This article does not cite sources or references that appear in a credible publication and are not primary sources, such as websites and publications affiliated with the subject of the article. You can help Wikipedia by including appropriate citations.

The ego, superego, and id are the tripartite divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory compartmentalizing the sphere of mental activity into three energetic components: Image File history File links Books-aj_svg_aj_ashton_01. ... A primary source is any piece of information that is used for constructing history as an artifact of its times. ... Psychoanalytic theory is a general term for approaches to psychoanalysis which attempt to provide a conceptual framework more-or-less independent of clinical practice rather than based on empirical analysis of clinical cases. ...

1. the ego being the organized conscious mediator between the internal person and the external identity.
2. the superego being the internalization of the conscious extenuated by rules, conflict, morals, guilt, etc.
3. the id being the source of psychological energy derived from instinctual needs and drives.

Although psychoanalysis has a variety of views on when ego psychology began, most who identify with the ego psychological school place its beginnings with Sigmund Freud's 1923 book The ego and the id, in which Freud introduced what would later come to be called the structural theory of psychoanalysis. The structural theory divides the mind into three agencies or "structures": the id, the ego, and the superego. This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud [] (May 6, 1856–September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology, based on his theory that human development is best understood in terms of changing objects of sexual desire; that the unconscious often represses wishes (generally of a...

Freud's structural theory

Ego

In Freud's view the ego mediates between the id, the superego, and the external world to balance our primitive drives, our moral ideals and taboos, and the limitations of reality (ego in Greek, εγώ means I, also ego means I in Latin—the original German word Freud applied was "Ich".) Although in his early writings Freud equated the ego with our sense of self, he later began to portray it more as a set of psychic functions such as reality-testing, defense, synthesis of information, intellectual functioning, memory, and the like. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

Superego

The superego stands in opposition to the desires of the id. norms and morals a child absorbs from parents and the surrounding environment at a young age. As the conscience, it includes our sense of right and wrong, maintaining taboos specific to a child's internalization of parental culture.and eat a big pie cause hi matt clarke The word norm coming from the latin word norma which means angle measure or (lawlike) rule, has a number of meanings: A social or sociological norm; see norm (sociology). ... Morality is a complex of principles based on cultural, religious, and philosophical concepts and beliefs, by which an individual determines whether his or her actions are right or wrong. ...

Id

The id (Latin, it in English, "Es" in the original German) represented primary process thinking — our most primitive, need-gratification impulses. It is organized around the primitive instinctual drives of sexuality and aggression. In the id, these drives require instant gratification or release. Freud borrowed the term Id from the "Book of the It" by Georg Groddeck, a pathfinder of early psychosomatic medicine. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The suckling of a newborn at its mothers nipple is an example of an instinctive behavior. ... This article is about the issues and phenomena pertaining to human sexual function and behavior. ... Georg Groddeck, psychosomatic, writer (* October 13, 1866, Bad Kösen † June 10, 1934, Knonau close to Zurich). ... A psychosomatic illness is one with physical manifestations and supposed psychological cause, often diagnosed when any known or identifiable physical cause was excluded by medical examination. ...

The ego psychologists

After Freud, a number of prominent psychoanalytic theorists began to elaborate on Freud's functionalist version of the ego. Extensive effort was put into detailing the ego's various functions and how they are impaired in psychopathology. Several central ego functions are reality-testing, impulse-control, judgment, affect tolerance, defense, and synthetic functioning. An important conceptual revision to Freud's structural theory was made when Heinz Hartmann argued that the healthy ego includes a sphere of autonomous ego functions that are independent of mental conflict. Memory, motor coordination, and reality-testing, for example, ought to be able to function without the intrusion of emotional conflict. According to Hartmann, psychoanalytic treatment aims to expand the conflict-free sphere of ego functioning. By doing so, Hartmann believed, psychoanalysis facilitates adaptation , that is, more effective mutual regulation of ego and environment. The article is about functionalism in sociology; for other uses, see functionalism. ... Heinz Hartmann (1894 in Vienna, Austria - 1970 in Stony Point, New York), was a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. ...

David Rapaport systematized Freud's structural model and Hartmann's revisions of it. Rapaport argued that the central principle of Freudian theory is that mental processes are motivated and shaped by the need to discharge tension. Clarifying Freud's work, Rapaport portrayed the mind as divided into drives and structures. Drives contain fluid energy that pushes for rapid discharge through the immediate gratification of wishes. Because it is rare that wishes can actually be immediately gratified, the mind develops the capacity to delay gratification or achieve it through detours. Consequently, drive energy becomes tied up in the relatively stable mental structures comprising the ego. Rapaport defined structures as mental organizations with a slow rate of change, slow in comparison with the more fluid drives. David Rappaport David Stephen Rappaport (November 23, 1951 – May 2, 1990) was a diminutive British actor, probably one of the most well-known little people in television and film, standing at 3 11. Rappaport was born in London, and soon developed talents in both music and theatre. ...

Arlow and Brenner argued that Freud's earlier theory of the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious systems of the mind ought to be abandoned, and the structural model used as the sole psychoanalytic theory of the mind.

Recent ego psychological authors have taken the approach in a number of directions. Some, such as Charles Brenner, have contended that the structural model should be abandoned and psychoanalysts should focus exclusively on understanding and treating mental conflict. Others, such as Frederic Busch, have argued for an increasingly nuanced and sophisticated concept of the ego.

Ego psychology is often confused with self psychology, which emphasizes the strength and cohesion of a person's sense of self. Although some ego psychologists write about the self, they usually distinguish the self from the ego. They define the ego as an agency comprised of mental functions, whereas the self is an internal representation of how one sees oneself. In ego psychology, emphasis is placed on understanding the functioning of the ego and its conflictual relations to the id, superego, and reality, rather than on the subjective sense of self. The self is a key construct in several schools of psychology. ...

Defense analysis

The clinical technique most commonly associated with ego psychology is defense analysis. Through clarifying, confronting, and interpreting the typical defense mechanisms a patient uses, ego psychologists hope to help the patient gain control over these mechanisms.

Criticisms of ego psychology

Many authors have criticized Hartmann's conception of a conflict-free sphere of ego functioning as both incoherent and inconsistent with Freud's vision of psychoanalysis as a science of mental conflict. In Freud's view, the ego itself takes shape as a result of the conflict between the id and the external world. The ego, therefore, is inherently a conflictual formation in the mind. To state, as Hartmann did, that the ego contains a conflict-free sphere may not be consistent with key propositions of Freud's structural theory.

Some have also accused Hartmann of proposing a conformist psychology in which the ego is considered most healthy when it adjusts to the status quo. Hartmann claimed, however, that his aim was to understand the mutual regulation of the ego and environment rather than to promote adjustment of the ego to the environment.

See also

Dr. Alfred Adler Alfred Adler (February 7, 1870 – May 28, 1937) was an Austrian medical doctor and psychologist, founder of the school of individual psychology. ... Alter Ego has multiple meanings: Alter Ego is a game for the Commodore 64 computer. ... Cognitive dissonance is a condition first proposed by the psychologist Leon Festinger in 1956. ... Collective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology, and was originally coined by Carl Jung. ... Egolessness is a concept sometimes studied in psychology, for a emotional state where one feels no ego (or self); of having no distinct being apart from the world around oneself. ... To ego search is to type your name into an internet search engine and get a kick out of seeing all the results. ... Jane Loevinger (born 1918) was a developmental psychologist who developed a theory of personality which emphasized the gradual internalization of social rules and the maturing conscience for the origin of personal decisions. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ... Simplified view of an artificial neural network A neural network is an interconnected group of biological neurons. ... In modern psychology, the term neurosis, also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, is a general term that refers to any mental imbalance that causes distress, but does not interfere with rational thought or an individuals ability to function in daily life. ... Dr. Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich (March 24, 1897–November 3, 1957) was a Jewish-Austrian psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and author, who was trained in Vienna by Sigmund Freud. ... The self is a key construct in several schools of psychology. ... The Society of Mind is the book and theory of natural intelligence as written and developed by Marvin Minsky. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Thoughts Without a Thinker: Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective (1995, BasicBooks, ISBN 0465039316) is a book by Mark Epstein, and it deals with the conception or image we have of ourselves — In other words, who we think we are. ... Transactional analysis, commonly known as TA to its adherents, is a psychoanalytic theory of psychology developed by psychiatrist Eric Berne during the late 1950s. ... The Triune Brain is a hypothesis proposed by Paul MacLean about the traces of evolution existing in the structure of the human brain. ...

External links

• Freud's Psycho Dynamic Theory