pening with in the unconscious superego “In the individual as pictured by Freud, the main moral scenario broadens out from the efforts of the superego into a struggle between the forces of life and death, a struggle which though often impacting upon conscious experience was constantly taking place in the unconscious.” (Brown J, Richards B, 1998, p240)The superego the id and the ego are all dependent on each other forming a relationship, “These dependant relationships are first of all the relations of master-slave: the ego’s dependence on the id, the ego’s dependence on the external world, and the ego’s dependence on the superego.” (Ricoeur P, 1970, p212) The superego being a conscious and unconscious and with the dependant relationship with the ego and id, can manifest itself and be seen as the death instinct. “The instinctual character of the superego is charged with destructive rage thanks to the death instinct.” (Ricoeur P, 1970, p299) “The superego has taken possession of all the available sadism, that the destructive component has entrenched itself in the superego and turned against the ego: what is now holding sway in the superego is a pure culture of the death instinct.” (Ricoeur P, 1970, p299) The death instinct refers to the ids’ drive towards death, and at the other end of the spectrum is the life instinct. It is the superego’s relationship with the id that can manifest into the death instinct. “The link between the fear of conscious and erotism stems from the deep-seated relationship the superego retains with the id…..The superego is the representative of the id.” (Ricoeur P, 1970, p300)The superego is complex in its design and function it is our personal watchdog keeping us in line with the rules of society, sometimes these rules are broken and the superego lets us know that we have broken them by giving us a sense of guilt or sel...
