The representational world, conceived of as a substructure of the ego, is presented from the perspective of the meaning of the term "structure" for Freud. This perspective builds upon Freud's(1923)delineation of processes of "identification" as the "building up of what is called 'character'" (p. 28) as well as his discussion of "'multiple personality'" (p. 31). I explore this perspective in relation to narcissism, masochism, self-destructiveness, and suicide. I suggest that this theoretical vantage point is particularly helpful in facilitating an understanding of processes that "strengthen" the ego in its effort to assimilate those enigmatic trends Freud(1920)conceptualized as Beyond the Pleasure Principle.