The Ego and the Id

All human behaviors and traits according to this 1923 study 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 resides in bringing the id the hidden source of human passion to the surface. The egoformed to negotiate the id''s interactions with realityand the superegothe critical moralistic part of the mindremain in constant conflict with the id''s demands.Although the concept of the unconscious was not Freud''s invention he brought it into popular awareness and pioneered its use in treating mental conditions. This groundbreaking volume constitutes one of the Viennese physician''s most insightful works on the topic. In addition to posting the balancing act between the id ego and superego Freud further explores the concepts of the life force and the death force and the anxieties driven by fear morality and guilt.Rather than living our lives we are lived by unknown and uncontrollable forces. Sigmund Freud (The Ego and the Id)