Freud’s most important finding was that the human psyche, or
personality, has multiple aspects. He described the three parts as the id, ego,
and superego, all developing at some point or another in our lives. The id is
with us at birth and consists of basic components of personality which is
mostly impulsive and unconscious. It is most commonly referred to as the “I want”
or “pleasure principle”. The ego is called the “reality principle” because
unlike the id it rationalizes with consequences of getting the pleasure. So the
ego is mostly focused on getting pleasure with little risk or pain as possible.
The superego develops around 3-5 years old and it is comprised of conscience
and ideal self. It uses morals and social values into making actions and
decisions in life. Freud’s findings have played a big impact on understanding
the growth and development of humans today. Though Freudian theory is good at
giving explanations for certain actions or behaviors, it is unfalsifiable which
deters many professionals today from using it. Though I agree that the
unconscious is kind of a toss up, I think it does play an important role
because many times have I done something and not known why I did it. I think
the id makes sense because a baby gets hungry, it cries. It makes a diaper
dirty and it cries, etc. Babies do use the pleasure principle but I guess who
is really to say why they actually cry considering we start gaining
autobiographical memory at age 2.
http://allpsych.com/psychology101/ego.html
"who is really to say why they actually cry" - The parent who must rise at 3 a.m. for a feeding or diaper change is in a pretty good position to say why they cry, I think.
ReplyDeleteThe "pleasure" of an infant is pretty elemental and instinctive, being inseparable from comfort and security. It has very little to do with what adults call desire, the phenomenon that brings so many of them to the analyst's couch (at least figuratively speaking).