Summary of Freud's Id, Ego and Superego theory

THE STRAIGHT STORY

•Freud thinks that there are 3 parts of a personality – the id, the ego and the superego.
•The id is the first and primary part of personality and it contains the basic instincts of personality within two drives – the thanatos drive (death/destructive drive) and the eros drive (life, creative drive). The id is universal – all humans contain these same instincts.
• The superego is the part of personality that we sometimes refer to as our conscience. It contains our ideas of right and wrong, good and bad, what is socially appropriate, our morals and organises it into our own value system. It punishes you by making you feel guilty when you do something that is in conflict with your value system. It gives you the drive to achieve your goals, and is responsible for your self-discipline. It rewards you with a feeling of pride, achievement and satisfaction when you do something that is in agreement with your value system. The superego is shaped by your upbringing, society and immediate community. It is unique to every individual.
•The ego is the negotiator or the mediator between the demands of the selfish, inapproriate instincts of the id and the structured value system of the superego. Through the mechanism of sublimation it is able to find an effective solution that satisfies both the the desires of the id and the demands of the superego.

What happens when the Superego is underdeveloped?
•A person may be unmotivated to do anything.
• Usually cannot be trusted to complete tasks unsupervised – does not have the drive to be accountable to himself.
•May be considered impulsive and maybe even reckless.
•Usually not a high-achiever.
•The id part of the personality wins the battle in the decisions that he or she takes. He or she is a slave to his id drives.

What happens when the Superego is overdemanding?
•A person may set such exceedingly high goals for themselves that are so demanding that they become stressed and worried all the time.
•They may feel that they are not good enough., because they feel like they cant live up to their high standards
•On the plus side – people with an overdemanding superego are ususally successful, high-achievers.
They are able to work unsupervised and are so accountable to themselves that they often will go even beyond the call of what is required.
Freud believes that a person’s personality is the outcome of the battle of the id, ego and superego. A well adjusted person is one within whom the ego has won the battle.

VIDEO – THE MARSHMALLOW TEST – The battle between the impulsive id and the rules imposed by the superego -
 

ACTIVITY – Read the following scenarios and see if you can address the problems or solve the crisis.

SCENARIO ONE - LETTER TO ADVICE COLUMNIST
“I am a University Student. I share a room at the University Residences with two other students. Lately I have been having a very difficult time concentrating on my studies because of my roommates.
One of them has decided to bring a Playstation into the room and plays videogames with the volume turned all the way up. The game he likes to play is one where he plays the role of soldier in a War-themed game, the goal of the game is to kill as many other soldiers as there are in the game and so there are always loud explosions and shouting and the sound of assault rifle gunfire. He plays this game whenever he gets the chance.
The other roommate turns on music really loud whenever she is in and dances around the room at all hours, sometimes she invites friends too and they all start having a dance-party right there in the room, it lasts all night and it happens at least 3 or 4 times a week.
Between my roommate playing those loud, violent videogames and my other roommate throwing dance parties, I hardly have any quiet time to concentrate my studies.
I have tried talking to them to convince them that they need to pay more attention to their studies and spend less time playing videogames and dancing but it doesn’t seem as if they are listening to what I have been telling them. They just keep on doing what they do. I am so confused about their self-destructive behaviour, I cannot understand why they are not as concerned about their studies as I am.
Dear Andile, do you have any idea of why my roommates are behaving like this?”
- You are Andile, the Advice Columnist – answer the letter and advise the reader according to your understanding of Freud’s theory of the id, ego and superego. Also explain why your attitude and behaviour might be different to theirs?

SCENARIO TWO: - “CAUGHT & COURT”
John Smith is on trial for raping 3 women aged 24, 57, and 68. The case has become really famous because E-TV has made it the subject of a new reality show called “Caught & Court”
Freud, Sartre and the journalist for “Caught & Court” are being interviewed for the show outside the local courthouse . The reporter asks Freud, that based on his theory of the id, ego and superego, if it is possible that John Smith’s lawyers could argue that he is not guilty on account of the fact that it could be argued that he had an undeveloped superego, and that John Smith’s Eros id drive, drove him to commit multiple rapes.
Freud disagrees and says that it is more likely that John Smith’s Thanatos drive is responsible for his behaviour. Freud argues that rape is the effect of an overactive or unchecked Thanatos drive – how and why would Freud argue in such regard? Would Freud hold the rapist responsible for his deeds?
Sartre on the hand disagrees with Freud completely and accuses Freud of making excuses for the awful acts of a rapist. Sartre says that blaming brutality on Thanatos is “Bad Faith”. How would Sartre argue in this regard?

SCENARIO THREE – Wayward Wendy
Your very religious mom calls you at the residence and is in a state! She says she does not what more to do with your two younger siblings.
She says that your 12 year sister Wendy is becoming very worrisome. Lately she is dressing very provocatively and holding very inappropriate conversations with men twice her age. Your mom is horrified because she knows that she didn’t raise Wendy to be so overtly sexual. Your mom thinks that it is her fault, and she must have done something wrong – she blames herself for not being able to guide Wendy, as she has had to work as a nanny and domestic worker from 7 in the morning to 21:00 at night. She is worried that Wendy is going to make the wrong choices and either earn herself a bad reputation, become pregnant or worse – contract a terrible sexually transmitted disease.
Advise your mom, and reassure her that it is not her fault that Wendy is dsiplaying this type of behaviour. Explain to her Freud’s theory of the id, ego and superego. Tell her about Freud’s theory of sublimation and advise of things she could encourage Wendy to participate in that would perhaps steer Wendy in a direction that satisfies and mediates the demands of her id drive.

SCENARIO FOUR – TANTRUM TERROR
Your cousin calls you. He is a teacher at a Primary school and has a little student who is causing havoc in his classroom. The little 10 year old throws terrible tantrums and is super destructive. He gets into fights regularly with other children, sometimes for no reason at all, and he is almost always the initiator of the fight. The child comes from a broken family, and is often left to himself as his caregiver works during the day until late.
Your cousin has heard that you are studying Philosophy at University and he knows that in the first year of the course you are made aware of the different perspectives of human nature including the Freudian perspective. Your cousin wants to know if you could share some insight into why this little 10 year old is so troublesome.
You need to present to your cousin Freud’s theory of the id, ego and superego. Use it to explain why the little boy may be behaving the way that he does. You must also tell your cousin about the ego’s role in mediating such behaviour through sublimation. Suggest how your cousin could encourage the little boy to do certain activities that might help direct the boy in a more socially appropriate interaction with the world, and cause less havoc in his classroom.