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b. The ego
The ego is formed because the id has to find realistic ways of meeting its needs and avoiding trouble caused by selfish and aggressive behavior. The ego
operates partly consciously, and partly unconsciously. It is psychic mechanism that controls all thinking and reasoning activities. The ego learns about the
external world through the senses and sees to the satisfaction of the id’s drives in the external world. The ego operates by the reality principle: By means of
i ntelligent reasoning, the ego tries to delay satisfying the id’s desires until it can
do so safely and successfully Morris and Maisto, 2003: 368. Lundin also states, “It discovers a way, a plan of action which will reduce the tension, keep the id
satisf ied and the personality out of trouble”. 1969: 18.
The ego obeys the rules of logic and reason and learns from the experience. It can consider matters in abstract terms for example: in words. So
this is called secondary process thinking. For an example of ego functioning, when a child observes the flame on a stove, then she reaches out to touch the
pretty blue flame, she burned. She therefore learns not to touch the flame an ego function even though she still feels the desire to do so an id impulse. The ego
develops the higher cognitive functions: perception, learning, discrimination, judgment, and planning. Bootzin, 1984: 457. The ego represents the reality
principle and serves to balance the extreme evil, the id, and the extreme social conformity, the superego.
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c. The superego
A personality that consisted only of ego and id would be completely selfish, because the id and the ego have no morals. They seek to sa
tisfy the id’s motives without regard for the good of others. The ego tries to be realistic about
how those motives are satisfied. But as long as the needs are safely met, it does not care if rules are broken, lies are told, or other people are wronged. In other
words, it would behave effectively but unsociably. Fully adult behavior is governed not only by reality but also by morality-
that is, by the individual’s conscience or by the moral standards that the individual develops through interaction with parents and society. This moral is called the
superego. As stated by Morris and Moisto in Understanding Psychology: The superego is not present at birth. In fact, young children are amoral
and do whatever is pleasurable. As we mature, however, we assimilate, or adopt as our own, the judgment of our parents about what is “good” and
“bad”. In time, the external restraint applied by our parent gives way to our own internal self-restraint. The superego, eventually acting as
conscience, takes over the task of observing and guiding the ego, just as the parents once observed and guided the child. Like the ego, it works at
the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious levels 2003: 369.
There are two aspects to the superego: one is the conscience, which is internalization of punishments and warnings. It tells what is right and wrong, and
forces the ego to inhibit the id in pursuit of morally acceptable, not pleasurable or even realistic goals. The other is called the ego ideal. It derives from rewards and
positive models presented to the child. The ego ideal aims the individual’s path of
life toward the ideal, perfect goals instilled by society. The conscience and ego ideal communicate their requirements to the ego with feelings like pride, shame,
and guilt.
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Ideally, our id, ego, and superego work in harmony, the ego satisfying the demands of the id in a reasonable, moral manner approved by the superego.
d. Instinct: What Motivates Human Behavior?
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