Id Ego Superego
“Atonement (at-one-ment) consists in no more than the abandonment of that
self-generated double monster – the dragon thought to be God (superego)* and the
dragon thought to be Sin (repressed id).
But this requires an abandonment of the
attachment to ego itself; and
that is what is difficult.”
The Id is the pleasure seeking part of the mind. Based on biological forces its instinctive drives and impulses demand immediate satisfaction.
The Ego is the
subject of the
conscious mind[6]
it is the centre of conscious..
It is the self-conscious
faculty of the mind and is comprised of the
four functions (TFSN).
The ego’s main function is
discrimination of
opposites
[7]
and all of our experiences, internal and external, must pass through the ego
in order to be
perceived. Without
an ego nothing is
perceived[8].
The ego as a function allows you to distinguish yourself from others, but
also provides a (false) sense of uniqueness.
Also, the ego is called a
complex because the ego is not a ‘pure entity’
or ‘entirely conscious’.
“The ego-conscious personality is only a part of the whole man, and its life does not yet represent his total life. The more he is merely ‘I,’ the more he splits himself off from the collective man, of whom he is also a part, and may even find himself in opposition to him.”[9]
"One of the great dangers of
transformational work is that the ego attempts to sidestep deep psychological
work by leaping into the transcendent too soon. This is because the ego always
fancies itself much more ‘advanced’ than it actually is."
-- Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
Joseph Campbell--Myth As the Mirror for the Ego
In Jung’s schema, the ego is your conscious identification with your particular body, its experiences, and its memories.
The ego is a 'kind of
projection' devised by
the
unconscious.
The ego complex datum which is constituted first of all by a general awareness of your body, of your existence, and secondly by your memory data; you have a certain idea of having been, a long series of memories. Those two are the main constituents of what we call the ego. Therefore you can call the ego a complex of psychic facts. This complex has a great power of attraction, like a magnet; it attracts contents from the unconscious, from that dark realm of which we know nothing; it also attracts impressions from the outside, and when they enter into association with the ego they are conscious. If they do not, they are not conscious.
My idea of the ego is that it is a sort of complex. Of course, the nearest and dearest complex which we cherish is our ego. it is always in the centre of our attention and of our desires, and it is the absolutely indispensable centre of consciousness. If the ego becomes split up, as in schizophrenia, all sense of values is gone, and also things become inaccessible for voluntary reproduction because the centre has split and certain parts of the psyche refer to one fragment of the ego and certain other contents to another fragment of the ego. therefore, with a schizophrenic, you often see a rapid change from one personality into another.
The
development of a conscious “ego” as the centre of
consciousness
is a process which begins in childhood and which initiates the
process of individuation. Through the development of the
ego, the original state of undifferentiation and of identity with the
surroundings will progressively
dissolve. It is essential for the individual who has to
find his way in life to possess an ego with which to comprehend and meet the
world face to face. It is equally necessary for the
development of the
individuation process, which usually sets in in the second half of life, for
it the individual lacks a definite ego capable of confronting the inner world of
the unconscious, the
danger of being overwhelmed by unconscious contents arises.
In his writings Jung has repeatedly emphasized the
importance of this. TGL 80
The ideal situation, as far as we can see, is when the ego, with a certain plasticity, obeys the central regulation of the psyche. But when it hardens and becomes autonomous, acting according to its own reasons, then there is often a neurotic constellation. This happens not only to individuals, but also collectively, which is why we speak of collective neuroses and psychoses. IFT 62
The
ego, the subject of consciousness, comes into existence as a complex quantity
which is constituted partly by the inherited disposition (character
constituents) and partly by unconsciously acquired impressions and their
attendant phenomena. TDoP 91
A
marked change occurs when the child develops consciousness of his ego, a fact
which is registered by his referring to himself as “I.” This
change normally takes place between the third and fifth year, but it may begin
earlier. From this moment we can speak of the existence of an
individual psyche, though normally the psyche attains relative independence only
after puberty. Up till then it has been largely the plaything
of instinct and environment. TDoP 54
The Superego
consists of two parts; the conscience[10],[11]
and the ego-ideal. The super-ego is
the moral policeman of the mind and strives towards
moral perfection.
The formation of the super-ego is based on
internalizing the father[12]
and his prohibitions, and takes place during the dissolution of the
Oedipus
complex. Because of the connection
to the id, the super-ego has the ability to become excessively moral and thus can lead to destructive effects.
(The Castration complex also plays a role in the formation of the Super-ego)
The environment says, “Don’t, don’t, don’t.”
This interplay is the wish-prohibition conflict …
So you begin to take a lot of “I mustn’ts” down into the unconscious; the
society’s “I mustn’t” counters the id’s “I want.”
What Freud calls the superego provides the stream of “I mustn’ts.”
The superego is the internalization of the parental, societal voice,
balancing out the id by saying, “Don’t do this, do that.”
