Freud’s Theory of Personality
According to Sigmund Freud, a physician in Vienna, Austria, his theory stated that the mind has three basic psychological structures. Which are id the pleasure principle, ego the reality principle, and superego the moral principle (Rathus 397-398). Id, ego, and superego play a role in the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, because along the book each of the boys have shown either pleasure, reality, or moral in their way of thought. Each character represents one of the psychological structures, Jack being id, Ralph being ego, and Piggy being superego.
To begin with, id is defined as a function of “self-gratification and uncaring to others” . It is known as the pleasure principle in a child because they
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Ego is known to be the subconscious of “reasoning and common sense” unlike id that is only involve with pleasing the passion of one's needs (CommonLit Staff). In the book Ralph wants to please his needs but he also does it in a more realistic way that not only benefits him but also the other boys in the island. A good example in the book that best represents Ralph is when he is determined to start a fire in order to get rescue if a ship was to pass by they would be able to see that there are people on the island that needs to be rescued. Ralph wants to be rescued which falls under id the urge to want something done but not fully because he believes that by starting a fire can help them solve their problem about being trapped on the island which is viewed as ego because he is using his common sense and reasoning to find a way to help everyone not just himself (Golding). Ralph throughout only wanted what was the best for them in order to get out of the island he thought about the other boys as well even though at times he came out to be a bit of id but he was able to put his common sense and reasoning to get things done even if it meant losing some of the boys off to …show more content…
Superego consists of two systems which are the “conscience and the ideal self.” It also functions to “control the id’s impulses of forbidden needs and also gets the egos to turn towards the moralistic goals rather than the simple realistic goals in order to reach perfection” (McLeod). In the book Piggy was known to be the least person to be able to chief because of his conditions. He wasn’t “fit” to be chief but he was book smart when it came with thinking outside the box. He knew that every action made at the end it has a consequence to it either bad or good. At the beginning of the story he wasn’t liked he hardly got a right to state his opinion about things. The conch in the book was his only way of being able to talk and state his opinion it was a symbol to Piggy as a way of raising his hand in order to say something. He was into following the rules the right way not they way that many of the boys thought by talking when not needed (Golding). As time passed by Ralph realized that Piggy was actually capable of being chief he felt like Piggy was smarter than him at times.
After all, you can infer that Sigmund Freud’s theory that the mind has three basic psychological structures id, ego, and superego relate to the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding because the three main characters of the story each fall under one of the different structures. Jack the id , Ralph
Freud stated the individuals were born with an id located in their unconscious. The main goal of the id follows the pleasure principle (?). The id looks to get whatever it wants no matter the outcome. In newborns, it is like
Lord of the Flies was written by a British author in 1954. The book is about a group of British school boys that crash on an island and have to survive. During their time on the island they turn their backs on being civil and become savages. Ralph is the elected leader and always thinks civil. Jack leaves the group and starts a tribe with the boys and is a savage. Piggy is a boy who is knowable. Simon is compared to Jesus through the book and is the only naturally “good” character. The littleuns are the littler kids on the island. Roger is a cruel older boy who is Jack’s lieutenant. Samneric are twins who are close to Ralph but, are manipulated by Jack later on. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding some of the characters represent id, ego, and superego. Id, ego, and super ego are the three parts of the psychic apparatus expressed by Sigmund Freud’s structural model of the psyche. Golding expresses his message of evil and how it is natural in every person, and how we must recognize and control it through id, ego, and superego.
Lord Of The Flies is possibly one of the most complex novels of the twentieth century. This complexity and depth is evident when the characters are compared to the psychological teachings of Freud. The book shows examples of this psyche in the characters Jack, Piggy and Ralph and how they change during their time on the island.
It helps to come to terms with reality, with the world as it is. It is basically the voice of reason. While Jack is the Id in Lord of the Flies, Piggy is the Super Ego. The ability to think things through logically is a characteristic of the Super Ego. “…I can’t think. Not like Piggy…Piggy could think. He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief. But Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains” (78), Piggy was known to be the intellectual on the island. Simon could also be considered a Super Egoistic character because the Super Ego must also have an aptitude for feelings. For example, Simon “shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy, who grabbed it” (74) illustrates Simon’s ability to comprehend emotions and understand the way people feel. He does something about people who are treated poorly and sees the true or good side of things. Simon is the second face of the Super Ego. Additionally, “Nothing moved but a pair of gaudy butterflies danced round each other… the white tips of the flowers rose delicately to meet the open air” (57). Here Simon sees the good of the island physically, as he often visits an enclosed clearing in the jungle. Jack, the Id, obviously doesn’t appreciate this area as it is the place where he later murders the mother
For example Jack, walking back with his hunters, is happy because he had killed a pig, but, Ralph isn't happy because he let the signal fire when a ship had passed by them. "'There was lashing of blood,' said Jack, laughing and shuddering, 'you should have seen it! We'll go hunting everyday' Ralph spoke again, hoarsely. He had not moved. 'You let the fire out!'"(page 69-70). As seen in the quote he only does what satisfies him as he said, "we'll go hunting everyday." Technically that is what an id does, it only operates on the pleasure principle and demands immediate gratification. Now Ralph is the ego for example, he is placed as chief and he starts explaining the rule that has to be obeyed. "'And another thing. We can't have everyone talking at once. We'll have to have hands up like at school,' he held the conch before his face and glanced round the mouth, 'then I'll give Hume the conch'" (page 33). Ralph had established rules, "we'll have to have hands up like at school" which makes him the ego. Reason being because he was rational, organized when he set up the meeting, and logical, making Ralph the
The ego is part of the mind that controls impulses based on communication between people. In Chapter of Lord of the Flies, Roger intended to throw a rock at Henry, to cause harm to him, but he misses on purpose causing no harm to Henry because he is used to having someone protect his innocent victims. Golding wrote the scene, “Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henry- threw it to miss…. here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and law” (62). Later on in the novel, Ralph creates tries to carry out responsibility by establishing the conch to maintain order and the boys the listen. “Ralph held out his hands for the conch and the littluns sat down”(71). This shows the responsibility of Ralph and how he always attempts to be responsible. Everyone has an instinctive side to them, that is a routine to them or part of their
The id: something as simple as two letters, yet so transcendent and drastic; it causes unimaginable and disturbing actions by people. The id, along with the ego and superego are all part of a proposition known as the psychoanalytic theory constructed by Sigmund Freud. Lord of the Flies written by William Golding speculates that the ego has to deal with the inappropriate desires of the id, as well as the conscience, socially correct demands of the superego. Although the characters in this novel are indeed little boys, Golding portrays some of these characters as cold-blooded hunters and represents specific characters as the three parts of the psyche: the ego, superego, and the id. The evolution of their new identities acts as a defense mechanism freeing them from reality.
Throughout history, it has been noted that when an individual is isolated from civilization, various psychological effects take a toll on that person’s well-being. Sigmund Freud, an Austrian psychologist, believed that when a person is isolated from civilization, a darker “savage” side naturally takes over (“Id, Ego, and Super-ego” n. pag). William Golding shared this belief and used it as inspiration to write one of his most well-known novels, Lord of the Flies. Freud’s findings on the human mind led him to believe there are three main parts: The id, the ego, and the super-ego (“Id, Ego, and Super-ego” n. pag). Jack, Ralph, Simon, and Piggy are not only the main characters in Golding’s Lord of the Flies, but also embody the id, ego, and super-ego characteristics of Freudian psychology.
In Freud’s research on the mind he found three functional areas--the id, the superego, and the ego. These interrelated parts permit the self to function in society. The id is the innermost component of the three. It is the extreme unconscious. This is where the child-like unsocialized drives and instinctual impulses arise. The id knows no rules and does not abide to any external logical laws. It is only ruled by the desire for pleasure. When the id sees something it wants, all it says is, "I want that, I want that, I want that," like a young child in a toy store. The id is selfish; it represents self-centeredness in its purest form.
His concern for the individuals in the group is pertinent from the beginning: he conveys to Jack the necessity of shelters “as a sort of [home]”, upon noticing the distress of the younger children (pg. 58). It is seen that Ralph’s problems are not his own; he assumes the role of leader to bring orderly forces of civilization to all. By approaching circumstances with logistics rather than emotion, Ralph does not lose sight of himself in the face of adversity. Despite this, he is later forced to act irrationally in order to preserve his status. When confronted with the evidence of the beast, Ralph is hesitant to hunt it; he is only manipulated into doing so when Jack “[sneers]” and questions him if he is “frightened” (pg. 100). However, Ralph does not respond out of his spite or self-pride as he understands that he must retain his status among the boys. If he does not remain chief, Jack will secure the position, bearing the notion that there will always be individuals working against altruism for their own benefit. Ralph sacrifices his morals by becoming subservient to Jack’s ego, yet does so in order to preserve civility within the group. On the day of the boys’ rescue, Ralph understands that his efforts to preserve peace and order are all for naught. Man’s destructive forces overwhelm him as “[he weeps] for … the darkness of man’s
Lord of the Flies is “an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature” (Themes). Many times society will trump human nature, and other times it may be engulfed by it. Freud Sigmund Psychology expresses these thoughts using the terms id, ego, and superego. Freud states that the id is the instinctive and primitive part of a personality, and ego is “that part of the id which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world” (Freud). Sigmund Freud also uses superego to represent the values and morals that are taught through someone else. Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies during a time of war. In times of war, people become killers and savages to “protect” the country they are fighting for.
In the novel, Piggy represents intelligence and rationality because of how he thoroughly thinks through all situations that he faces and due to his exceptional ability to create simple solutions to any problem. At very beginning of the novel, shortly after emerging from the wreckage of the crashed plane, Piggy and Ralph first meet each other. As the pair walk along the beach, Ralph finds a conch, which gives Piggy the idea of using the conch to “‘call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us’” (Golding 16). Even after the initial shock of crash-landing on a presumably deserted island, Piggy is able to gather his wits and realize that their best chance of survival to gather all the boys and get some kind of organization established. Although Ralph found the conch initially, he was only attracted to it because it looked like “a worthy plaything” (16). Piggy however, unlike Ralph, immediately thought up a novel idea of how to use the conch to better their situation, by using it to gather everyone else, and to assess the overall predicament they found themselves in. Piggy was focused on long-term survival and sustainability rather than the short-term entertainment that the conch presented. People who have high levels of intelligence often possess extremely rational thinking methods. The Beast had begun to terrorize the mountain, particularly in the vicinity ...
According to psychologist, Sigmund Freud, there are three main parts that make up a human’s personality: the id, ego, and superego. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the narrator of the story, Chief Bromden, represents each of these traits. In the beginning, Bromden only thinks of himself as any other crazy man, who no one pays attention to, but throughout the story Bromden develops mentally through all three stages of Freud’s personality analysis, maybe not in Freud’s preferred order, but he still represents them all.
The basis of this approach is that psychological factors play a major role in determining behaviour and shaping personality. Freud argued that personality is composed of three major systems the id, the ego, and the superego. The id (biological part of personality) is present at birth and consists of inherited instincts and all psychological energies. The id operates according to the pleasure principle, seeking to reduce tension, avoid pain and obtain pleasure. The ego (executive part of personality) is conscious part of the mind, the “real” us.
Sigmund Freud is best known for his development and use of psychoanalysis. The theory of psychoanalysis focuses on the concept of how our unconscious thoughts, feelings, and emotions play an active role in our daily lives. The id, ego, and superego are the three mental zones that encompass our psyche. Each zone has a specific function: The id functions on the pleasure principle; the ego on the protection of the individual; and the superego on protection of society. The degree of which each zone has been developed can be broken down and then analyzed. These three zones can be visualized by imagining a pie cut into three slices.