Id, Ego and Super Ego

According to the Psychodynamic Theory our personality is consisted of three components, the id, ego and super ego. Let us examine these components one by one.

Id:

Id belongs to our intrinsic drives, urges, desires or wishes like hunger, thirst, sex drive, feelings of love and hate etc.  Id works on the principle of pleasures.  It does not take care for social or moral values. It only knows how to fulfill its desires and needs immediately. For example when we are hungry, our Id induces us to get some food by hook or by Crooke. Id can better be observed in babies and infants. Baby is a good example of Id. We see that when a baby becomes hungry, she starts crying to tell you that she wants some milk. And when she gets milk, she stops crying. Think! Who taught her to behave like this in times of hunger? Of course, no one, but it is totally intrinsic and natural process. So we can say that Id is a built-in component of personality.  People who have this factor in abundance would be selfish, rude and egotist etc.

Ego:

Ego is a rational component of personality. It works on the principle of reality. It tells us what is real and what is imaginary. Ego works like a guide. It guides our Id in fulfilling its needs in a socially acceptable way. Sometimes, it is said that Ego plays the role of mediator. When a conflict arises between Id and Super Ego, Ego mediates between them.

Super Ego:

Super Ego is the third and most ideal element of personality.  This element is closely connected with our social life. Super Ego takes care for social and moral values. For example, when you need some money for your necessities but you don’t have any money. Your Id will tell you to get the money somehow, but Super Ego will stop you from adopting any illegal or socially unacceptable behavior. Super Ego is a very important element of personality and most of our daily actions and activities are directed by it.  It enables us to distinguish between right and wrong. It advises us what to do and what not to do. It teaches us that we should comply with the norms of the society. In short it tells us “Do at Rome as the Romans do.”

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