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Freud's earliest investigations revealed to him the importance of infantile sexuality in the etiology of the neuroses. This led to his first formulations of the theoretical aspects of the instinctual and libidinal life of man and his theories of neuroses. Then came the Three Contributions to the Theory of Sexuality, to be followed by the classical case history papers and the Schreber case. Next, he turned to the papers on the transformation of instincts and allied phenomena, which in turn led him to the papers on the ego. These magnificent contributions deal largely with the instinctual and libidinal. Having built a solid foundation for the theoretical aspects of these factors, he went on to erect the superstructure of ego psychology, again largely from the libidinal point of view.
In his paper, "On Narcissism: An Introduction, " he again built a solid foundation for the theoretical formulation of the problem of narcissism, in relation to ego structure, as he had done earlier with the instincts. However, this was never followed up with special papers devoted to the vicissitudes and destiny of narcissism in health and in neurosis, as he did with his thoughts on sublimation and transformation of instincts. In speaking of the high goals of analytic treatment, Freud (14) said: "We seek rather to enrich him [the patient] from his own internal sources, by putting at the disposal of his ego those energies which, owing to repression, are inaccessibly confined in his unconscious, as well as those which his ego is obliged to squander in the fruitless task of maintaining these repressions. Such work as this is spiritual guidance in the best sense of the words. … It is only by carrying on our analytic spiritual guidance that we can deepen our dawning comprehension of the human mind." In our therapeutic endeavors we cannot fulfill the essential elements Freud embraced in his conception of "carrying on our spiritual guidance" without a deep and clearly defined understanding of the ego, and most particularly in the area of the ego ideal. The poet, Robert Frost, has said, "Freedom is moving easy in harness." He who is non-neurotic has found this freedom and lives in a healthy balance of the expression of instinctual demands and legitimate restraints. The mature ego ideal is a most important force in maintaining the integrity and permanence of this balance, so essential to emotional health.