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The ego (and its superego) reconsidered
1Antioch University, Regent's College, London.
The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
|January 1, 1988
Summary
This study clarifies Sigmund Freud's concept of the ego, distinguishing between self-representation and the structural ego. It reveals the superego as a developmental phase of the ego, not antagonistic to the ego ideal.
Area of Science:
- Psychoanalytic theory
- Psychology
- Philosophy of mind
Background:
- The term 'ego' in Freudian psychoanalysis presents ambiguities.
- Heinz Hartmann proposed distinguishing the self-representation from the structural ego.
- Hartmann aimed to define the ego as a theoretical construct rather than an experiential one.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze Freud's use of 'das Ich' (the ego).
- To clarify the phenomenological aspects of the ego as described by Freud.
- To re-examine the relationship between the superego and ego ideal.
Main Methods:
- Close reading of Freud's psychoanalytic writings.
- Phenomenological analysis of ego experiences.
- Conceptual analysis of the superego and ego ideal.
Main Results:
- Freud's 'das Ich' encompasses both experiences and the theoretical entity explaining them.
- Phenomenologically, the ego involves self-representation, sense of existence, and action.
- The superego and ego ideal differ in abstraction levels, with the superego as a phase-specific ego organization.
Conclusions:
- Freud's ego concept integrates experiential and theoretical dimensions.
- The superego is an emergent, phase-specific structure of the ego.
- No inherent conflict exists between the superego and ego ideal; they represent different levels of analysis.