Superego

In psychoanalytic theory, that part of the personality structure associated with ethics, standards, and selfcriticism. It is formed by identification with important and esteemed persons in early life, particularly parents. The supposed or actual wishes of these significant persons are taken over as part of the child’s own standards to help form the conscience.

One’s moral code.

The part of the mind which is a person’s conscience, which is concerned with right and wrong.

In psychoanalysis, part of the psyche that functions as a conscience and for the formation of ideals; it forms as parental and societal standards are incorporated into a child’s mind.

In the psychodynamic or Freudian theory of the psyche, the part of the self that contains the sum total of exterior rules, moral values, and expectations taught by parents and parentlike figures, such as teachers and members of the clergy. The individual typically experiences his or her failure to meet the demands of the superego as shame or guilt. The superego is in part unconscious, and it can cause feelings of guilt not justified by any wrongdoing.

The part of the mind that functions as a moral conscience or judge. It is also responsible for the formation of ideals for the ego. The superego is the result of the incorporation of parental injunctions into the child’s mind.

In Freudian psychoanalytical theory, the portion of the personality associated with ethics, self-criticism, and the moral standard of the community. It is formed in infancy by the individual’s adopting as his or her personal standards the values of the significant persons with whom he or she identifies. This helps to form the conscience. The superego functions to protect and to reward when the ego-ideal of behavior or thought is satisfied and to criticize, punish, and evoke a sense of guilt when the reverse is true. In neuroses, symptoms develop when instinctual drives conflict with those dictated by the superego.

According to Freud, the part of the personality that judges right and wrong; the conscience.

In psychoanalytic theory, the aspect of the personality responsible for upholding an individual’s ethical standards is referred to as the superego. Commonly known as the “conscience,” the superego develops as a child internalizes the moral values of authoritative figures, typically parents.