THE PSYCHOANALYTIC LITERATURE OVERFLOWS WITH STUDIES OF THE superego. In contrast, the ego-ideal investigations are rather sparse, yet cursory references to the ego ideal are ubiquitous. The result is that the imprecision of the term plagues us to this day. The distinction between superego and ego ideal has been discussed again and again, and so has the place of the ego ideal in mental organization been argued for a long time. Is the ego ideal a substructure of the ego or the superego? Does it acquire an affiliation with both in the course of development? No doubt superego and ego ideal have congruities and differences; emphasizing one or the other