Psychoanalytic Theory

For Freud, a central premise was that we are driven by unconscious wishes that we are unaware of and this lack of awareness results in driven or self-defeating behavior. Freud believed we delude ourselves about reasons for our behaviors and this self-deception limits our choice. By becoming aware of our unconscious wishes and our defenses against them we increase the choices available to us. Thus, as we decrease the extent to which we are driven by unconscious factors we assume a greater degree of agency.

Id

• The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs.

• If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state of anxiety or tension.

Ego

• The ego is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality.

• According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world.

Superego

• The superego is the aspect of personality that holds all of our internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from both our parents and society--our sense of right and wrong.

• The superego acts to perfect and civilize our behaviour.

• It works to suppress all unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards.