Chapter 2    Freud: Psychoanalysis35
fei75766_ch02_019-071.indd 35  02/19/20 08:59 AMisafunction oftheconscience, whereas inferiority feelings stem from theego-ideal 
(Freud, 1933/1964).
Thesuperego isnotconcerned withthehappiness oftheego.Itstrives blindly 
andunrealistically toward perfection. Itisunrealistic inthesense thatitdoesnot
takeintoconsideration thedifficulties orimpossibilities faced bytheegoincarrying 
outitsorders. Notallitsdemands, ofcourse, areimpossible tofulfill, justasnotall
demands ofparents andother authority figures areimpossible tofulfill. Thesuperego, 
however, isliketheidinthatitiscompletely ignorant of,andunconcerned with, the
practicability ofitsrequirements.
Freud (1933/1964) pointed outthatthedivisions among thedifferent regions 
ofthemind arenotsharp andwelldefined. Thedevelopment ofthethree divisions 
varies widely indifferent individuals. Forsome people, thesuperego doesnotgrow 
afterchildhood; forothers, thesuperego maydominate thepersonality atthecost
ofguiltandinferiority feelings. Foryetothers, theegoandsuperego maytaketurns 
controlling personality, which results inextreme fluctuations ofmood andalternating 
cycles ofself-confidence andself-deprecation. Inahealthy individual, theidandsuper -
egoareintegrated intoasmooth functioning egoandoperate inharmony andwitha
minimum ofconflict. Figure 2.3shows therelationships among id,ego,andsuperego 
inthree hypothetical persons. Forthefirstperson, theiddominates aweak egoand
afeeble superego, preventing theegofrom counterbalancing itsincessant demands 
oftheidandleaving theperson nearly constantly striving forpleasure regardless of
what ispossible orproper. Thesecond person, withstrong feelings ofeither guiltor
inferiority andaweak ego,willexperience many conflicts because theegocannot arbi-
tratethestrong butopposing demands ofthesuperego andtheid.Thethird person, 
withastrong egothathasincorporated many ofthedemands ofboththeidandthe
superego, ispsychologically healthy andincontrol ofboththepleasure principle and
themoralistic principle.A pleasure-seeking person
dominated by the id
A guilt-ridden or inferior-
feeling person dominated
by the superego
A psychologically healthy
person dominated by
the ego
Id Ego Superego
FIGURE 2.3  The Relationship among Id, Ego, and Superego in Three Hypothetical Persons.Final PDF to printer