Relations between the Superego and the Ego: Introductory Remarks

A month or two ago I raised the question whether, in ideally complete instinct development, the ego might not be expected to take over the regulation of behaviour, in the mature adult, from the superego. In the short discussion that followed it seemed to me that some members may have taken this to mean the same thing as throwing over all discrimination between right and wrong, as if I were advocating a reversion to purely Id or a-moral behaviour. If this was the impression my remarks made then I did not succeed in making my meaning clear: what I had in mind was, in fact, the complete replacement of the pleasure principle by the reality principle; it does seem to me that this would mean that, where both Id and Superego were, there would Ego be.

So I want, this evening, to investigate the relations between the superego and the ego as thoroughly as I can, to see if this may bring us to a better understanding. This question of the relations between the superego and the ego leads naturally to the further question of Freud's attitude to morality which is closely connected with his ideas about the superego. I do not feel satisfied with the attitude he adopts and I want to try to formulate an alternative theory of human values for discussion.

I want to preface my remarks by saying in what sense I propose to use the words ‘superego’ and ‘ego’.

Major Stephen has pleaded very eloquently that, in order to avoid arguing at cross-purposes, we should endeavour to stick to the same meaning for each of the technical terms we use, or at least to do this each time we make use of a technical term with reference to any particular subject. I hardly think I could have chosen two more difficult - one might say ‘slippery’ - technical terms to discuss than the superego and the ego! Freud himself does not always live up to Major Stephen's difficult requirements; he u