Understand a person better using Psychology - Part 1

Just some random post.

Today my colleague and I talked a bit about Sigmund Freud's Theory of Id, Ego and Superego. So I thought of sharing it with you guys. In addition, I will also be sharing the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs and Erik Erikson's 8 stages of Psychosocial Developement in different parts.

*finding my year 1 psychology lecture notes*

*found*
Id, Ego, and Superego

This theory, according to Freud describes ther personality of a person. Personality is defined as 'Individuals' unique and relatively stable patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings. Freud's approach in defining the personality is known as the Psychoanalytic Approach. In this theory, he emphasies on the unconscious forces and conflicts.

So what is Id?

Id consists of all of our primative and innate urges (e.g. bodily needs, sexual desire, aggressive impulses) and is totally unconscious. It operates on the Pleasure Principle ("I want it and I want it now!") and it demands immediate and total gratification, not capable of considering the potential costs (or not bothered about the consequences) of seeking the goal. Using transactional analysis, Id equates to "Child" or "devil of our body". When the Id is too strong, it bound up in self-gratification and uncaring to others.

Before we discussed about Ego, let me introduced you Superego, also known as the "angel of our body"


So what is Superego?

Superego is acquired from our parents and through experience and represents our internalization of the moral teachings and norms of our society. Some of these teachings are often quite inflexible and leave little room for gratification of our basis desires. It stores and enforces rules. It constantly strives for perfection, even though this perfection ideal may be quite far from reality or possibility. Its power to enforce rules comes from its ability to create anxiety.

Superego consists of 2 components: Ego ideal and Conscience, which operates on pride and gulit respectively. The Ego Ideal provides rules for good behaviour, and standards of excellence while the Conscience is the rules about what constitutes bad behaviour. When one's Superego is too strong, he/she will feel guilty all the time and may even have an insufferably saintly personality.


Then how about Ego?
Ego functions with the rational part of the mind. The Ego develops out of growing awareness that you can’t always get what you want. It operates according to the Reality Principle. The Ego realises the need for compromise and negotiates between the Id and the Superego. The Ego's job is to get the Id's pleasures but to be reasonable and bear the long-term consequences in mind. It is partly conscious. When one's Ego is too strong, he/she is extremely rational and efficient, but cold, boring and distant.


The constant Struggle


There will always be a constant struggle between out Id, Ego and Superego. We must always strike a balance between our primitive urges (Id) and our learned moral constraints (Superego). The constant struggle among this 3 plays a key role in personality and psychological disorder.


Defense Mechanism

To keep threathening and unacceptable material out of consciousness to reduce anxiety, the Ego used the following techiques:

• Sublimation: Unaccetable impulse is channeled into some socially acceptable action. E.g A person who is unable to have any children of her own, instead of going to kidnap one, she adopt one or becomes a teacher.

• Repression: "forgetting" or pushing unacceptable thoughts or impulses from consciousness into unconsciousness. E.g. A young man wishes that his abusive father would pass away, fails to remember that he has such a wish.

• Rationalization: Coming up with socially accepted reasons for thoughts or actions based on unacceptable motives. E.g. A young woman on diet ate an entire cake and explains that the cake will spoil in the warm weather.

• Displacement: Redirecting an emotional response from a dangerous object to a safe one. E.g. A man feels angry towards his boss but cannot direct the anger at him, instead he direct the anger towards his family.

• Projection: Transferring unacceptable motives or impulses to others. E.g. It's not because I dislike you but because you dislike me, so I dislike you.

• Regression: Responding to a threathening situation in a way appropriate to an earlier age or level of development. E.g. Instead of feeling helplessness when the doctor refused to administer addition medication, the patient throw a tantrum.

Food for thoughts

After this short explanations of Id, Ego and Superego, have you just realised that you might have understand a certain person better? Sometimes, when our emotions take over us, we just fail to look at a person at a deeper level than what he/she protrays to be, which often create misunderstandings.

Anyway, coincidently, I came across this quiz to see if I am an Id, Ego or Superego.

You Are the Superego

While some people may think first and act later... you often don't act at all. You rather be safe than sorry, and you take ethics pretty seriously. Like everyone, you have some pretty crazy desires. But unlike everyone, you restrain yourself. You have high standards for your own behavior. And you happily exceed them.

Are You Id, Ego, or Superego?

I don't know how true is it. Maybe it is true that I might have more Superego in me, as I seldom show my Id - my primitive desires..... and maybe resulted me to miss out certain opportunities.... Hmm.... In any way, please take the quiz with a pinch of salt. =)

*Most information taken from my lecture notes and http://wilderdom.com/personality/L8-4StructureMindIdEgoSuperego.html