Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud explored the human mind more thoroughly than any other who became before him.

His contributions to psychology are vast. Freud was one of the most influential people of the twentieth century and his enduring legacy has influenced not only psychology, but art, literature and even the way people bring up their children.

 Freud believed that dreams are the royal road to the unconscious and that they contained important clues into the human psyche. Much of his initial research methods involved questioning his patients on their dream experiences and using their descriptions as a means of uncovering their true motivations and perceptions on the world.

Film operates on much the same principle. Film speaks directly to the unconscious, the language of dreams is one that is not an abstract form of communication such as narrative, but it is one that is filled with images they carry hidden meanings on a latent level.

In 1923, Freud developed a more structural model of the mind comprising the entities id, ego and superego (what Freud called “the psychic apparatus”). These are not physical areas within the brain, but rather hypothetical conceptualizations of important mental functions.

A good example for explaining this research would be 'Fight Club', 1999, directed by David Fincher.

The ID - Unconscious desires, 'The repressed'. (Tyler Durden - Fight Club)

The id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality. It consists of all the inherited components of personality, including the sex instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), and the aggressive (death) instinct - Thanatos.

The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts. The personality of the newborn child is all id and only later does it develop an ego and super-ego.

The Ego - Conscious like a lifestyle. (The Narrator - Fight Club)

 Initially the ego is 'that part of the id which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world' (Freud 1923).

The ego develops in order to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision making component of personality. Ideally the ego works by reason, whereas the id is chaotic and totally unreasonable.

The Ego (The narrator) is the reality principle, always trying to meet the basic needs of the Id but also takes into account the real world. Therefore the right balance plays a key part for the ego (Tyler).

Superego - Based on morale principles, compromise. 

The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. It develops around the age of 3 – 5 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development.

The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection.

The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to the id's demands, the superego may make the person feel bad through guilt.

The ideal self (or ego-ideal) is an imaginary picture of how you ought to be, and represents career aspirations, how to treat other people, and how to behave as a member of society.

Behavior which falls short of the ideal self may be punished by the superego through guilt. The super-ego can also reward us through the ideal self when we behave ‘properly’ by making us feel proud.