Sigmund Freud - Essay Example

The later work of Freud emphasized that the psyche was divided into three parts and they are the Id, Ego, and Superego.  The unconscious Id represents itself as the primary process of thinking of a person’s most necessary satisfaction type of thoughts. The word Id thus represents the most common and essential needs to be addressed by a person. In the case of the Superego there rests socially induced conscience that has been counteracted by the Id on the grounds of moral and ethical conduct. Thus, Freud presented that the Superego of the person many times counteracts the necessities that are required to be addressed. Freud addressed the superego as the unconscious and the ego as a largely conscious state of mind. He had advocated that the ego stands in between the id and the superego to balance the two i.e., superego and the id. Thus, a balance of the most primitive needs and the moral/ethical beliefs is being achieved by the in-between penetrative presence of ego.  Freud believes that a healthy ego shall help provide the ability by which one can successfully adapt to the outside environment in a manner that holds the identity of both the id and the superego. Freud especially held the focus of his attention to the study and research on the dynamic relationship that exists between the id, ego, and superego. He held special attention to how the three entered into a conflict.

We would now like to throw some essential light on the work of Plato and Socrates.  Plato was a Greek Philosopher and was a student of Socrates. He was the founder of the Academy in Athens, where Aristotle was a student. Under the guidance of Socrates, Plato wrote philosophical views. He had contributed to the world of knowledge a very precious collection of manuscripts. Plato’s writings present themselves with debates as related to the best possible form of government.  Plato had also held the focus of his writings on several other subjects. The central theme of Plato’s work has been a conflict that exists between there and convention. This is related to the role of heredity and the environment on the intelligence and personality of humans.

The more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm of conversation.
—Plato, Greek philosopher, The Republic, 4th century BC

What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages, they would have burned me. Now they are content with burning my books.
—Sigmund Freud

Thus, the debate as presented rested on the platform of nature versus nurture.  We can notice here that Plato and Socrates have placed ethics upon reason. They have marked the essential practice of following the good as ethical and thus essential. However, ethics have been excluded from there's conception of the superego, ego, and I, description. Thus, the point that some people will not conform to some actions can be due to their realization of them being ethically wrong.

This ethical ground on which the performance of an action is not done is certainly different from the superego form. Since superego is a negative aspect as per the words of Freud. Thus, Freud has excluded ethics from his writings base and thereby assigned the omission of the practice of doing an action as per id as being influenced by the superego. However, only find the work of Socrates and Plato certainly provide a better and more correct picture of the real thing by placing ethics upon reason.

We can also state that Socrates and Plato guide human beings on the ground of what practices they should engage in and what practices they should stay always from. Thus, Socrates and Plato hold the objective standard of what man should be. However, Freud can be considered as a relativist because of his wrings on id, ego, and superego.