Tony Campolo

Freud taught us that it wasn't God that imposed judgment on us and made us feel guilty when we stepped out of line. Instead, it was the superego - that idealized concept of what a good person is supposed to be and do - given to us by our parents, that condemned us for what had been hitherto regarded as ungodly behavior.

American Clergyman

Who's to say that there is any more support for Freud's psychoanalytic concept of the superego than there is for that old time religion that asserted that there is a God who ordains what is right and wrong, and that His righteousness endures for all generations?

Siri Hustvedt

Ego, id, and superego are terms familiar to all, but for many years, Freud's psychoanalytic theory has thrived in English departments around the country as a tool for interpreting literary texts but has rarely, if ever, been discussed in science departments.

American Novelist

Catherynne M. Valente

Every morning is a battle between the superego and the id, and I am a mere foot soldier with mud and a snooze button on her shield.

American Writer

The superego helps control our behavior to fit social norms and rules.

Self-regulation

A person's superego is shaped by the culture they grow up in.

Cultural Influence

The superego guides us to do what's considered morally right.

Moral Guidance

The superego can clash with our basic instincts and desires, known as the id.

Psychological Conflict

The superego often reflects internalized parental expectations and rules.

Parental Inner Voice

The superego encompasses societal standards we've learned and strive to uphold.

Societal Standards

 And the third level is reflective, which is, if you like the superego, it's a little part of the brain that has no control over what you do, no control over the -- doesn't see the senses, doesn't control the muscles.

Superego