According to Freud, which of the primary structural element of personality seeks immediate gratification?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → id
For Freud the three primary structural elements of personality are the id, the ego and the superego.
Option (1) archetype — Incorrect. Archetypes are not Freud’s idea. Carl Jung used the term for the primordial images in the collective unconscious, shared by all human beings, which show up in myths, dreams and arts.
Option (2) id — Correct. The id is the source of a person’s instinctual energy. It deals with immediate gratification of primitive needs, sexual desires and aggressive impulses, works on the pleasure principle and does not care for moral values, society or other people.
Option (3) superego — Incorrect. The superego is the moral branch of personality: it tells the id and the ego whether gratification in a particular instance is ethical. It restrains the urge for pleasure rather than seeking it.
Option (4) ego — Incorrect. The ego grows out of the id and satisfies its needs in accordance with reality (the reality principle), often postponing gratification until it can be had in a socially acceptable way.
NCERT (2025-26): “Structure of Personality … According to Freud’s theory, the primary structural elements of personality are three, i.e. id, ego, and superego.…” “Id : It is the source of a person’s instinctual energy. It deals with immediate gratification of primitive needs, sexual desires and aggressive impulses. It works on the pleasure principle, which assumes that people seek pleasure and try to avoid pain. Freud considered much of a person’s instinctual energy to be sexual, and the rest as aggressive. Id does not care for moral values, society, or other individuals.…” “…Ego : It grows out of id, and seeks to satisfy an individual’s instinctual needs in accordance with reality. It works by the reality principle,…” “…Superego : The best way to characterise the superego is to think of it as the moral branch of mental functioning. The superego tells the id and the ego whether gratification in a particular instance is ethical.…” |