Id, Ego, Superego in Lord of the Flies

Sigmund Freud was a neurologist who later became to be known as the father of psychoanalysis. His ideas of psychology included psychosexual development, the Freudian slip, and the ID, Ego, and the Superego. Freud’s theory was that personality was divided into three elements. These three elements worked together to create complex human behaviors. Golding used the ID, Ego, and Superego to effectively show how human development works in complex situations. The ID is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs through unrealistic ways.

Jack best represents the ID in the book. Jack shows the ID when he wants the fire from Ralph’s tribe. To fulfill his wants, he steals the fire and later Piggy’s glasses. This shows how Jack entirely rules over the pleasure principle because he literally grabs things he wants out of people’s hands to satisfy his own cravings.

The Ego is based on the reality principle which strives to satisfy the ID’s desires in realistic ways.

Ralph represents the Ego in the story. Ralph shows this by maintaining order and keeping his priorities straight on making sure the fire keeps going. Because he is overpowered by the ID, Ralph resists Jack’s temptations of being savage and instead focuses himself on ways to get the boys rescued. The Superego holds all of the internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from parents and society. Piggy best demonstrates this part of the personality. This is because he would always have a sense of right or wrong in the boys’ decisions and actions and always follows his aunt’s rules during situations, including chapter 1: “‘My auntie told me not to run,’ he explained, ‘on account of my asthma (Golding 9).

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