Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:-
Arun was an intelligent smart and friendly boy who was very popular amongst his peers. He often did not carry his lunch box to school but would eat from his classmates tiffins, on the sly, under the pretext of checking their bags for bringing mobile phones. He would often regret his behaviour at home but was unable to resist his temptation for interesting food and a little prank. On one such day Arun found Rs. 500/- in a friend's bag. Although he was tempted to take the money to buy food from the canteen, he did not take it, as he understood very well that it would be going too far. Stealing was something his conscience would never allow.
The instinctual life force that energises the Id is called ________.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Libido
Freud assumed that the id is energised by two instinctual forces, the life instinct and the death instinct, and he focused more on the life (or sexual) instinct. The instinctual life force that energises the id is called libido. It works on the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification.
Option (1) Id — Incorrect. The id is the structure that is energised, the source of a person’s instinctual energy; it cannot be the force that energises itself.
Option (2) Ego — Incorrect. The ego grows out of the id and works by the reality principle, directing the id towards more appropriate ways of behaving. It is a structure of personality, not an instinctual force.
Option (3) Super-ego — Incorrect. The superego is the moral branch of mental functioning, which tells the id and the ego whether a gratification is ethical. It controls the id rather than energising it.
Note 1: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 18-06-2023 (Slot 2).
Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2022 on 25-08-2022 (Slot 2).
NCERT (2025-26): “Structure of Personality … Thus, in terms of individual functioning Freud thought of the unconscious as being composed of three competing forces. In some people, the id is stronger than the superego; in others, it is the superego. The relative strength of the id, ego and superego determines each person’s stability. Freud also assumed that id is energised by two instinctual forces, called life instinct and death instinct. He paid less attention to the death instinct and focused more on the life (or sexual) instinct. The instinctual life force that energises the id is called libido. It works on the pleasure principle, and seeks immediate gratification.” |