ron of seething excitement" (pp. 103-4), or a set of instinctual needs and impulses. Governed by the pleasure principle, the id basically strives to achieve the immediate gratification of its needs. Gratification can occur through reflex activity as in the case of an infant who seeks and obtains milk from the mother, or through "wish fulfillment," in which the gratification is obtained through the generation of the "memory or image of the desired object" (Comer, 1995, p. 37). Just as importantly, the id instincts are characterized by sexual dimensions, with the child deriving pleasure from performing functions such as nursing, defecating and masturbating (in Comer, 1995; Freud, 1963; Miller, 1996; Stern, 1995).
The second component of the personality—the ego—emerges (from a part of the id) in the early years in response to the realization that not all instinctual needs can be met by the environment. Although the ego also seeks gratification, it operates according to the reality principle, which refers to the awareness and understanding of the need to exercise reason and reflection. Based on the knowledge and experience gained from various sources, the ego controls the instinctual impulses by evaluating situations, weighing options and anticipating consequences (Comer, 1995; Freud, 1955; Miller, 1996).
In order to deal with the unacceptable id impulses, the ego may utilize various types of defense mechanisms. One of them is repression in which impulses are buried within the subconscious. Another involves the projection of one's feelings towards a particular individual onto another safer individual (Comer, 1995; Freud, 1955; Miller, 1996; Murphy, 1973; Parens, 1995).
...