Sigmund Freud Part 3

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