ion of the species. The id is an object of continual stimulation, and this has the effect of creating tension which it is constantly seeking to reduce. The id is guided by the pleasure principle because the id seeks immediate gratification and a reduction of tension.
The ego does not develop until the id begins interacting with its environment, and the id is present at birth. The ego is the sense of the self and evolves when the id becomes aware of the kinds of obstacles it will encounter in the real world. The ego refuses to indulge the excessive whims of the id. The ego is guided by the reality principle, which aims to postpone the discharge of energy until a socially acceptable object is available for this purpose.
The superego is a modification of the ego and develops out of the ego's response to parental controls. The superego absorbs all prohibitions, inhibitions, and standards expressed by parents and society and therefore acts as a conscience (Abramson, 1980). Traditional psychology in the middle of the nineteenth century defined it
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