Id and Ego - Self Exploration and acceptance
In some instances our behaviour is consistent with our highest moral standards, at others we encounter dilemmas and act in ways that make us question ourselves "Was that me? Is this me?". Such inconsistencies are symptoms of deep anxiety and can be understood in terms of the dialectic between the Id and SuperEgo.
First used by Sigmund Freud as a analytical framework. the concepts of Id and SuperEgo find parallels in other similar concepts, such as George Herbert Mead's 'I' or 'social self' or 'self-image' and 'Me' or 'personal self' or 'self-awareness', and are crucial in psychoanalysis.
Our self-image or superego consists of qualities that receive easy psychological oxygen and is approved of and rewarded by society. It consists of pronouncements such as - I am right, I am just, I am truthful, I honour promises, I don't betray, I do my duty.
Our self-awareness or Id is our more intimate, raw, emotional and unpredictable part. Knowing our Id is a life-long process. Growing self-awareness requires us to explore ourselves and accept those parts of ours that are not otherwise easily acceptable to our superego. Without self-acceptance, we repress ourselves and move farther from our truer, vulnerable, more authentic self.
When we are in distress, our behaviour is more guided by our Id than by our Ego. By introspecting our behaviour during such times, we can get to know truer nature of ourselves. By knowing ourselves more truly, we can then be aware of our true needs. We can then direct our efforts towards things that matter to us and that are likely to leave us with a deep sense of contentment, instead of wasting effort in pursuits that give shallow, short-lived farce of achievement.
Lack of self-acceptance leads to development of a gap between Id and Superego. The conflicts between Id and Superego are resolved by a third component of our self describes as 'Ego' by Freud. In absence of a healthy ego, the gap between the Id and Superego remains unaddressed and the person experiences anxiety and cognitive dissonance, and exhibits behaviour similar to split-personality : while operating at Id he would make promises far outside his capacity, only to flip upon them when the behaviour returns to Superego - creating indecisiveness and inability to move forward in life.
A simple way to test the gap between our Id and Superego could be 'intoxication'. People whose behaviour changes drastically with intoxication are the ones with severe internal repressions, while someone with a healthily integrated and harmonious self would show little change in behaviour with intoxication.
An emotionally healthy life requires a balanced integration between our self-image and self-awareness - Id and Superego, and a hopeful belief that we are much more than we can ever know ourselves to be.
Find your true self, live your true self.
Enjoy the song:
Khudi ko khud se milaane... chala hai o deewane.. - The Local Train
Self-exploration requires a commitment to welcome new experiences. We do not realise our own needs deeply unless we try new. On this note, enjoy the Starving song by Hailee Steinfeld:
You never know yourself enough: More than you know:
One more: I like Hailee's good vibes and enthusiastic expressions in this: