WebQuest - Freud's Theories on Personality: Id, Ego, and Superego
TASK 1: You should read across this subject area until you obtain enough understanding to explain what id, ego, and
superego are.
Here are the best websites to review
http://wilderdom.com/personality/L8-3TopographyMindIceberg.html
http://wilderdom.com/personality/L8-4StructureMindIdEgoSuperego.html
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/understanding-the-id-ego-and-superego-in-psycholog.html
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/freud.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego
TASK 2: Answer questions 1-14 below. Is it Id, Ego, or Super-ego? Fill in the blank
1. The ________________ controls our sense of right and wrong and guilt. It helps us fit into society by getting
us to act in socially acceptable ways.
2. The _________________ acts according to the reality principle; i.e. it seeks to please the id’s drive in realistic
ways that will benefit in the long term rather than bring grief.
3. The ________________ is the unorganized part of the personality structure that contains a human's basic,
instinctual drives.
4. The ________________ aims for perfection. It comprises that organized part of the personality structure,
mainly but not entirely unconscious.
5. The _________________ acts according to the "pleasure principle", seeking to avoid pain or displeasure
aroused by increases in instinctual tension.
6. The _______________ works in contradiction to the id. Unlike the id, it strives to act in a socially appropriate
manner, whereas the id just wants instant self-gratification.
7. The _________________ represents what may be called reason and common sense, in contrast to the
__________________, which contains the passions.
8. The mind of a newborn child is thought to be governed by ______________ in the sense that its mind is a
collection of instinctive drives and impulses, and needs immediate satisfaction.
9. The _________________ can be thought of as a type of conscience that punishes misbehavior with feelings
of guilt.
10. The _________________ is unconscious by definition:"It is the dark, inaccessible part of our personality.”
Is it Unconscious, Preconscious, or Conscious? Fill in the blank
11. The largest part by far is the __________________. It includes all the things that are not easily available to
awareness, including things such as our drives or instincts, and things that are put there because we can't
bear to look at them, such as the traumatic memories and emotions.
12. The ________________ mind is what you are aware of at any particular moment, your present perceptions,
memories, thoughts, feelings, etc.
13. According to Freud, the source of our motivations lies in the __________________. And yet, we are often
driven to deny or resist becoming aware of these motives, and they are often available to us only in disguised
form.
14. Working closely with the conscious mind is the _________________, what we might today call "available
memory." It includes things which can easily be made conscious, such as memories you are not at thinking
about right now but can recall quickly.
TASK 3: Reflect upon yourself as well. Which do you fall into: id, ego, or superego? What habits and behaviors do you
exhibit which place you in that category? In a paragraph, explain which of the personality types seems most like
you. Be specific, and be honest.
TASK 4: Take a Quiz: http://blogthings.com/areyouidegoorsuperegoquiz/
TASK 5: We are doing this in preparation for Frankenstein; however, the principles can be applied to characters from
other works. Consider the following characters, label them as id, ego, or superego, and explain why you labeled them
as such: Zeus, Prometheus, Odysseus, and Penelope