Question

Jonathan, a fifteen-year-old, yells at his neighbor, Rhys, for playing loud music through the night. In response, Rhys yells at Jonathan and pushes him to the ground. In the context of Freud's structures of personality, which of the following structures most likely dictated Rhys's behavior in this scenario?

a) Id
b) Ego
c) Superego
d) Libido

Answer 1

Rhys's behavior of pushing Jonathan in response to being yelled at is governed by the id, which operates on the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification of drives, such as aggression, without concern for consequences or societal standards.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of Freud's structures of personality, Rhys's behavior of yelling and pushing is most likely governed by the id. The id operates on the pleasure principle which seeks immediate gratification without consideration for the consequences. This part of the personality contains our most primitive drives, and in this scenario, Rhys's impulsive reaction to the confrontation can be seen as the id seeking to assert and gratify its aggressive impulses.

In contrast, the superego would discourage such behavior by imposing moral and societal standards, leading to feelings of guilt for not conforming to socially acceptable behavior. The ego is involved in managing the demands of both the id and the superego and would aim to find a realistic solution that avoids the negative outcomes of such an aggressive act.