Dr. Freud defined the "conscious" mind as the awake, aware mind in highly operational mode--as opposed to the "unconscious" mind, which would represent the mind at sleep, or so deeply relaxed as to be nearly asleep.

Freud believed that the personality is composed of the id, the ego and the

superego. The Id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. The Id is entirely unconscious and is instinctive behavior. The Id is driven by a desire for instant gratification of all wants and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is anxiety or tension. For example, an increase in hunger or thirst requires an attempt to eat or drink as soon as possible. The id is very important early in life, because it ensures that an infant's needs are met. If the infant is uncomfortable, he or she will cry until the demands of the id are met.

However, immediately satisfying these needs is not always realistic. If the pleasure principle always worked to satisfy us, we might find ourselves grabbing things we want out of other people's hands to satisfy our own cravings. This sort of behavior would be socially unacceptable.

The ego is the part of personality responsible for dealing with reality. According to Freud, the ego develops from the id. The ego sees that the impulses of the id are acceptable in the real world. The ego functions in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind. The ego operates based on the realityprinciple, which tries to satisfy the id's desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways.

The ego, or reality fence, weighs the results of an action before deciding whether to act upon it. Many times, the id's impulses can be satisfied by the ego's eventually allowing the behavior, but only in the appropriate time and place.

The ego handles conflicting tension through the secondary process, in which the ego tries to find an object in the real world that matches the mental image created by the id's primary need.

The superego holds all of our moral standards and ideals that we acquire from parents and society--out sense of right and wrong. The superego has guidelines for making judgments. According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five.

There are two parts of the superego: 1) the ego ideal includes behaviors which are approved. Obeying these rules leads to feelings of pride, value and accomplishment. 2) the conscience includes information re things that are viewed as bad by parents and society. This behavior is often forbidden and leads to bad consequences, punishments or feelings of guilt and remorse.

3) The superego acts to perfect and civilize our behavior. It suppresses all unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards rather that upon realistic principles. The superego is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious.

Conflict can arise between the id, ego and superego. Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego's ability to function despite contradictions. A person with good ego strength is able to manage these pressures--while those with too much or too little ego strength can become too stubborn.

According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance between the id, the ego, and the superego.

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