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Of hobbies, too? [ July 1, 2002 ]
Freud describes the Ego in the following way: It is easy to see that the ego is that part of the id which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world . . . . [The ego] endeavors to substitute the reality principle for the pleasure principle which reigns unrestrictedly in the id. . . . The ego represents what may be called reason and common sense, in contrast to the id, which contains the passions. . . . Thus in its relation to the id it is like a man on horseback, who has to hold in check the superior strength of the horse; with this difference, that the rider tries to do so with his own strength while the ego uses borrowed forces. The Id is the great reservoir of instinctual energy, containing the passions emanating from the two instincts of sexuality and aggression. The Id is mostly unconscious, though its impulses often emerge to conscious awareness. The Id is governed by the "pleasure principle," which may be characterized by the assertion "act in the manner which will bring you the most pleasure immediately regardless of the consequences." Defense mechanisms are techniques employed by the Ego to reduce anxiety originating from the threat of Super-Ego punishment or the dread of being overwhelmed by the strength of the instincts. Examples include repression, denial, sublimation, projection, and rationalization. (See generally ANNA FREUD, THE EGO AND THE MECHANISMS OF DEFENSE) [Displacement] as a defense mechanism involves a purposeful unconscious shifting from one object to another in the interest of solving a conflict. Although the object is changed, the instinctual nature of the impulse and its aim remain the same. (JAY KATZ ET AL., PSYCHOANALYSIS PSYCHIATRY AND LAW 157, 1967) |