Of all the theories developed by Sigmund Freud, the Ello , the Yo and the Superyó is one of the most famous. According to their psychodynamic approach, each of these structures represents a psychic instance that, from our nervous system, leads us to pursue interests that clash with each other.

Thus, the It , the I and the Overcome are the concepts that Freud used to refer to the conflict and the struggle of antagonistic forces that, according to him, govern our way of thinking and acting . The objective of psychoanalysis was, therefore, to bring to light the true nature of the conflicts and blockages that according to Freud were at the base of psychopathology. Let us see in a little more detail what ideas were behind this theory.

The three psychic instances of Freud’s theory

The psychodynamic approach, which was born with Freud’s psychoanalysis, is based on the idea that the psychic processes that take place in each person are defined by the existence of a conflict . Hence the term “dynamics”, which expresses that constant succession of events by which one party tries to impose itself on the other. The concepts of the Ego, the Self and the Overself form the section of Freud’s theories in which this idea of a clash between different psychic structures is most evident.

But let us move away from such abstract terms. What is the basis of this struggle that according to Freud is being waged in our heads in a fundamentally unconscious way? What interests and goals are at stake according to the father of psychoanalysis? To answer these questions it is first necessary to define what are the I, the Self and the Overself, the three entities that for Freud explain the personality of human beings through the way they fight among themselves.

1. The Ello

Freud proposed that the Ello or Id is the structure of the human psyche that appears first . Unlike what happens with the Self and the Overself, it is present from the moment we are born, and therefore during the first two years of our lives it is the one that rules over that period of time.

The Ello moves from the principle of immediate pleasure , and therefore fights to make the primary drives govern the person’s behaviour, regardless of the medium or long term consequences this may entail. This is why it is usually considered that the Ello is “the animal part” or “instinctive” of the human being.

2. The Self

This psychic instance would emerge after two years and, unlike the Ello, would be governed by the principle of reality. This means that the I is more focused on the outside , and leads us to think about the practical consequences of what we do and the problems that too uninhibited behavior can generate. This makes us confront the Ego in order to appease the impulses that emanate from it, for which it uses the defense mechanisms.

In short, the ‘I’ is, according to Sigmund Freud’s theory, the psychic instance that is in charge of making sure that the force of the ‘I’ does not take control of the body, leading us to catastrophic situations in the short term, and that the force of the ‘Overself’ does not come to suffocate us due to its restrictive character. It is not simply an entity that limits the influence of the other two, but has its own agenda and interests and is governed by a different logic: that of pragmatism and survival.

3. The Overself

The Overself would appear according to Freud from the age of 3, and is a consequence of socialization (basically learned through parents) and the interiorization of socially agreed upon norms. It is the psychic instance that watches over the fulfillment of moral rules. That is why the Overself presses for great sacrifices and efforts in order to bring one’s personality as close as possible to the idea of perfection and goodness.

Since the Ello totally rejects the idea of submission to morality and the Self, in spite of trying to restrain the impulses, also moves for selfish objectives focused on survival and the pragmatic of adapting to the environment, the Overself is confronted with both. For the father of psychoanalysis, the Overself makes sense in a context where the influence of society forces us to adopt behaviours of vigilance of the self in order to avoid confrontations with others, although in the long run this influence goes far beyond this logic oriented towards socialisation and becomes a fundamental element in the creation of the individual’s identity.

The balance of forces

Freud believed that all these parts of the psyche exist in all people and, in their own way, are an indispensable part of the mental processes. However, he also believed that the struggle between the Ego, the Self and the Overself can sometimes generate decompensations that produce suffering and the appearance of psychopathologies, which is why one should try to rebalance the correlation of forces through psychoanalysis . In fact, one of the characteristics of Freud’s theories is that they create a concept of mental health in which disorders are not the exception, but the norm; the most common thing is the mismatch between these psychic instances, because mental problems remain implicit and latent in the internal struggle they maintain between them.

For example, if the Overself is imposed, the repression of thoughts and emotions can become so excessive that periodic nervous breakdowns occur, something that I attributed for example to cases of women with hysteria too attached to a rigid and deeply restrictive morality.

On the other hand, if the Ello predominated, this could give way to sociopathy , an impulsivity that endangers both the person who experiences it and others, since the absolute priority is to satisfy needs with urgency.

This concept of balance between forces totally impregnated Sigmund Freud’s work, since he did not believe that there was a definitive solution to the confrontation between the three psychic instances: the healthiest people are not those in whom the Ego, the Self and the Overself have stopped fighting (which is impossible, according to him), but those in whom this fight causes less misfortune.

It must be taken into account, however, that the impossibility of refuting Freud’s theories turns these three concepts into theoretical constructs that are not very useful for scientific psychology today, partly because of the impact that Karl Popper’s work and his critiques of psychoanalysis had on the philosophy of science.

Bibliographic references:

  • Carlson, N. R. (2010). Psychology, the science of behaviour: The psychodynamic approach. Toronto: Pearson Canada.
  • Freud, S. (2016). The Self and the Self. Madrid: Amorrortu.
  • Rycroft, C. (1968). A Critical Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. New York: Basic Books.