What are the Superego, Ego, and Id?

Question

I am having an unclear definition on what each one are. I am hoping I will receive some sort of CLEAR explanation from each. Simple, but enough to know about each of the three.

Answer 1

Id, Ego, and Super-Ego are the divisions of the psyche according to psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud's "structural theory." In his 1923 work The Ego and the Id, Freud introduced new terms to describe the division between the conscious and unconscious: 'id,' 'ego,' and 'super-ego.' He thought these terms offered a more compelling description of the dynamic relations between the conscious and the unconscious. The “id” (fully unconscious) contains the drives and those things repressed by consciousness; the “ego” (mostly conscious) deals with external reality; and the “super ego” (partly conscious) is the conscience or the internal moral judge.

Answer 2

These are abstract notions. Freud used them to offer a theory on how the mind works. Think of it this way, the Id is like a baby that wants all his needs satisfied now, the Superego is a parent that's telling you what's right from wrong and the Ego is basically, You, who has to find some sort of balance between what your Id demands and what your Superego wants.

Here's an example:

Id = I want to eat that big piece of chocolate cake.
Superego = I want to be in shape.
Ego = I'll have a very small piece of cake and exercise later to make up for it.

Now this seems simple, but Freud explains that the Ego isn't always successful at finding a balance between the Id and the Superego. Let's say, you ignore your Superego and end up having that big piece of cake without exercising. Your Superego is going to make you feel guilty about it. You, the Ego, can deal with these feelings of guilt in different ways. These are called Defense Mechanisms. For example, you might tell yourself, I just had a small piece (when in reality it was a large portion). This defense mecanism is called Denial.

Now, defense mechanisms are usually helpful because, for instance, they can lessen the unpleasant feeling of guilt. But it can become pathological if we frequently use inappropriate defense mechanisms to cope with these feelings of guilt and anxiety that come from our Superego. For example, someone who has an addictive behavior such as gambling, may constantly use Rationalisation (another form of Defense Mechanism) to inappropriately justify their behavior (Ex: Spending money at the Casino is the same as spending money at the movies or at the mall).

Answer 3

id is the primal rage/fear/libido/hunger/thirst/power-monger.

ego is the consciousness collective that deals with the world and with people and with reality.

Superego is the spring between two opposing forces and must not only bring them close to each other, but try to force them to mesh like a jigsaw puzzle when the pieces don't entirely fit.

Superego gives all the delusions and comforts you, if you are tough, you can eliminate your superego over time by consistent self-mutilation.

The super-ego comforts you if your family is murdered and will try to brainwash the id with bulltihs lies about "what goes around comes around" and "karma" and "he'll get caught one day".

Also, if your boss leaves his safe unlocked, the super-ego tells you to worship religion and to not sin.

Look at the 100 richest people in the Forbes magazine and only 15% go to church regularly. Luckily though, all of the top 5 go.

The superego prevents you from being your full potential and from being a supreme commander of the small part of the world you live in and operate.

Answer 4

The “id” (fully unconscious) contains the drives and those things repressed by consciousness; the “ego” (mostly conscious) deals with external reality; and the “super ego” (partly conscious) is the conscience or the internal moral judge.