Freud’s concept of the ID, the Ego and the Superego.

March’s blog is more theory-based and will focus on Freud’s concept of the ID, the Ego and the Superego.

Sigmund Freud is considered to be the founder of psychodynamic (past) theory. Freud conducted much of his work at the end of the 19th Century and, although some of his work may be considered a little primitive and outdated, much of his initial work still carries a strong basis in the world of counselling today.

In Freud’s famous psychoanalytic theory, he suggests that personality is composed of three elements known as the ID, the Ego, and the Superego. These three elements work together to create complex human behaviours. Each component adds its own unique contribution to personality and the three interact in ways that have a powerful influence on an individual.

The ID

The ID works on the pleasure principle, which demands that the needs and wants of the individual are met instantly. The ID lives in the unconscious mind, meaning that we are not consciously aware of it. The ID contains our urges and desires and seeks strongly for these to be gratified immediately. For example, a hungry person is walking down the street and spots a delicious apple pie in the window of a bakery shop. The ID demands that the pie be eaten to relieve the hunger. However the shop is closed. This is no bother for the ID and, if that person was governed solely by the ID, they would smash the window, steal the pie and eat it.

According to Freud, the ID is the only part of the personality that is present at birth. The ID acts as the driving force of personality.

During infancy, before the other components of personality begin to form, children are ruled entirely by the ID. Satisfying basic needs for food, drink, and comfort is the one and only concern for babies- it is the survival instinct.

As people grow older, it would obviously be quite problematic if they acted out to satisfy the needs of the ID whenever they felt an urge, need, or desire. This aspect of personality does not change as people grow older. It continues to be infantile, instinctive, and primal. It isn't in touch with reality, social norms or logic. It strives only to satisfy an individual's most basic urges and needs.

The Superego

The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from influential people in a child’s life, mainly their parents. It develops around the ages 3-5.

The Superego's function is to control the ID’s impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function of persuading the Ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection.

The Superego is made up of two systems: The Conscience and the Ideal Self. The conscience can punish the ego through feelings of guilt. For example, if the Ego gives in to the ID's demands, the Superego may make the person feel bad through guilt.

The ideal self (or ego-ideal) is an imaginary picture of how you ought to be, and represents career aspirations, how to treat other people, and how to behave as a member of society. When the ideal self is happy and satisfied, this can lead to feelings of pride and value.

Behaviour that doesn’t ‘match’ with the ideal self may be punished by the Superego with guilt. Feeling proud can be a reward given by the Superego when we behave ‘properly.’

If the ideal self is too high, the individual will never succeed and will often experience failure.

The superego is present in all three levels of consciousness. Because of this, we can sometimes experience guilt without understanding exactly why we feel that way. When the superego acts in the conscious mind, we are aware of our resulting feelings. If, however, the superego acts unconsciously to punish or suppress the ID, we might end up with feelings of guilt and no real understanding of why we feel that way.

The Ego

The Ego is the part of the personality that mediates the demands of the ID, the Superego, and reality. It is the Ego's job to strike a balance between the ID (the primitive, urge-driven side to the personality) and the Superego (governed by societal morals.) The ID and the Superego are often competing forces.

The Ego prevents us from acting on our basic urges (created by the ID) but also works to achieve a balance with our moral and idealistic standards (created by the Superego.) The Ego operates in all three levels of the mind; the preconscious, the conscious and the unconscious.

The Ego operates based on the reality principle, which works to satisfy the ID’s desires in a manner that is realistic and socially appropriate. For example, the hungry person walking past the cake shop and spies the delicious apple pie in the window will no doubt want that pastry immediately to satisfy their hunger (ID led.) However the shop is shut and it is wrong in the eyes of society to break the window and steal the pie (Superego led.) Therefore the Ego decides that the pastry cannot be had at the present time but the shop next door sells food and that would be an appropriate alternative (Ego led.) The hunger is satisfied in a way that is appropriate within society.

Relation to therapy

Clients attending therapy may find that they have been in trouble in the past or are currently in some sort of bother. They may be finding it difficult to end an affair or are considering starting one. These clients may be considered ID-led.

Other clients attending therapy may be very fearful of how society views them. They may act according to unrealistic expectations around morals and values. These clients may be considered Superego-led.

In therapy these models can be assessed in detail, using past exploration of where these values came from and why they exist. If a client is led by the ID or Superego, the assumption is that the Ego is very conflicted; therapy can help a client to become more Ego-led. The therapy focuses on balance.