Meaning of the Superego (What it is, Concept and Definition)

superego is the moral aspect of the individual's personality, according to the Sigmund Freud's Theory of Psychoanalysis. The superego is responsible for “taming” the Id, that is, repressing primitive instincts based on moral and cultural values.

Alongside the Id and the Ego, the Superego composes the so-called Personality Theory, developed by Freud as part of his studies on psychoanalysis.

As stated, the Superego acts as part of the structure of the individual's cultural personality, representing the construction of all the social values ​​that have been absorbed by the person throughout life and that act as controllers of instincts “animalesque”.

All internalized ideals that form the Superego are acquired through family values particulars of each individual, as well as those shared by the society in which he is inserted, by example.

The Superego acts on all three levels of human consciousness: conscious, preconscious and unconscious. In some cases, when there is a feeling of guilt for something that the person cannot understand why, it can mean that there was the Superego acting in the unconscious, trying to suppress the will of the ID

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Difference between Ego, Superego and Id

They are part of the human psyche, and they are part of Freud's so-called Personality Theory.

O id it is the part responsible for all the primitive instincts, desires and impulses of the individual, which are classified as the "pleasure principles".

O ego, on the other hand, consists in the reality of the person's personality, maintaining the balance between the wills of the Id and the repressions of the Superego.

The Superego is also known as the "Ideal of the Ego" and, it is worth noting that the values ​​that compose it are not born of individuals. In addition to repressing the Id, the Superego also aims to bring the Ego closer to the perfection of moral behavior.

Find out more about the difference between Ego, Superego and Id.

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