In what ways do Freud’s proposed levels of personality differ from one another? Why are they so often in conflict?
Freud defined three types of personalities. They are Id, ego, and superego. Id was defined by Freud as being the act consciousness. He said that the Id does not understand the concept of reality, and acts only to relieve tension and stress. He said that Id operates to get immediate relaxation and satisfaction and does not bother about the reality or the consequences to be faced.
Ego defined by Freud was an extension of Id. He said that like Id has no concerns with reality, ego is very much concerned with the reality. Ego acts as a mediator between the Id and the reality. The Id craves for immediate satisfaction while Ego is fully aware of the surrounding and manipulates Id to regulate in a functional way. Ego derives its power from Id and cannot exist without the Id.
Super-ego is the third part of Freud’s theory of personality. He said that superego develops in a child when the child is taught to behave by the parents. The reward or punishment of an act makes a child learn to differentiate between the correct and wrong way of living. This act first is instilled by the parents, was taken up by the child when he or she grows up. Superego understands morality and the person strives for perfection.
Superego is that’s why always at conflict with Id as it takes control of the reality also. While ego is there to support Id, superego completely attempts to make Id perish or inhibit it.
These three personalities were in conflict with each other because they differed from each other. Id was the non-moral, aggressive, and impulsive self. While ego manipulated ad tried to control the Id. Superego on the other hand was a reality understand personality and possessed moral. It attempted to inhibit Id. Freud further added that if the ego was too much threatened, then it would lead to anxiety.