superego

n. in psychoanalytic theory, the moral component of the personality that represents parental and societal standards and determines personal standards of right and wrong, or conscience, as well as aims and aspirations (see ego-ideal). In the classic Freudian tripartite structure of the psyche, the ego, which controls personal impulses and directs actions, operates by the rules and principles of the superego, which stem from parental demands and prohibitions. The formation of the superego occurs on an unconscious level, beginning in the first 5 years of life and continuing throughout childhood and adolescence and into adulthood, largely through identification with the parents and later with admired models of behavior. See also primitive superego.

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Psychology term of the day

November 17th 2024

disidentification

1. a protective mechanism whereby one removes a potentially harmful characteristic or experience (e.g., one that causes stereotype threat) from one’s self-identity as insulation from anxiety or failure.

2. in meditation, a benign separation from one’s sense of self in order to gain self-knowledge. It is a stepping away from self-identity to attempt to observe oneself objectively.