erent states of our psyche, the forces of the ego and the id are not completely distinct. Rather, the repressed ideas of our unconscious are included within our conscious; they are merely inaccessible. Thus, the ego governs the rational thoughts that outline our conscious activity. On the other hand, the id governs the passionate unconscious thoughts that give rise to our desire for any given conscious activity (19). A neurosis is a conflict between the two. It is the purpose of psychoanalysis to merge the two states of mind to eliminate the neuroses caused by any conflict.
Furthermore, the ego is controlled by a moralizing agency Freud calls the super-ego or conscience (30). The purpose of the super-ego is to ensure an individual's actions follow the normative standards learned from his cultural environment. Freudian theory argues that the differentiation of the ego and super-ego represents the most important characteristic of the development of both the individual and the human species because by giving permanent expression to the parents' influence it perpetuates the species normative standards (31). It is the super-ego that will force an individual to reject an object of his libidinous desire, which will create the conflict that will give rise to melancholy.
Thus, the final concept necessary for an understanding of the concept of Freudian depression is the concept of the libido. Freud argues that every human being is driven by a basic erotic instinct he called libido (25
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