

In comparison, the superego is the last component which refers to the critical and moralizing part.ģ. Ego refers to the realistic and controlling component of the psyche. Both terms are often used in psychology.Ģ. There is an additional and foremost component, the Id, which works with both concepts. Both ego and superego are two components of the psyche according to the structural model by Freud. On the other hand, the ego strives for control of the Id based on reality and the superego.Īnother distinction between the two components is that ego develops a human personality while superego develops a human character.ġ. In this capacity, the superego tries to stress and enforce rules on the person. The superego aims for perfection and tries to make the person act in a socially appropriate manner.
#EGO AND SUPEREGO HOW TO#
Usually, at this age, a child learns how to behave according to social norms via the instruction of the parents. Superego, on the other hand, as the third and last component of the psyche, is evident after five years of age. To sum it all up, ego serves three distinct masters the Id, the superego, and reality.Įgo develops after the Id, usually during the first three years of a child’s life. It employs defense mechanisms and is modified by the events and things in the external environment. It does this by using feelings of guilt and shame.Įgo is often called the reason and common sense of a person. The role of the superego is to constrict both the Id and ego (in extension, behavior) to ascribe to moral and ethical norms. Superego is often attributed as the conscience, but it also encompasses spiritual goals and ego ideals. It views that the Id is a direct opposition to the rules and norms of society. Meanwhile, the superego is a direct contradiction of the Id. With regards to the superego, the ego negotiates with that particular part.

In controlling the Id, ego employs two mechanisms regarding gratification, instant gratification and delayed gratification. It is also concerned about long-term benefits and consequences. It pleases the Id as well as controls it to a certain extent. Relative to the Id (the part of the psyche that seeks passion, fantasies, impulses, and other human instincts), the ego is the one that controls the Id with respect to environment factors and reality. On the other hand, the superego maintains a more critical and moralizing role on the individual.

It functions according to the reality principle. Both the ego and the superego are present in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious state of the person.Įgo is considered as the organized, rational, and reality-oriented part of the brain/model. These two concepts were presented by Sigmund Freud, a leading figure in psychology.īoth concepts are identified in the structural model of the psyche and are also influenced by a third component, Id. However, it’s interesting to see how Pi’s id (survival instincts) is powerful enough to take charge over the superego and ends up killing the fish for the two of them.Both ego and superego are two fundamental concepts in psychology used to identify the structure of the mind or the psyche. He subconsciously knows that he should not be killing a live species due to religion, and also knows that he should not be eating fish (he is a vegetarian because of his religion). In this situation, his superego makes him hesitant to kill it. This could be the hidden meaning for Pi’s natural instincts.Īnother example is when Pi struggled with killing the fish for Richard Parker and himself to eat. In both the novel and the movie, Pi tells us that Richard Parker is the reason why he had a chance to survive. Richard Parker is Pi’s survival instincts (id), which we are all born with the moment we are born. Richard Parker is the one who kills the hyena, which is parallel to Pi killing the cook (another version of the story he tells to Japanese reports at the very end of the movie).

Some researchers believe that Richard Parker, the tiger, is actually a symbolism of Pi’s id. This also shows what imbalance of personalities can do to us. There was no superego or ego that could have stopped it from killing the zebra. The hyena on the lifeboat is an example of id, because of how it killed the zebra due to hunger.
