The Three Elements of Personality by Sigmund Freud

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Introduction Of Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud was one of the trailblazers of modern-day psychology. After several years of clinical practice, Sigmund Freud became concern about finding a new way to cure his patients. He developed a new way of treatment, the psychoanalytic therapy based on the existence of the unconscious. According to his theory, our behavior is driven by sexual and destructive feelings. Freud mentions in his psychoanalytical theory of personality there are five stages of psychosexual stages structure of personality. However, the three main elements of a personality are id, ego and superego, which come together to generate intricate human behavior. The three essential parts of human psyche are listed below. The three elements of personality The first feature, the id, feature of personality is the most common and everlasting element that exists since birth. It is completely unconsciousness and consists of natural and original behavior. As it is the main element of personality, id is considered the main source of psychic energy. According to Freud id is compelled by pleasure principle, which attempts for immediate satisfaction of desires and needs. It will result in a state of anxiety or strain if the needs are not satisfied immediately. Secondly, the ego is a component of personality in charge of dealing with reality. As stated by Freud, the ego progresses from Id and confirms the desires of the id, articulated in an acceptable manner in real life. The main function of ego is to handle conscious, preconscious and unconscious mind. It helps to satisfy needs of id in a socially suitable way. Besides, it supports to release tension with assistance of a process where an object found in reality is created by id’s p... ... middle of paper ... ...ole person perspective, the psychoanalytic theory of psychodynamics does have many veritable rival theories in the same perspective now, it has been widely influential. Conferring to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is an absolute balance between all three id, the ego and the superego. The theory does a good job at delineating the stages of psychosexual development; our childhood has a great influence on our personalities. Referring to Freud’s ‘psychosexual stages’, it is very clear that parents’ role in an infant’s life is the foremost step to structure the personality. Not to forget, the oral and anal stages are focal fundamental to character traits in a person’s behavior. The inner ‘instincts’ of sexuality and aggression meeting with the socially acceptable norms creates a conflict zone, wherein it is decided what we are to do and what we would become.

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