Final answer:
According to Freud, the Superego represents the internalized societal norms and moral values, creating a sense of conscience. It works against the Id's primal urges and is moderated by the Ego, which mediates between these two forces to conform to reality.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Sigmund Freud, the Superego is the human conscience, or internalization of the constraints imposed by civilized society. The Superego acts as our moral compass, directing our sense of right and wrong, and instilling feelings of guilt or pride in us depending on our actions.
It clashes with the Id's primitive drives and urges, which are present from birth and seek immediate gratification based on the pleasure principle. The Ego is the realistic mediator that operates on the reality principle, balancing the impulsive Id and the moralistic demands of the Superego within the context of reality.
Freud's model of the psyche underscores a constant internal struggle between our instinctual desires and the socialized controls over these drives. This battle is seen as the foundation of our personality and the source of much human psychological conflict.
Freud's theory further suggests that the mind's evolution from childhood to adulthood involves adapting to these pressures in a host of often irrational and incomprehensible ways. As such, our conscious mind, or the Ego, is perpetually attempting to reconcile these conflicting forces which it isn't always aware of, resulting in various defense mechanisms that protect us emotionally, yet may lead to future unhappiness and alienation.