FREUD’S ID, EGO, AND SUPEREGO

INTERPRETATIONS

FREUDIAN: ID, EGO, AND SUPEREGO AS

DIVERGENT, CO-EXISTING FORCES WITHIN A HUMAN BEING; FOCUS IS

ON THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE CONFLICT

WITHIN.

INTERPRETATIONS

FREUD DEVELOPED A

THEORY TO EXPLAIN

COMPETING FORCES WITHIN

THE HUMAN MIND OR PSYCHE.

INTERPRETATIONS

FREUD CALLED THESE COMPETING

FORCES THE ID, EGO, AND

SUPEREGO. HE FELT THAT A MENTALLY

HEALTHY PERSON WOULD HAVE ALL

THREE FORCES BALANCED.

INTERPRETATIONS

ACCORDING TO FREUD, THE ID WAS A PRIMAL

FORCE WITHIN US ALL. THE ID IS

ENERGY, PASSION, SEXUAL DRIVE,

VIOLENCE, EMOTION, AND AGGRESSION.

INTERPRETATION

IF ONE INTERPRETS LORD

OF THE FLIES FROM A FREUDIAN PERSPECTIVE, THE CHARACTER WHO BEST EMBODIES

THE ID PRINCIPLE IS JACK.

INTERPRETATION

JACK REPRESENTS THE RESTLESS ID

WHO SEEKS PLEASURE, HUNTING,

FORCEFUL SPEECH AND PHYSICAL

EXPRESSION. HE IS HARD TO CONTROL

AND ACTS IMPULSIVELY.

INTERPRETATION

THE SECOND FORCE IS CALLED

THE EGO. THE EGO IS THE CONSCIOUS VOICE OF REASON.

THE EGO SEEKS INTERACTION WITH OTHERS

WITHIN SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE

ROLES.

INTERPRETATION

THE EGO SEEKS THE APPROVAL OF

OTHERS AND IS SENSITIVE TO PRAISE AND

CRITICISM. RALPH BEST FUNCTIONS

AS THE EGO FORCE IN LORD OF THE

FLIES.

INTERPRETATION

THE FINAL FORCE IS THE SUPEREGO. IT IS

RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING THE

SOCIETAL, POLITICAL, AND

RELIGIOUS RULES AND NORMS IN AN INDIVIDUAL. IT IS

NOT INFLUENCED BY IMPULSE OR OTHERS.

INTERPRETATION

IN THE NOVEL, TWO CHARACTERS

FULFILL THIS FORCE. THEY ARE

SIMON AND PIGGY. PIGGY BEST

EXPRESSES THE SOCIETAL VALUES

OF THE BOYS’ HOME.

INTERPRETATION

SIMON REPRESENTS

RELIGIOUS ACTION AND VALUES. HE DEMONSTRATES

QUALITIES WHICH THE SUPEREGO

WOULD UTILIZE AS GUIDANCE DURING DIFFICULT TIMES.

INTERPRETATION

OF COURSE, THE MOST FASCINATING ASPECT OF DOING A

FREUDIAN INTERPRETATION OF THE NOVEL IS THAT

IT HELPS TO EXPLAIN THE CONFLICTS

BETWEEN THE BOYS.

RALPH, AS EGO, IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TWO EXTREMES: HE MUST MEDIATE BETWEEN THE AGGRESSIVE, IMPULSIVE JACK AS ID AND THE MORE PASSIVE, PRINCIPLED PIGGY AS SUPEREGO.

BECAUSE THE RULES AND VALUES WE LEARN CAN GET IN THE WAY OF THE “FUN” WE WOULD LIKE TO DO, THE ID DOES NOT LIKE THE SUPEREGO.

INTERPRETATION

CONVERSELY, THE SUPEREGO CANNOT EASILY TOLERATE THE ID SINCE THE ID IS INTENT ON SHATTERING ALL THE RULES THE SUPEREGO VALUES.

RALPH IS VIRTUALLY IN A CATCH-22, A NO-WIN SITUATION BECAUSE HE CANNOT CONVINCE THE BOYS TO ABANDON THEIR GROWING ID IMPULSES. HIS VALUE AS AN EGO-DRIVEN LEADER LESSENS.

INTERPRETATION

INTERPRETATION

LORD OF THE FLIES DEMONSTRATES JUST HOW DIFFICULT FINDING A BALANCE BETWEEN THESE FORCES CAN BE. WITHOUT CIVIL RESTRAINTS, WHO ARE WE REALLY?