Freud's Theory of Personality: Development of the Psyche

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the father of psychoanalysis, spent much of his life developing an intricate theory of how the psyche, or mind, operates. Central to Freud's theory, and perhaps his greatest contribution to psychology, is the notion that our psyche is composed of parts within our awareness and beyond our awareness. Specifically, the psyche consists of parts that are conscious, preconscious, and unconscious.

Conscious, Preconscious, and Unconscious

Freud proposed that the conscious part of the psyche is that part which you are currently aware of or are actively thinking about. It consists of all the thoughts that presently occupy your mind. The preconscious part of the psyche consists of the thoughts, memories, and knowledge that you are not currently aware of, but that are available to you. It's your storehouse of memories and knowledge.

Freud's most unique contribution towards understanding the psyche is the idea that part of our psyche is unconscious, or outside of our awareness. Freud proposed that the unconscious is a part of our psyche that we do not have access to. It holds thoughts, memories, impulses that we are not aware of and that we cannot be aware of because they may be potentially damaging to us (i.e., cause anxiety). Even though we are not aware of the contents of our unconscious, Freud proposed that the impulses and drives within it cause much of our behavior.

Freud posited that in addition to conscious, preconscious, and unconscious components of our psyche, the psyche also is composed of three structures: the id, ego, and superego. Some of these structures operate unconsciously, and others are within our awareness.

The Id

Freud referred to the most primitive part of our psyche as the id. We are born with the id and it residues within the unconscious. The id is driven by primitive animal instincts including sexual and aggressive impulses. It functions according to the pleasure principle in that it seeks to maximize pleasure and minimize any discomfort. The id is illogical in that it seeks pleasure without thought to what is practical, safe, or moral. Freud argued that we are not aware of the id, but it influences our behavior.

The Ego

Freud posted that the ego is the second part of the psyche to develop. During toddlerhood, particularly during toilet training, children come to realize that they are individuals. They recognize that they have their own desires, wants, and needs; the ego forms. The ego refers to your identity, or sense of self. It grows out of the id and can control the id, to an extent. The ego functions according to the reality principle because its job is to gratify the id in accord with reality. Because the ego is concerned both with reality and the id, it operates on all three levels of awareness (the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious levels of the psyche).

The Superego

The last part of the psyche to develop is the superego. At five or six years of age, we begin to learn about the norms, rules, and values of society. Freud argued that children internalize these rules to form the superego, which functions as a very strict conscience. The superego operates according to the morality principle in that it seeks what is good and moral above all else. In that sense, Freud argued that it is just as illogical as the id. Like the ego, the superego functions on all levels of awareness.

The ego, or that part of the psyche that is your sense of self, has a very difficult job. It must satisfy both the id and superego. It must gratify the id's primitive, instinctual needs within the constraints of reality and within the moral standards of the superego.

For example, imagine that it's breakfast time. The id may prompt your for a chocolate doughnut. The superego may push you to eat something healthy like bran cereal or oatmeal. The ego attempts to gratify both desires: something healthy that tastes good. The outcome may be cereal with fruit, and some hot chocolate. As you can imagine, the ego has a difficult job. Although we are not aware of this internal struggle between the id, superego, and ego, Freud posited that it influences much of our behavior.