Lesson 1: Psychology – A Look into the Past
4 - Sigmund Freud’s Theories of Personality
Besides the study of dreams, Freud made a valuable contribution to the study of human behaviour by outlining his theory of personality. According to Freud, the total personality has three main areas: the id, the ego, and the superego.
The id is the primary source of psychic energy that gives drive to achieve goals, to meet basic needs, and to survive. The id is more closely in touch with the body and its needs than it is with the outside world. The energy within the id that is the life instincts or the forces which drive a person to fill positive stimulation is the libido. The libido focuses on the pleasure principle to reduce tension in our lives and give us satisfaction through basic body requirements such as eating, eliminating body wastes, and sexual gratification.
 The id is both powerful and impulsive. For example, you may observe the behaviour of a young child who wants a candy or a cookie. The infant will reach for it and cry if the treat is not given immediately. The id is strongly asserting its demands. As the individual matures and the personality develops, some of the energy originating in the id is diverted into the two other systems of the personality–the ego and superego. |
The ego controls and governs the id and the superego. It is the mediator or the gobetween whose goal is the smooth functioning of all parts of the personality. Using thought and reason, the ego develops a plan of action with the best interests of the total personality in mind. The ego not only attempts to balance the demands of the id and superego, but it also takes into account the realities of the external world. For example, you are hungry and pass through the candy section of your grocery store. The id says, “Buy a chocolate bar and eat it now; they taste delicious.” The superego or your conscience says, “Remember you’re on a diet, and you promised yourself you wouldn’t break it.” The ego sorts through all this data and produces a solution: buy some sweet grapes that will satisfy your hunger cravings without doing a lot of damage. Maybe from that simple example you can appreciate the work of the ego.
The superego is much the same as our conscience, telling us what is right and wrong. The superego strives for perfection or the ideal type of behaviour. During Freud’s time, many people believed the conscience was implanted by God. Freud argued that the superego forms around the ideas that one’s parents consider to be morally good and bad. Two very strong forces are at work urging the person to behave in a certain way. One is fear of punishment for “bad” behaviour, and the other is desire to gain approval for “good” behaviour. For example, the young child remembers that Mommy gets upset when she pulls up flowers from the garden. Although the flowers are very pretty and she is tempted to pick them, her superego reminds her not to do this. The superego’s purpose is to regulate and control impulses that could be dangerous to society.
When a person is young, all parts of the personality—the id, ego, and superego—are struggling for control. As a person becomes older, the three parts of the personality work together more smoothly as a team and become more integrated. Each part of the personality is important and has a critical task to make the individual a well-adjusted member of society.
In summary, Freud wrote extensively on dreams, the personality, stages of human development, and defense mechanisms, which will be one of the topics later in this course. Freud’s theories, we have chosen clearly indicate of the magnitude of Freud’s contribution in the field of psychology.
Freud - Psychoanalysis explained