[MTC Global] The Id, Ego and Super ego -v- corruption

The Id, Ego and Super ego -v- corruption

 

According to Dr. Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytical theory, a personality is composed of three elements . These three elements of personality Id, ego and super ego work together to create complex human behaviour

 

The Id is the only component of personality that is present from birth and is entirely unconscious. It consists of all the innate, inborn instincts which include doing things in an expert or beautiful manner without having any previous knowledge of them. It also consists of baser urges like pinching and stealing  or snatching and grabbing others assets as the innate urges dictate. In its pure form, it has no moral controls or constraints. Modern day corruption is much complex affair but in its pure form it would fall in this category.

 

Ego is a by product of an organised and well managed and a disciplined society and acts as a constant control in keeping the Id under some kind of check and discipline and punish it if it falters too far. This is the modern day police force and the judicial authorities that would not only prevent but also punish the unbridled instinctive and impulsive acts. So a primitive man would accept a bribe without any thought but a man in an organised society would be less tempted because there is a serious danger that he would be caught and punished. So this will serve as a permanent check on an individual's behaviour or prevent him  from going out of control. 

 

Super ego is,  however, something more sublime than  the fear of the organised society and its police force. It is the sublime ethos that we receive from the society through the finer values of an ideal human behaviour. or through higher form of education and scholarship. It tells us that no matter what the need or the temptation might be,  thou shall not indulge in any kind of immoral or illicit behaviour regardless of whether the police or the authorities were watching you or not. This is an attitudinal form of virtuous behaviour

 

A highly moral society would not need a Lock Pal or a Jan Lok pal if more and more of its people develop and practice and lead their life on the principles of  Freud's Super ego.     

 

 

Educate, Empower, Elevate

Prof. Bholanath Dutta

Founder, Convener & President