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Personality according to Freud -

Rather than being a singular component, Sigmund Freud theorized that personality is complex and is made up of several parts.

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Psychoanalytic theory -

There are three distinct elements to the personality: the id, the ego, and the superego. They work together to form complex human behaviors, according to Freud's psychoanalytic theory.

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Id, ego, and superego -

The interaction of the id, ego, and superego has a powerful influence on an individual, with these elements developing at different stages of life.

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The unconscious -

Certain aspects of personality are primal, occurring in the unconscious part of the psyche. They pressure a person to act on their base instincts.

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The unconscious -

Other parts of the personality work alongside these unconscious desires. They give you the ability to balance the demands of reality with these urges, to counteract or temper them.

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Id: the instinctual self -

The instinctual self, the id, is entirely unconscious. It is the source of primitive behaviors and psychic energy.

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Pleasure-seeking -

The id seeks gratification and the satisfaction of all needs. Young children are ruled entirely by the id, and its function is survival.

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Unregulated impulses -

The id represents the driving force behind a person's desires. It's the unregulated part of the psyche, where animalistic compulsion resides.

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Ego: a healthy sense of self -

The ego is the sense of self, which develops from the id. Its job is to ensure it can express the impulses of the id in a healthy way, in the real world. A strong, healthy ego gives a person a sense of self-awareness.

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Weak ego -

Someone with a weak ego is overwhelmed by the demands of the id, other people, and life's problems. They usually have difficulty controlling their id impulses, and might descend into wishful thinking, addiction, or codependency.

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Big ego -

A big ego is a false, manufactured ego. Someone with a big ego ignores the realities of life, reacting on impulses, and fails to learn from life's experiences. A big ego feels superior to others, and lacks understanding and boundaries.

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Development of the superego -

The superego is the last part of the personality to develop, at around age five. This part of the personality provides internal guidelines for making judgements.

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Right and wrong -

The superego is where we hold our sense of right and wrong. It contains the internalized ideals and moral standards we acquire from our parents and society.

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Tendency towards perfection -

The superego tries to civilize our behavior by suppressing all of the unacceptable urges of the id, while trying to force the ego to act on idealistic standards rather than what's realistic.

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Harsh critic? -

If you have a relentlessly critical inner voice, or feel as though you are your own hardest critic, you probably have a strong superego. It can feel like living with a harsh parental authority.

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Two parts -

The superego has two parts. The first part, the conscience, holds information about things that are viewed badly by society and lead to punishment, feelings of guilt, or negative consequences.

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Rules -

The second part, known as the ego ideal, contains the rules and standards of behavior that are aspired to, by the ego.

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Moral and ethical code -

In this way, the superego acts as a moral and ethical code for the way we live our lives. It's present in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious.

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Shame -

If you give in to the desires of the id, the superego is the part of your consciousness that will make you feel guilt or even shame about your actions.

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Suppression -

On the flip side, when you suppress your most primal urges and desires, the superego might make you feel good about your behavior.

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The gap between perfection and reality -

The superego tries to force the ego to act morally rather than realistically, striving for perfection, without taking reality into account.

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Superego vs. ego -

When the ego and the superego are not in conflict, it can be difficult to separate one from the other. The outlines of the superego might only become clear when faced with criticism or hostility.

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Neurosis and psychosis -

Freud believed that neuroses are caused by an overly dominant superego, while psychoses are caused by an overly dominant id.

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Regaining control -

Freud believed the symptoms of neurosis or psychosis would present when the ego tried to regain control over the id or superego.

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The voice of conscience -

As conscience is deeply related to a sense of guilt, when the superego inner voice becomes punitive and unrealistic about its expectations, it can become a problem.

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Escaping the persecutory voice -

A harsh superego can feel like something internal that is intent on destruction and, ironically, that person might turn to vices to escape the persecutory voice inside.

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Accessing the subconscious -

Freud believed that by accessing repressed memories or emotions from the subconscious mind, a person could find the root of the problem between the ego, superego, and the id.

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Bringing awareness to the superego -

Shifting from a harsh to a supportive superego takes work, but it's possible. Meditation, journaling, and speaking to a psychoanalyst can help access the subconscious mind, bringing awareness to the feelings generated by the harsh superego.

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Finding balance -

A personality that can balance between the aspirations of the superego, desires of the id, and reality regulating ego is a healthy one, according to Freud's conceptualization. 

Sources: (Verywell Mind) (Britannica) (Discover Magazine) (GoodTherapy)

See also: Individual psychology—how you can be happy today

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