Perhaps one of the most influential father figures in psychoanalytic

development is Sigmund Freud. In his theory, he explains that as a child

develops overtime, a part of the mind known as the unconscious starts
developing as well; and as a result, helps motivate their behavior. Freuds
theory also provided the foundations of treating mental illness which also
deals with motivating this behavior. Freuds theory explains the different
levels of the mind through an iceberg analogy. On top of this iceberg is the
part known as our conscious. The waterline or the intersection of the iceberg
and water is known as the preconscious. And lastly, beneath the ocean is
known as the unconscious part of the mind.
First, on top of the mountain or the conscious part of the mind there are
thoughts that we are thinking about right now. In other words, it the part of
the mind that we are mostly aware of at that exact moment. It Is part of our
mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. The next level
of the mind is known as the preconscious. Our preconscious is our most
active part of the mind. Even though we do not think about certain thoughts
right now we can retrieve it in our mind when needed. It is like memory but
they are not the same they are two completely different intuitions. The last
level of the mind is known as the unconscious. The unconscious contains
bunch of hallucinations and dreams that we cannot visually see when our
mind is awake. In other words, we do not have access to it.
According to Freud, each individual possesses some psychological energy
that creates three structures within their mind they are known as: the id,
the ego and the superego. The first structure of development is known as the
id. The id is totally unconscious. We cannot visually see nor have access to
the id. It is like saying I want this right now! but you cannot get it. The id
is drawn by the Pleasure Principle. When the id does not get what it wants, it
creates tension. This tension is eased with the Primary process. The second
structure is known as the ego and it operates with the demands of reality. It
is like saying I can operate my own environment to get what I want. The
ego strives to give the id what it wants under the Reality Principle. If it fails, it
eases tensions with the Secondary process. The last structure is known as
the superego. The superego deals with what is right or wrong morality. It
comes from their caregivers who provide guidelines for making judgements.
The Superego is broken up into two parts, The Sense of Shame and the
Sense of Pride. When we violate our superegos intentions, we get a feeling
of shame. On the other hand, when we strive with our superegos intentions
our self-esteem is motivated. The superego plays an important role in
psychological homeostasis