Chapter 108. Freud's Personality Structure

Learning Objectives

conscious
In Freud’s theory, the part of an individual’s personality and memory that is currently part of that individual’s awareness
defense mechanisms
according to Freud, the methods used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety by distorting reality
ego
in Freud’s theory, the self that we know; mediates between the demands of the id and the moral ideals of the superego
id
in Freud’s theory, an unconscious component of the personality; present from birth, it is the repository of the sexual and aggressive urges that help humans survive
personality
the enduring characteristics of an individual that distinguish him/her from other people
preconscious
in Freud’s theory, the part of personality and memory that is available to the conscious mind, but not currently active
repression
Freud’s term for pushing troubling feelings and memories into the unconscious; the basic defense mechanism that people use to deal with anxiety
superego
in Freud’s theory, the storehouse of moral standards internalized from parents and society; the “conscience”
unconscious
in Freud’s theory, the part of our personality and memory that is not available to our ordinary conscious awareness
Freud's Personality Structure
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Learning Objective:

Contrast the three components (ego, id, and superego) in Freud’s personality structure.

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1. Followers of Freud often compare the human mind to an iceberg divided into three parts: the conscious mind (the tip of the iceberg that shows above the water) represents our current awareness; the preconscious (just below the water's surface) represents information that is available but not currently being used; and the unconscious (the main part of the iceberg deep in the water) is the home of impulses, wishes, and inaccessible memories that affect our thoughts and our behaviors.

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2. According to Freud, a person’s personality has three components This illustration shows how the components can be mapped onto the iceberg model. The id, which wants immediate gratification, operates in the unconscious and attempts to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives.

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3. The superego, our internalized set of ideals, is the voice of our conscience, judging our actions and producing feelings of pride or guilt. The superego is partly conscious, but much of the superego operates below our conscious awareness.

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4. Alongside the id and the superego is the ego, the largely conscious, reality-oriented executive part of the personality. The ego attempts to reconcile the impulses of the id with the demands of the superego and those of the external world.

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5. Although the "iceberg" model is the most common way of illustrating the three components in Freud's theory of personality, here is a different "egg-shaped" model used by Freud himself. At the top, the “perceptual-conscious system” (processing the information that reaches our conscious attention) is our interface with the outside world. Through this window, the superego (überich in German) picks up the moral values of parents and society. The aggressive and sexual impulses of the id run counter to the superego's ideals, so the id's drives have been pushed down (repressed) deep in the unconscious (unbewusst in German). The ego (ich in German, the "self we know") has taken on the role of mediator between the id and the outside world, in order to meet the id's desires in a realistic way.

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6. A very different way of illustrating the three components of personality is to imagine that we have three different people living inside our mind. The ego is technically in charge of behavior. But the ego is caught in the middle of a ferocious struggle between the basic drives of the id (often drawn as a "devil" figure) and the moral ideals of the superego (often drawn as an "angel" figure). No wonder the poor ego needs to create defense mechanisms to protect itself from this conflict!

Practice: Exploring the Iceberg Model

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Practice: Exploring the Iceberg Model

Roll over each component of the personality (id, ego, superego) to view a description of that component.

The id, which wants immediate gratification, operates in the unconscious and attempts to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive impulses.

The ego is the largely conscious, reality-oriented executive that attempts to reconcile the impulses of the id with the demands of the superego and the constraints of the external world.

The superego, our internalized set of ideals, is the voice of our conscience, judging our actions and producing feelings of pride or guilt.

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Quiz 1

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Quiz 1

Match the terms for personality components to their descriptions by dragging each colored circle to the appropriate gray circle. When all the circles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Perhaps you should go back to review the components of Freud’s personality structure.
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id
ego
superego
largely conscious, reality-oriented executive
internalized set of ideals; the voice of conscience
unconscious repository of basic sexual and aggressive drives

Quiz 2

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Quiz 2

Drag each term for a personality component to the gray area that correctly completes each sentence. When all the terms have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

You've been wandering for hours lost in the woods, without food. You come upon a campsite. The campers aren’t anywhere around the campsite, but they've left a pile of sandwiches in a container on the picnic table.

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Perhaps you should go back to review the components of Freud’s personality structure.
ego
superego
id
The
wants to run over and grab the sandwiches immediately.
The
decides to look for the campers and ask for some food.
The
reminds you that the sandwiches don’t belong to you.

Conclusion

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