The formation of an individual’s character refers to the process where an individual develops into the person that they are. The development of this person constitutes of formation of enduring patterns of thinking behavior and feeling. The development of these patterns is because of adaptations to the internal and external instincts, external demands for conformity and the need for balance between the instinctual demands and the external demands for conformity. These are known as the id, the super ego and the ego. (Freud, 1938)
The formation of the character of a person follows these three parameters where the id is an innate trait an individual is born with. The id demands that the individual pursues what feels good in that instance, instant gratification. The id helps babies in achieving their basic needs such as feeding and attention to care. The id requires that an individual follow what that feels good without the regard for other external factors. The super ego on the other hand is the part of the individual that houses morality. This part is nurtured in us by our caregivers and by interaction with our environments. The reactions we get for actions give us the idea of how they are generally viewed in the society in general from a single incident. The ego on its part is the part of us that balances between the super ego and the id. (Freud, 1938)
The superego is based upon the principle of reality. The ego acts as a balance on the repercussions of an action with relation to the expected reaction. An overly moral standing for instance can cause the id to be underserved where an individual might prefer to stay indoors while they feel the need to go partying. An overzealous indulgence on all the impulses of immediate gratification on the other hand, can cause the upset of the moral environment of a person by creating a bad reputation such as ‘so and so is gluttonous’. The ego finds the appropriate balance between these thus avoiding their potential conflict.
Works Cited
Freud, Sigmund, A A. Brill, Sigmund Freud, Sigmund Freud, Sigmund Freud, Sigmund Freud, Sigmund Freud, and Sigmund Freud. The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud. New York: Modern Library, 1938. Print.
