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Superego In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

2004 Words9 Pages

In the world we live in today, individuals have a subconscious mind that guides them through every day activities. This idea of a person being controlled by their subconscious mind was derived from Sigmund Freud. Freud developed an ideology pertaining to the id, ego, and superego contained within an individual. As these three aspects of the mind collaborate, an individual’s decisions and mentality are guided. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, there are patients in a ward for the mentally ill. Different patients throughout the novel tend to represent different things. Some patients solely represent one aspect of the mind, either the id, ego, or superego. Also, in the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a …show more content…

In the essay, The Formation and Structure of the Human Psyche, by William Siegfried, the concept of the id, ego and superego prevails as a significant part of everyday life. Siegfried states, “The Id is the unorganized part of the psyche that contains a human’s instinctual drives. The Id is the only part of the psyche that is present at birth and it is the source of our bodily needs, wants, desires, and impulses; particularly our sexual and aggressive drives” (1) Siegfried reiterates Freud’s ideology behind the theory as he elaborates on the presence of an id. The id is the childish aspect of everyone’s mind. It is the part of an individual’s brain that wants everything and has no restrain on letting out this feeling. Children often face this dilemma as the majority of their brain is consumed by the id. They often have sudden impulses to lunge for what they wish for. This urge is due to the id that controls their minds. They don’t have the other components of the mind yet, that would help them become a “normal” human being. The id alone cannot control an individual’s words or actions. Also, Siegfried elaborated on the second part of the mind that makes up an individual’s subconscious. The second part of the sub conscious is the superego. Siegfried

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