e up in part by the superego, which strives for inner perfection. The superego is made up of moral standards, and the notion of learned values (Corey 2001). For healthy functioning to occur in Freud’s personality structure the ego must mediate between the instinctual irrational impulses of the id and the high standards of perfection insisted upon by the superego. Healthy personality depends upon a balance between id, ego, and superego (Engler 1999).According to Freud, David Berkowitz lacked any kind of stable harmony between his id and superego. His passive ego was unable to control his strong impulsive desires, leaving him with no outlets to deal with his life long struggle relating to women. Berkowitz lacked the conscious aspect of his superego, which would have spawned feelings of guilt and remorse following his escapades. His unconscious housed a number of repressed emotions and feelings, which contributed to his inappropriate aggression towards women. Freud stressed the notion that loving, as well as hostile, emotions towards parents are often repressed (Freud, 1950). His rejection at birth by his mother, his step mothers untimely death, and his hatred towards his father’s second wife, all contributed to his irrational thinking, behavior and warped view of women. David exhibited signs of a slight Oedipus complex as well. He loved his adoptive mother dearly, and showed hostility towards her other responsibilities and commitments. David blamed his mother for dying, and leaving him alone during his stressful teenage years (Bardley 1999). All of his negative feelings towards women, his clouded self-image and his lack of healthy female relationships eventually culminated into a fantasy life powerful enough to kill. Initially Berkowitz used Freud’s notion of wish fulfillment, in which he was aroused by simply imagining possible atrocities. However with the lack of development of his ego, David began to act ...
