Freud's image of man

Instances of human nature - image of man made up of id, ego and superego

Freud starts from a tripartite division of human nature. He sees the individual levels in constant conflict over control.

• Under the concept of "it" he encompasses the inherited primal instincts of man. This level corresponds to the oldest level that is controlled by the pleasure principle. The "it" moves away from human consciousness and is constantly striving to maintain its own species. Accordingly, it is controlled by the desire for the satisfaction of elementary urges. Survival instinct and sex drive are central concepts.
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• In contrast, Freud describes the "I" as a conscious level of decision-making. This level of alertness is controlled by reason and awareness. While the "it" is inherited and innate, the "I" is only formed through the contact between the individual and the world. Freud describes the "I" as a conscious decision-making level, the focus of which is on social contacts and interaction.
• For Freud, on the other hand, the "super-ego" is the controlling and judging authority of the entire personality. Learned morals are stored here and flow into the acquired conscience. Biographical and socio-cultural information make up the level. The ideas and demands of caregivers and parents form the framework.

Freud developed his approaches to psychoanalysis on the basis of this three-way division.

Basis of mental illness - Freud's struggle between "superego" and "id"

The role of the unconscious is central to Freud's view of man. Unspoken conflicts, biographical data and repressed truths regularly fight their way from the unconscious level to the surface of reason and torpedo its plans.

• Imagine Freud's "I" - the level of reason and decision - as a plaything between "id" and "superego". Learned conscience and inherited instincts are in constant conflict. The "I" bathes this conflict and has to constantly take sides.
• Satisfying "it" and "superego" at the same time is difficult for the "I" to succeed. Either instincts remain unsatisfied or the conscience. In both cases there are negative consequences. If, for example, the decision of reason turns against the original instincts, the instinctual tension increases. A feeling of displeasure arises. In the opposite case, remorse is evident.
• Avoiding feelings of displeasure, according to Freud, is the basis of human nature. Too many repressed instincts lead to mental illness. Pure instinctual satisfaction is contrary to the human striving for community. Community building is only possible through the "superego". As a community, man must constantly find compromises between drives and values.
• If the "I" rises above the "it", then it happens accordingly out of the desire for acceptance. When choosing conscience, reason expects love as a reward. As explained above, parental values, learned morals and biographical data control the level of conscience. Thus the "superego" is the representative of the parents, which explains these expectations.
• Parents with a strict order and many rules favored mental illness, according to this theory. The stricter the learned system of conscience, the more instincts have to be suppressed in order to satisfy the striving for acceptance. A relaxed parental home leads to a relaxed "superego", which later makes it easier to find a compromise between drives and values.

Freud's view of man is often referred to as atheistic and pessimistic because it largely reduces human nature to instincts. To understand the reasons for this, consider his approaches in the context of the Enlightenment. Before that, they finally came into being.