Learn how Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theories helped shape our modern understanding of human motivation and personality development.
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Sigmund Freud is one of the most famous names in psychology.
Even though most of his ideas have been abandoned by modern psychology,
his psychoanalytic theory formed the basis for many current psychodynamic
theories. Freud was the first to discuss the
unconscious mind and its role in human behavior.
Freud believed that there were three levels of consciousness.
First is the unconscious mind, which exists outside of your awareness at all
times. Next is the pre-conscious mind, which
includes all information that you're not currently aware of,
but that can be recalled. Finally, the conscious mind
is your current state of awareness. Remember the cartoons you used to watch
as a child? The main character is confronted with a
choice. On his left shoulder is a little devil
pushing him toward a bad choice. On his right shoulder, a little angel is
encouraging him to make a good choice. He is stuck in the middle and forced to
make a decision that will affect him. This scenario is much like Freud's
theory of personality. There are three parts to personality
according to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory.
These are the id, superego, and ego. The id is the first to develop, the ego
is second, and the superego is the last to develop.
The id is the biological component of the personality
and includes your instincts. The id operates in our unconscious mind.
It is like the little devil sitting on that cartoon character's shoulder.
It's always selfish and needy. It operates according to the pleasure
principle. The pleasure principle is the idea that
all of your needs should be met immediately.
Then there's the superego. The superego exists in
all three levels of consciousness. The superego is like the little angel.
It is always concerned with what is socially acceptable.
The superego pushes you to obtain the ego ideal
or your view of what is right. It also represents your conscience
or your view of what is considered to be wrong.
Finally we have the ego. The ego operates in your pre-conscious
and conscious mind. The ego is part of the personality that makes your decision.
This is like the cartoon character in the example.
The ego is in the middle, makes the decision, and faces the consequences.
The ego operates according to the reality principle.
The reality principle is the idea that the desires of the id
