Freud, S. (1920) - Beyond The Pleasure Principle

Freud's personality theory
According to Freud’s personality theory psyche is structured into three parts, the id (the
unconscious system of the personality, which contains the life and death instincts and
operates on the pleasure principle; source of the libido), ego (the logical, rational, largely
conscious system of personality, which operates according to the reality principle) and super-
ego (the moral system of the personality, which consists of the conscience and the ego ideal).
The major aspect in this theory is that all parts of an individual's personality is developing at
different stages in our lives. In this essay, I will explain the differences of these stages.
The id represents our instincts. According to Freud the id is the only part of all three of the
personality parts the individual has since birth. It consists of all the inherited (i.e., biological)
components of personality present at birth, including the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which
contains the libido), and the aggressive (death) instinct – Thanatos. 1 It represents our
unconscious part which responds instinctively to our most basic desires regardless of the
consequences. It is also the part of us without any logic or regret. There is no communicating
with reality, only working in our unconsciousness. Id functions according to the pleasure-
pain principle (it drives only when seeking fulfillment or compromised fulfillment.) If we
don’t satisfy our needs as fast as possible, the result is anxiety, rage. While listening to our
basic instinct we don’t understand the difference between right or wrong. Id doesn’t change
throughout the years, not as other personality parts.
Another part of our psyche is ego. Not like id, ego is a part of us that we develop throughout
the years. The first signs appear in early years, when we start interacting. The ego tries to
satisfy all id’s desires in a more socially acceptable way. It recognises others pain and tries to
find a solution without hurting anyone. As id represent our instincts ego is our reality. It
doesn’t have strong moral principles but it is more logical. Ego makes us wait before seeking
pleasure, search for compromise and delay our pleasure if it doesn’t fit in social norms.
Because of it we try to find a solution to our problems. Even though ego is a more rational
part than id it doesn't have a concept of what is right or wrong. This part of our personality
changes threw all of our life.
Superego is the last part of our personality to develop. It is responsible for our values and
knows the difference between right or wrong. This part of our mind helps us to control our
impulses that are inappropriate in society such as rage, sexual desires. How id is our instincts
and ego is reality, superego represents morality. It has two parts: conscience and the ego
1
Freud, S. (1920). Beyond the Pleasure Principle.
ideal. Conscience contains information about things that society views as bad. They are
forbidden and have bad consequences, leading to feeling guilty and receiving punishments.
The ego ideal includes the rules and standards for behaviors that the ego aspires to. Super-ego
tries to keep harmony between all three personality parts. It tries to suppress id’s animalistic
desires and make ego try to reach more idealistic standards then realistic. The superego is
present in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. This part of our psyche is the one
that we can change the most while living.
All in all, Freud’s personality theory contains three equally important parts of our minds: id,
ego. superego. In other words: instincts, reality and morality. There is a dynamic between
them and they all help us become who we are today. Without one of them we couldn’t live as
equal individuals. We would just exist without fulfilling our true potential.
1. Freud, S. (1920). Beyond the Pleasure Principle.

2. Freud, S. (1914). Psychopathology of everyday life. California: Lane medical library Stanford
university Medical center Stanford.
3. Sirkin, M. & Fleming, M. (1982). Freud's "Project" and its relationship to
psychoanalytic theory. Journal of the history of the behavioral science, Vol. 18, No. 3,
p. 41-230.

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Freud's personality theory

1. Freud, S. (1920). Beyond the Pleasure Principle.

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