of energy for the id.
    • It was this notion that gave rise to the popular conception that psychoanalysis was all about sex, sex, sex.
  • After the carnage of World War I, however, Freud felt it necessary to add another instinct, or source of energy, to the id.
    • So, he proposed thanatos, the death instinct.
    • Thanatos accounts for the instinctual violent urges of humankind.
    • Obviously, the rest of the personality would have somehow to deal with these two instincts.
  • Notice how Hollywood has capitalized on the id.
    • Box office success is positivelycorrelated with movies that stress either sex, violence, or both.
• The ego is the surface of the personality, the part you show the world.
  • The ego is governed by the "reality principle ," or a pragmatic approach to the world.
    • For example, a child may want to snitch a cookie from the kitchen, but will not if a parent is present.
    • Id desires are still present, but the ego realizes the consequences of such brazen cookie theft.
  • The ego develops with experience, and accounts for developmental differences in behavior.
    • For example, parents expect 3-month infants to cry until fed, but, they also expect 3-year-olds to stop crying when told they will be fed.
• The superego consists of two parts, the conscience and the ego-ideal.
  • The conscience is the familiar metaphor of angel and devil on each shoulder.
    • The conscience decides what course of action one should take.
  • The ego-ideal is an idealized view of one's self.
    • Comparisons are made between the ego-ideal and one's actual behavior.
  • Both parts of the super-ego develop with experience with others, or via social interactions.
  • According to Freud, a strong super-ego serves to inhibit the biological instincts of the id, while a weak super-ego gives in to the id's urgings.
    • Further, the levels of guilt in the two cases above will be high and low, respectively.
• The tripartite structure above was thought to be dynamic, changing with age and experience.
  • Aspects of adult behavior such as smoking, neatness, and need for sexual behavior were linked to the various stages by fixation.
    • To Freud, fixation is a measure of the effort required to travel through any particular stage, and those great efforts in childhood were reflected in adult behavior.
  • Fixation can also be interpreted as the learning of pattens or habits.
    • Part of the criticism of psychoanalysis was that fixation could be interpreted in diametrically opposite fashion.
    • For example, fixation in the anal stage could lead to excessive neatness or sloppiness.
    • As noted elsewhere Neil Simon's play, "The Odd Couple", is a celebration of anal fixation, with Oscar and Felix representing the two opposite ends of the fixation continuum (Oscar-sloppy, Felix-neat).
    • In this video, Oscar finds Felix cleaning the apartment and puts a stop to it. CLICK HERE