THE ID, EGO, SUPEREGO GAME

We may say that the id comprises the psychic representatives of the drives, the ego consists of
those functions which have to do with the individual’s relation to his environment, and the super-
ego comprises the moral precepts of our minds as well as our ideal aspirations.

The drives, of course, we assume to be present from birth, but the same is certainly not true of in-
terest in or control of the environment on the one hand, nor of any moral sense or aspirations on
the other.

It is obvious that neither of the latter, that is neither the ego nor the superego develops till some-
time after birth.

Freud expressed this fact by assuming that the id comprised the entire psychic apparatus at birth,
and that the ego and superego were originally parts of the id which differentiated sufficiently in
the course of growth to warrant their being considered as separate functional entities.

—Charles Brenner, An Elementary Textbook of Psychoanalysis (Revised Edition)

The id, ego, superego game is one in which Freud’s classic explanation of how the psyche works, his
“structural hypothesis,” is applied to television programs, films and other aspects of popular culture, the
media, and everyday life. Freud’s notions about the id, ego, and superego are described in the quotation
that starts this exercise.
Freud also had a “topographic hypothesis” in which he postulated that our psyches are like icebergs:
above the water, the part of the iceberg you can see is your conscious; slightly below the water line is an
area you can dimly make out, what he called the subconscious; and finally, down deep in the water where
you can’t seen anything you’ll find your unconscious, which is not accessible to you.
We can describe the id, ego, and superego as follows:

Id:
The id in Freud’s theory of the psyche (technically known as his structural hypothesis) is that element of
the psyche that is the representative of a person’s drives. It is also the source of energy, but lacking direc-
tion, it needs the superego to help harness it and control it. In popular thought, it is connected with im-
pulse, lust, and “I want it all now” kinds of behavior.

Ego:
In Freud’s theory of the psyche, the ego functions as the executant of the id and as a mediator between the
id and the superego. The ego is involved with the perception of reality and the adaptation to reality.

Superego:
In Freud’s typology, the superego is the agency in our psyches related to conscience and morality. The
superego is involved with processes such as approval and disapproval of wishes on the basis or whether
they are moral or not, critical self-observation, and a sense of guilt over wrong-doing. The functions of
the superego are largely unconscious, and are opposed to id elements in our psyches. Mediating between
the two, and trying to balance them, are our egos.

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 PLAYING THE GAME

We play the id, ego, superego game by looking for manifestations or representations of each of these con-
cepts in some text or aspect of life. For example, let me suggest that we can look at the three main charac-
ters in the show Star Trek as being id, ego, and superego figures.

Id Ego Superego

McCoy Spock Captain Kirk

Emotion Pure Rationality Command

In essence the three combine to form one “heroic” personality and each character represents one aspect of
that personality.
One reason we play this game is to see whether we can determine, in the case of television programs,
for instance, why we like a certain show and whether or not we may be identifying with one or another of
the main characters. We can also apply this id, ego, superego game to other aspects of media, popular cul-
ture, and everyday life.
Please fill in the chart below, which offers a number of different topics to consider. You may not be
able to find a perfect fit, but it is possible to find things to put in this chart. You may have to simplify
matters a bit. Let me suggest that Spock is “essentially” an ego figure, whose claim to fame is not having
human emotions and being rational. But I think you can see the point I’m making. Kirk, incidentally, is
similar to the German word “kirche” which means church.

Topic Id Ego Superego

Books

Cities

Films

Heroes

Heroines

Regions of the
United States
Songs

TV Genres

TV Programs

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SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1. Did using the id/ego/superego chart make you see things about media, popular culture, and aspects of
everyday life differently? If so, what did you learn?

2. You can extend this chart and deal with topics not listed on it. What other topics would you consider?

3. Can you learn anything about trends by playing this game? That is, do you think that television
shows, films, popular music, and other media have moved from being id to superego dominated or the
opposite?

4. Who were your heroes when you were young? Were they id, ego, or superego figures? What about
your heroes now?

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