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Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality

According to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, personality is composed of three interacting elements: the id, ego, and superego. The id operates based on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification of needs. The ego balances the id with the reality principle, satisfying needs in socially appropriate ways. The superego incorporates moral standards from parents and society and works to suppress unacceptable urges of the id. A healthy personality requires balancing the pressures from these three elements.

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64 views

Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality

According to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, personality is composed of three interacting elements: the id, ego, and superego. The id operates based on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification of needs. The ego balances the id with the reality principle, satisfying needs in socially appropriate ways. The superego incorporates moral standards from parents and society and works to suppress unacceptable urges of the id. A healthy personality requires balancing the pressures from these three elements.

Uploaded by

Prashant
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Psychoanalytic theory 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

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 behaviours. 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 infants 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 behaviour would be both disruptive and socially
unacceptable.
The Ego

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 behaviour, but only in the
appropriate time and place.
The Superego

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
and provides guidelines for making judgments.
According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge
at around age five.
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
behaviour. 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 duelling
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.

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