The idea that the inner world of a person has a complex structure has existed for a long time. Even the philosophers of the era of Antiquity and early Christianity identified three spheres: spirit, soul and mind or mind. Currently, the most popular and at the same time the most developed structure of the psyche is the model of Z. Freud. It includes three levels – consciousness, unconsciousness and superconsciousness – and is the basis of the theory and practice of psychoanalysis.
Structural model of the psyche of Z. Freud
Modern psychoanalysis differs in many respects from the classical teachings of Freud and is not a single formation, but includes a number of directions. However, there is something in common between them. And first of all, these are such concepts as “unconscious” (“id”, “it”), “consciousness” (“I”, “ego”) and “superconsciousness” (“super-I”, “super-ego”) … The interaction of these levels gives an idea of the processes taking place in the human psyche and their impact on his life.
The core of psychoanalysis can be considered the idea of the unconscious. Developing the theory of this area, S. Freud made a real revolution in psychology. However, he was not the discoverer of the concept itself. Back in the 17th century, G. Leibniz wrote about unconscious phenomena in the psyche of people. True, from the point of view of modern science, his theory looks rather primitive. It boils down to the assertion that the human soul perceives a lot of things that the mind is not able to comprehend.
Taking this idea as a basis, Freud not only described in detail the functions of consciousness and the unconscious, but also identified another level that stands above consciousness and is formed under the influence of society. This is “super-I” or superconsciousness. In a simplified form, it can be characterized as a conscience or a complex of social attitudes that affect human behavior and limit the manifestation of animal instincts and desires.
Each of these three levels or spheres performs its functions in the psyche of people.
The unconscious, or “it”
Z. Freud called this level id, which can be translated from Latin both as “this” and as “something”, and in Russian psychology the concept of “it” is often used. The founder of psychoanalysis considered the unconscious to be the most important sphere of the psyche. It has an innate character and obeys biological, not social laws, because instincts and natural, mainly sexual needs play a significant role in this area.
In many ways, the content of “it” is determined by hereditary factors. By the way, one of Freud’s followers K. Jung believed that the level of the unconscious is also associated with the ancestral memory of the ethnos, and the archetypes of the collective unconscious are stored there – the most ancient prototypes that we inherited from our distant ancestors.
The content of the unconscious is quite diverse, and at this level there are not only archetypes, but also many other mental formations:
- instincts;
- natural, primarily sexual needs;
- antisocial (forbidden) desires displaced from the level of consciousness;
- aggressive urges and tendencies to dominate;
- psychological complexes resulting from the unrealized energy of forbidden desires.
From the point of view of psychoanalysis, it is “it” that largely controls human behavior. If anything, most of the behavioral and communication difficulties we experience are associated with this level. The thing is that the unconscious is, as it were, focused on getting pleasure at any cost, and society introduces its own, often rather severe, restrictions into this process.
“Ego” – “I”
To designate the level of consciousness in psychoanalysis, the Latin concept of ego – “I” is used. If “id” is an animal principle, then “ego” is an intelligent part of the psyche. This is all that we are aware of, what we can manage and intelligently regulate. Strange as it may seem at first glance, the volume of the “ego” is not too large in comparison with the “id”, the sphere of the conscious is much smaller than the area of the unconscious.
Although Freud himself paid less attention to the analysis of this level, it is not difficult to define its functions. These include the following:
- assessment of the real situation;
- analysis of meaningful information received by consciousness from external and internal sources;
- making decisions;
- control over their execution;
- partial comprehension of desires and their transformation into actions or moving to the level of the unconscious (displacement);
- rationalization (explanation) of actions and deeds.
In fact, “I” is a mediator in the struggle between “it” and “super-I”. This level of the psyche is constantly looking for a compromise between natural needs and the requirements of society.
“Super-I” or “super-ego”
Superego is a kind of superstructure over consciousness, which is formed during a person’s life under the influence of social norms, requirements, prohibitions – taboo. On the one hand, the “super-ego” allows us to distinguish between good and evil, good and bad, to be aware of moral principles and ideals. But on the other hand, according to Freud, the “super-I” limits the freedom of man, driving him into the framework of generally accepted norms. Moral prohibitions prevent the satisfaction of natural needs and the manifestation of equally natural aggressiveness. This leads to various mental problems, such as neuroses.
To avoid a critical situation, a person’s consciousness, his “I” invents various ways of compensation or sublimation – transforming the energy of forbidden desires into something more acceptable to society.
Interaction of the three levels of the psyche
Despite the seeming contradiction between the “goals” of the unconscious and the “super-I”, our psyche is a single entity. And normally, all three levels act in a coordinated and balanced manner. If this consistency is violated, then a deviation from the norm occurs, that is, serious intrapersonal conflicts arise, or a mental illness develops.
The mechanism of interaction between the three levels of the psyche is quite simple and consists of three stages:
- At the level of the unconscious, needs arise (for example, sexual) or instincts are activated, the satisfaction of which requires certain actions. And consciousness is responsible for making decisions and for activities.
- Active actions to satisfy these needs are hindered by the “super-ego”. It blocks forbidden desires breaking through to the level of consciousness (“I”). As a result of this, mental tension arises, associated with unrealized energy of desires.
- To avoid self-destruction, the “I” sends these desires back to the level of the unconscious, preliminarily sublimating them – transforming them into socially encouraged activity. Sublimation is necessary in order to redirect the energy of desires “into a peaceful channel”, to prevent negative effects on the psyche and to maintain inner harmony.
Sublimation is a very important process from the point of view of psychoanalysis, since it allows you to avoid internal conflicts and reconcile a person and the society that suppresses his freedom. For example, sexual desires are most often sublimated in such socially significant areas as creativity, politics, social activities.
However, even successful sublimation cannot completely rid a person of feelings of dissatisfaction and the influence of forbidden desires. They break through to the level of consciousness in the form of dreams, slips of the tongue, typos, a tendency to foul language, etc.
Feelings of dissatisfaction can have serious negative consequences and become a source of such mental problems:
- phobias;
- neuroses;
- a state of frustration;
- psychological complexes, etc.
To avoid these unpleasant consequences, a person often uses various methods of psychological protection that help him, albeit temporarily, to relieve negative feelings from unfulfilled desires, fears or complexes he experiences.
But, on the other hand, a feeling of dissatisfaction can also become a source of social activity, push a person to realize his own ambitions, and contribute to business success and career growth.
