Question

When 2-year-old Matthew was told he would get no dessert until he finished the food on his plate, he threw his plate on the floor in a temper tantrum. Freud would have suggested that Matthew was unable to resist the demands of his ______.

1) superego
2) collective unconscious
3) ego
4) id
5) Oedipus complex

Answer 1

Freud would have suggested that 2-year-old Matthew, unable to resist the urge for immediate gratification, was acting on demands of his id when he threw his plate in a tantrum.

Step-by-step explanation:

When 2-year-old Matthew threw his plate on the floor in a temper tantrum after being told he would get no dessert until he finished his food, Freud would have suggested that Matthew was unable to resist the demands of his id. The id is the part of the unconscious mind that contains our most primitive drives or urges from birth, including impulses for hunger, thirst, and sex. It operates on the "pleasure principle," seeking immediate gratification. The id is in constant conflict with the superego, which acts as our moral compass and strives for perfection, and the ego, which is the rational part and attempts to find a realistic balance between the id and superego's demands.