14 third element is called the superego. These three elements of personality are working
together to create complex human behaviors.
2.1.3.1 The Id
Id operates at the unconscious level of our personality. Each of us has a savage quality at the root of our personality. According to Freud, people are born
with two instinctual drives that serve as the basic motivation for all behavior. One called eros and another one is called thanatos.
Eros is the drive for survival. Included in this drive are the needs to eat and drink, to be warm, and above all to engage in sexual activity. The energy force that
propels the person to satisfy these drives is called libido. Thanatos, is a destructive drive. The aim is to destroy others, but there is also
a self-destructive aspect to it. In fact, Freud took the grim position that “the aim of all life is death.” This self-destructive impulse is seen not only in suicide, but also in the
harmful excesses in which so many people engage, such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and overacting. It is the unconscious desire for self-destruction. The id, like
savage, wants to satisfy these primitive drives in the most direct and immediate way. It is not concerned with logic, reality, or manners. It functions on pleasure principle,
which dictates the immediate satisfaction of drives.
15
2.1.3.2 The Ego
The ego is a person’s view of physical and social reality. It tries to satisfy the id impulses by taking into account the possibilities of reward and punishment that
exist in a situation. In other words, it works on the reality principle. Although each of us may have the primitive desires, it is clear that we could not function long in our
social world if we give free expression to the savage within ourselves. For example, suppose you are very thirsty and see a nice cold beer in a restaurant. Your Id impulses
would tell you to grab the beer and drink it. The Ego, however, would calculate the possible result of this action; the worst thing may happen. Thus, the Ego would direct
you to order and pay for your own beer.
2.1.3.3 The Superego
We can view the Id as operating on the signal “I want it now.” The Ego answers this demand by saying “Let’s be realistic and get it in a way that won’t cause
trouble.” These two forces, however, must also controlled by the Superego, which says, ‘Think. Is it right to want it?” The Superego represents our conscience. It
includes the moral values of right and wrong that are largely instilled in us by our parents. The Superego makes us feel guilty when we have done the wrong thing. As
you might imagine, people who are dominated by the Superego will be very uptight and self-conscience; they must constantly ask themselves, “Is it right to feel or act
this way?” It is also the superego that motivates us to better ourselves and to live up to our ideals. According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five.
16 There are two parts of the superego. The first part is called the ego ideal. 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 second part is called the conscience. 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.
2.1.4 Theory of Motivation
The basis of Maslows motivation theory is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower factors need to be satisfied before higher
needs can be satisfied. In psychology, there are many theories of needs that are introduced. Each theory has its own consideration and understanding. The theory of
needs applied in this thesis is The Hierarchy of Needs by Abraham Harold Maslow. Different from Freud’s psychoanalytic theory that emphasizes unconscious
and irrational forces as the controlling factors in behaviors, the theory introduced by Maslow is called as humanistic psychology. As the other psychologists, Maslow
believes that human beings are free to make their own choices. According to Hjelle and Ziegler, 1981, human are considered as the conscious agents. It means that they
are free in deciding, choosing, and doing their actions para.365. Therefore, each
17 human being is said to have certain motives in doing some actions in order to fulfill
their needs. Frank. G. Goble 1971, in his book entitled The Third Force, the Psychology
of Abraham Maslow, confirms Maslow’s theory that persons, whose basic needs are fulfilled, will have a healthier, happier, and more effective life. On the contrary, those
whose basic needs are not completely fulfilled show some psychological disorder symptoms para.89.
Furthermore, Hjelle and Ziegler 1981 describe that Maslow believes that human beings are born with some innate needs. These needs are arranged in the order
of their potency in a hierarchy of needs. The needs are: 1 Basic physiological needs, 2 Safety needs, 3 Belongingness and Love needs, 4 Self-esteem needs, and 5
self-actualization needs or the needs of personal fulfillment. The lower the need is, the stronger it is. The higher the need is, the weaker it is 369.
The first four layers in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are called as Deficiency Needs or D-Needs. Meanwhile the top is called as Growth Need, Being Values, or B-
Needs. Figure 2.1 below is the picture of Maslow’s pyramid of the hierarchy of needs.
