(a) According to Freud, what part of the personality is inborn and present at birth?(b) The ego helps the individual tolerate frustration. The ego follows what principle?
Answers: (a) The id; (b) The reality principle.The superegoemerges last. It reflects the influence of the family. The family
is usually the agent that represents the values and norms of a larger culture to a
growing child. This includes the family’s religious beliefs and its participation in
the rules and laws of a given nation. If a child identifies with the family, the super-
ego will be introjected,meaning that it will become an integral part of the indi-
vidual’s personality.
Feelings of guilt arise when the demands of the superego are violated. This makes
a reference to theconscience,one of the aspects of the superego. The conscience
acts as a kind of inner police officer, guiding the individual in the direction of con-
forming to social expectations. The superego is relatively well established around the
age of seven. Like the id and the ego, it is also a part of the adult personality.
Another aspect of the superego is the ego ideal,an image that sets forth what
one should do with one’s life in terms of a vocation, family responsibilities, and
long-term goals. The ego ideal, being a part of the superego, reflects the wishes of
the parents. It should be noted that Freud’s concept of the ego ideal is not the
same as Maslow’s concept of self-actualization. When one actualizes the ego ideal,
one becomes what the parents wish for. When one actualizes the self, one
becomes what one was meant to be. Of course, these two goals are not necessar-
ily in conflict. But sometimes they are.(a) If a child identifies with the family, the superego will be.(b) What aspect of the superego reflects the wishes of the parents and is associated with
long-term goals?
Answers: (a) introjected; (b) The ego ideal.
Of particular importance in Freud’s personality theory is the concept of ego
defense mechanisms. Ego defense mechanisms are involuntary mental acts
designed to protect the ego from the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”
In other words, they act as shields, protecting us from some of the emotional pain
and damage that can arise from coping with life. In view of the fact that it is nec-
essary to have a strong, functional ego in order to deal with reality, it is under-
standable that the ego tends to develop a protective system.
Seven of the ego defense mechanisms are (1) denial of reality, (2) repression,
(3) projection, (4) identification, (5) fantasy, (6) rationalization, and (7) reaction
formation. Denial of realitytakes place when the individual thinks, “This isn’tPersonality: Psychological Factors That Make You an Individual 197