The Ego and the Id

"Rather than living our lives, we are ‘lived‘ by unknown and uncontrollable forces." -- Sigmund Freud (The Ego and the Id) The Ego and the Id is one of Sigmund Freud‘s most influential works. According to this 1923 study, all human behaviors and traits derive from the complicated interactions of three elements of the psyche: the id, the ego, and the superego. The root of Sigmund Freud‘s approach to psychiatric treatment lies in bringing the id, the secret source of human passion, to the surface and explains how it remains in constant conflict with the ego, which was formed to negotiate the id‘s interactions with reality and the superego, the moralistic part of the mind which remains in constant conflict with the id‘s demands. Freud goes on to explore the concepts of the life force and the death force and the anxieties driven by fear, morality, and guilt. Although the concept of the unconscious was not Freud‘s invention, he brought it into popular awareness, pioneering its use in treating mental conditions. It is one of his most insightful works on the topic and one of Freud‘s most influential works in understanding human behavior, mental processes, and personality. His ideas remain influential to this day in psychotherapy, psychology, and psychiatry and is for anyone wishing to understand their own mind or that of others.