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The Ego and the Superego as parents


"It [the id] has the ego telling it what it can't have, and it has the superego telling it what it shouldn't want, but the id works solely out of the pleasure principle. It wants"

The ego is like the Father of the id. Just like the average father, the ego tells the id what it can't have. When a child sees something interesting or glimmering, the child wants it. Then, the father steps in and tells the child NO!!

The Superego is like the Mother of the id. Just like any other average mother, the superego tells the id what it shouldn't want. Mother's usually don't just say, "NO," they usually give a reason. For example, mothers will say "No, sweetie, that lamp will hurt you." Mothers mostly tell children why they shouldn't want something.

In this perspective the Id, the Ego, and the Superego are like family: Child, Father, and Mother.


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exerpt from lecture on the id by Professore Walsh from Buffy the Vampire Slayer