The Ego and the Id
by Sigmund Freud · Das Ich und das Es
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1923
- Form
- Psychology
- Language
- German
- Length
- Short · 70 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Ego and the Id, translated by James StracheyW. W. Norton, 1990The Standard Edition text as a slim paperback with Strachey's notes.
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The essay in which Freud sets out the structural model of the mind. The id is the reservoir of the drives, wholly unconscious; the ego grows out of it under pressure from the external world and mediates between the two; the superego, heir to the Oedipus complex, is the internalised parental authority that judges the ego. Freud shows that much of the ego and the superego are themselves unconscious, and ends on the ego's dependence on its three harsh masters.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Ego and the Id are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
