eli5: The Id, Ego, and Superego, and how they interact
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Imagine a cartoon person with a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other shoulder. That’s similar to how id, superego, and ego work.
The id is your primitive, instinctual part of your mind/psyche. It drives your impulses, desires, and aggression. In this metaphor, it is like the devil on your shoulder.
Super-ego is like the angel on the shoulder. It is comprised of the morals, values, and societal norms that help guide us.
The ego is the cartoon person having the internal debate. It’s the part of the psyche that reconciles both the impulses and the moral structure.
Now, just because the id is represented by the devil doesn’t mean id driven is always and entirely evil. Think of it as a nuance: sometimes it could be like lifting the mask of behavior of how we fit in so we can be ourselves naturally, which often isn’t bad at all. Sometimes it can be like being driven by selfish desires or violent urges, which is not a desirable outcome.
Meanwhile just because the superego is represented by the angel doesn’t mean it is always good. Sometimes terrible things are done or ignored because of strict adherence to societal norms.
That’s why it’s important to realize that the metaphor isn’t perfect. Sometimes we do need to be more impulsive or instinctual, sometimes we need to be more self-controlled or morally structured. We have the ego process to balance the two nicely.
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