Origins of the superego are closely linked to the earliest feelings of inferiority, inadequacy, and unworthiness resulting from physical defeat by one's peers and

shaming by parents. The child attempts therefore to achieve superior moral and ethical stature in its superego but failure here evokes further feelings of inferiority and unworthiness. Later, such feelings appear even in the absence of competition. Shame may be the only conscious component, the other elements of superego punishment being repressed.