According to Freud’s theory, the primary
structural elements of personality are
three, i.e. id, ego, and superego. They
reside in the unconscious as forces, and
they can be inferred from the ways people
behave .
Id : It is the source of a person’s
instinctual energy. It deals with immediate
gratification of primitive needs, sexual
desires and aggressive impulses. It works
on the pleasure principle, which assumes
that people seek pleasure and try to avoid
pain. Freud considered much of a person’s
instinctual energy to be sexual, and the
rest as aggressive. Id does not care for
moral values, society, or other individuals.
Ego : It grows out of id, and seeks to
satisfy an individual’s instinctual needs in accordance with reality. It works by the
reality principle and often directs the id
towards more appropriate ways of
behaving.
The
superego tells the id and the ego whether
gratification in a particular instance is
ethical. It helps control the id by
internalising the parental authority
through the process of socialisation.
defence mechanism is a way
of reducing anxiety by distorting reality.
Although some defence against anxiety is
normal and adaptive, people who use these
mechanisms to such an extent that reality
is truly distorted develop various forms of
maladjustment.
Freud has described many different
kinds of defence mechanisms. The most
important is repression, in which anxietyprovoking behaviours or thoughts are
totally dismissed by the unconscious.
When people repress a feeling or desire,
they become totally unaware of that wish
or desire. Thus, when a person says, “I do
not know why I did that”, some repressed
feeling or desire is expressing itself.
Other major defence mechanisms are
projection, denial, reaction formation and
rationalisation. In projection, people
attribute their own traits to others. Thus,
a person who has strong aggressive
tendencies may see other people as acting
in an excessively aggressive way towards
her/him. In denial, a person totally refuses
to accept reality. Thus, someone suffering
from HIV/AIDS may altogether deny her/
his illness. In reaction formation, a
person defends against anxiety by adopting
behaviours opposite to her/his true
feelings. A person with strong sexual urges,
who channels her/his energy into religious
fervour, presents a classical example of
reaction formation. In rationalisation, a
person tries to make unreasonable feelings
or behaviour seem reasonable and
acceptable.
4. • Exists entirely in the
unconscious (so we are
never aware of it).
• Our hidden true
primitive wants and
desires.
5. • Exists entirely in the
unconscious (so we are
never aware of it).
• Our hidden true
primitive wants and
desires.
• Works on the Pleasure
Principle
i.e. Avoid Pain and receive
Instant Gratification.
• Does not care about
moral values or
rules.
6. • Develops after
the Id
• In our conscious
and unconscious
minds.
• It is what
everyone sees as
our personality.
• Satisfies the
needs of ID
through the
reality principle
• Negotiates
between the Id
and the
environment.
• Patient &
reasonable
7. • Develops after
the Id
• In our conscious
and unconscious
minds.
• It is what
everyone sees as
our personality.
• Satisfies the
needs of ID
through the
reality principle
• Negotiates
between the Id
and the
environment.
• Patient &
reasonable
• Works on the Reality
principle.
8. • Mostly in pre consciousness.
• It is our conscience (what we think the
difference is between right and
wrong)
• Tells the id & ego if the gratification
of the need is Morally Correct.
• Controls the id by Socialization
9.
10.
11. ID EGO SUPEREGO
Entirely in
unconsciousness
Partially in all 3 levels
of consciousness
Partially in all 3 levels
of consciousness
Instinctual energy Our external
personality
Conscience
Develops first Develops after Id Develops after ego
Pleasure Principle Reality Principle Socialization
Level of Consciousness…
What it signifies…
Develops…
Works on…
12. Id is energised by two instinctual forces…
LIFE
INSTINCT
DEATH
INSTINCT
13. • Libido (Latin libido, ”pleasure” or “lust”), in
psychoanalytic theory, the energy of the id or
major portion of the unconscious mind,
responsible for acts of creation.
• According to the theories of Sigmund Freud,
the libido is the sex instinct.
14.
15. Our unconsciousness being is
controlled by the ID, EGO &
SUPER EGO
Some people’s Id is stronger
than Super Ego and in some
its vice versa…
Their relative strength
determines the person’s
Stability and Personality.
16.
17.
18. • Pushing anxiety
provoking behaviour or
thoughts into our
unconscious.
• We become unaware of
these desires
• “Fugue State”
“Multiple Personality
Disorder
19. • Attributing our own
traits to another
person.
• When you do not like
the teacher and get
low marks in her
subject…“The teacher
hates me!”
20. • Refusing to accept the
reality.
• Denying the ego-
threatening truth.
• Usually seen in
children. (“Johnny
Johnny”)
21.
22. • Redirecting one’s
feelings toward
another person or
object often on
less threatening
things.
• Bullies take their
anger on other kids
by bullying.
23. • Expressing the
opposite of how
one truly feels.
• The person
defends anxiety
by behaving
exactly opposite
to how he feels.
24. 5.RATIONALIZATION
• Coming up with a
beneficial result of
an undesirable
outcome.
• Person tries to
make unreasonable
event seem
reasonable
• I really did want to
go to ……..anyway, it
was too ……
