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CriticaLink | Freud: On Narcissism | Terms

ego

The ego is the dimension of Freud's three-part model of the mind that integrates the instinctual impulses of the id with the expectations and prohibitions of the superego, channelling the energy of the id into ideas and actions that respond to conditions in the real, external, social world and that correspond with the expectations of the superego. Freud imagines "mental health" to consist of a balanced flow of energy among the three components of his model. Neuroses develop when the pressures on the ego from the id or superego become difficult to manage.