Id
By
James Harvey Stout (deceased). This material is now in the public
domain. The complete collection of Mr. Stout's writing is now at
http://stout.mybravenet.com/public_html/h/
>
Jump to the following topics:
- What is the id?
What is the id? According to Freud,
the id is the part of the psyche which has the following
characteristics:
- The id contains our drives and instincts, particularly our
instincts of aggression and sex.
- The id contains our repressed elements: our thoughts, images,
emotions, etc.
- The id is depicted as an irrational, unsocial force which must
be controlled by the ego and superego. Some of that control is in
the form of "sublimation," i.e., using the energy of the repressed
elements in a constructive manner; for example, we might divert
some of our aggression into sports.