Your Ego Takes a Test-Drive and Finds Id and Superego in the Back Seat

 

Ego Takes Test-Drive… Finds Id and Superego in Back Seat 
by Ken West

Imagine this. Your ego is driving on a long trip and suddenly the kids in the back seat are raising a ruckus. They holler out to you, “Are we THERE yet?” When you tell them there’s still a long way to go, they say, “We want ice cream.” And, you might be in the middle of a desert. Or they could say, “We want to go someplace else.” The kids in the back seat are your id. 

Your id is the part of your psyche that wants immediate gratification, just like an infant or a child. So, you’re driving, and suddenly you get the kids in the back seat wanting to stop when you’re not ready to stop. To make matters worse, you also have a back seat driver, perhaps an in-law, saying to you, “I think you should have taken a left turn back at that fork in the road,” or “I think we’re going in the wrong direction.” That back seat driver is your superego. 


So now you must also mediate between the demands of the kids (id) in the back, and the back seat driver (superego). You’ve got your job cut out for you.

This is why having a strong, healthy ego can be so beneficial. You are able to continue your journey while you firmly handle those in your back seat. But, if you have a weak ego, your id (which wants immediate gratification) and your superego (which is trying to second-guess your every decision) can tie you in knots and make forward motion very difficult and painful. 

Your id is the childlike part of you that wants immediate gratification. When you’re a child, your id seeks milk, mother, and nurture. When you’re an adult, you id, seeks whatever immediately triggers it’s desire.

Your superego is the part of your psyche that has absorbed the lessons that your parents and society have taught you (be they rational or not). It’s the deepest component of your conscience. Yet, if it’s programmed with incorrect information, your conscience will make you feel guilty for the wrong reasons.  

Your ego’s job is to mediate between these two parts of your psyche and to stay in charge. If the id gets control of your life, you are in danger of becoming a drifter or even a criminal. If your superego gets in charge you could be in danger of never taking bold action when needed.

Your ego is you, the driver and navigator of your life. If it's healthy and strong, it serves you. If it's weak and afraid, you're in danger of a lifetime journey full of back seat drivers. It's your choice.


Ken West, a former U.S. Army paratrooper, is author of Get What You Want!  available worldwide on Amazon.com and other online booksellers.