Sigmund Freud: The Id, Ego and Superego
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| Sigmund Freud |
Sigmund Freud Biography(1856-1939)
Sigmund Freud was born May 6, 1856
He died September 23, 1939
Life and Career:
When he was young, Sigmund Freud’s family moved from Frieberg,
Moravia to Vienna where he would spend most of his life. His parents taught him
at home before entering him in Spurling Gymnasium, where he was first in his
class and graduated Summa cum Laude.
After studying medicine at the University of Vienna, Freud
worked and gained respect as a physician. Through his work with respected
French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, Freud became fascinated with the
emotional disorder known as hysteria. Later, Freud and his friend and mentor Dr. Josef Breuer
introduced him to the case study of a patient known as Anna O., who was really a woman named Bertha Pappenheim. Her
symptoms included a nervous cough, tactile anesthesia and paralysis. Over the
course of her treatment, the woman recalled several traumatic experiences,
which Freud and Breuer believed contributed to her illness.
The two physicians concluded that there was no organic cause for
Anna O's difficulties, but that having her talk about her experiences had a
calming effect on the symptoms. Freud and Breuer published the work Studies
in Hysteria in 1895. It was Bertha Pappenheim herself who referred to the
treatment as "the talking cure."
Later works include The
Interpretation of Dreams (1900) and Three
Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905). These works became world famous,
but Freud’s theory of psychosexual stages has long been a subject of criticism
and debate. While his theories are often viewed with skepticism, Freud’s work
continues to influence psychology and many other disciplines to this day.
Influence:
Freud also influenced many other prominent psychologists,
including his daughter Anna
Freud, Melanie
Klein, Karen
Horney, Alfred Alder, Erik
Erikson, and Carl
Jung.
Contributions to Psychology:
Regardless of the perception of Sigmund Freud’s theories, there
is no question that he had an enormous impact on the field of psychology. His
work supported the belief that not all mental illnesses have physiological
causes and he also offered evidence that cultural differences have an impact on
psychology and behavior. His work and writings contributed to our understanding
of personality, clinical
psychology, human development and abnormal
psychology.
The Id, Ego and Superego
The Structural Model of
Personality
According to Sigmund
Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality,
personality is composed of three elements. These three elements of
personality--known as the id, the ego and the superego--work together to create
complex human behaviors.
The id is the only component of personality that is present from
birth. This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes of the
instinctive and primitive behaviors. 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. For example,
an increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt to eat or
drink. The id is very important early in life, because it ensures that an infant's
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 even possible. If we were ruled entirely by the pleasure principle,
we might find ourselves grabbing things we want out of other people's hands to
satisfy our own cravings. This sort of behavior would be both 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 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 operates based on the reality
principle, which strives to satisfy the id's
desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways. The reality principle
weighs 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 of delayed gratification--the ego will eventually allow the behavior,
but only in the appropriate time and place.
The ego also discharges 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 last component of personality to develop is the superego.
The superego is the aspect of personality that holds all of our internalized
moral standards and ideals that we acquire from both parents and society--our
sense of right and wrong. The superego provides guidelines for making
judgments. 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 behaviors.
These behaviors 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 behaviors are often
forbidden and lead to bad consequences, punishments or feelings of guilt and
remorse.
The superego acts to perfect and civilize our behavior. It works
to suppress all unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act
upon idealistic standards rather that upon realistic principles. The superego
is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious.
The Interaction of the
Id, Ego and Superego
With so many competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict
might arise between the id, ego and superego. Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego's ability to function despite these
dueling forces. A person with good ego strength is able to effectively manage
these pressures, while those with too much or 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.
The
Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud
The Bottom Line
If you are interested in Sigmund
Freud or dream
interpretation, this is a must-have text for
your collection. As one of Freud's earliest books, the theories and ideas
described within The Interpretation of Dreams helped set the stage for
psychoanalytic theory.
Pros
This classic text is probably the best-known book on dream
interpretation.
Freud was a prolific writer, and his work is always engaging and
intriguing.
The case studies Freud describes present a glimpse into his
psychoanalytic work.
Cons
The research described in The Interpretation of Dreams lacks
scientific rigor.
Many of Freud’s ideas have received little or no substantiation
from current dream research.
Freud's theories have not faired well, especially in recent
decades.
Description
The book is the classic text on dream analysis and
interpretation.
Freud introduces many key concepts that would later become central to psychoanalysis.
Emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind, which is one of the underlying principles in Freudian psychology.
Guide Review - The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud
The Interpretation of Dreams stands as a unique and
classic work in the history of psychology. No matter what you may think of
Sigmund Freud’s psychological theories, the cultural impact and historical
importance of this book are without question. For those interested in dream
research, this book serves as an excellent introduction to many of his major
ideas.
Freud was an incredibly prolific writer, publishing more than 320 different books, articles, and essays. Out of this impressive body of work, Freud described The Interpretation of Dreams as his personal favorite as well has his most significant contribution to the understanding of human thought. "[It] contains… the most valuable of all the discoveries it has been my good fortune to make. Insight such as this falls to one's lot but once in a lifetime," he explained.
Freud was an incredibly prolific writer, publishing more than 320 different books, articles, and essays. Out of this impressive body of work, Freud described The Interpretation of Dreams as his personal favorite as well has his most significant contribution to the understanding of human thought. "[It] contains… the most valuable of all the discoveries it has been my good fortune to make. Insight such as this falls to one's lot but once in a lifetime," he explained.
Originally published in German under the title Die Traumdeutung in November of 1899, initial sales for The Interpretation of Dreams were slow and disappointing.
The book outlines Freud’s belief that dreams are highly symbolic, containing both overt meanings (manifest content) as well as underlying, unconscious thoughts (latent content). Dreams, he suggested, are our unconscious wishes in disguise. Despite Freud’s tendency to over-generalize, his lack of scientific evidence, his overemphasis on sex, and his frequently chauvinistic viewpoints, this seminal work remains important in the history of psychology. The Interpretation of Dreams marked the beginning of psychoanalysis and is a fascinating text revealing Freud’s unique talent as a writer and ambitious theorist.
The Id, Ego and Superego
The Interpretation of Dreams
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