1914 Freud's "Essay on Narcissism" and the Concept of Ego Ideal

Narcissism is a notion in Psychoanalytic theory. The term 'narcissism' has been originated from the Latin narrative poem Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid. 1914 Freud essay that introduced the concept of ego ideal is also about the concept of narcissism and its relation to human ego (and its structures).

Narcissism is popularly introduced by Sigmund Freud in his essay On Narcissism in 1914. Freud argues narcissism as the libidinal complement to the egoism of the instinct of self-preservation. In psychoanalytic theory, he split the human mind under three components: Id, ego, and superego. The id is the original and inborn component of personality. It consists of all the inherited components of personality present at birth. It is selfish and wishful in nature. The id operates under the pleasure principle, which is the idea that all desires should be satisfied immediately and doesn't bother about the consequences. The superego combines the values and morals of society which are learned from parents and society. It controls the id's unwanted desires which society prevents. It also persuades the ego to perform moralistic goals rather than the desired ones. The ego acts as the moderator between id and superego. It is the decision-making component of personality. The ego operates according to the reality principle. It finds realistic ways to convince the id's demands by compromising or delaying the desire to avoid the harmful consequences of society. In order to form a healthy personality, one should know to regulate his id, ego and superego. In Freud’s New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, he says:

We are warned by a proverb against serving two masters at the same time. The poor ego has things even worse: it serves three severe masters and does what it can to bring their claims and demands into harmony with one another. These claims are always divergent and often seem incompatible. No wonder that the ego so often fails in its task. Its three tyrannical masters are the external world, the super-ego and the id.

According to Freud, a person born without a sense of self is termed as ego. It develops during infancy and early childhood. When the child came to know the moral standards of society, he may form the ideal ego, an image of a perfect self. Fulfilling the demands of the ideal ego is the desire of ego. When the idealization becomes too much it will lead to narcissism. Based on the characteristics, Freud differentiates narcissism into two categories: primary narcissism and secondary narcissism. The primary narcissism is self-love, which is possessed by everyone. It is healthy, adaptive and positive. It will encourage the person to have a successful life. But in contrast, secondary narcissism is pathological and loves the reflected image of self. Secondary narcissism is often an outcome of various frustrations abuses. To protect them from abuses, they love to show their reflected image. The result of verbal, physical, sexual and psychological abuses is termed as pathological narcissism. They love to project a loveable image, which is actually not their true self. They are self-centred and very sensitive for their own needs.

Although Narcissism is deeply rooted in American psychology, it plays an important role in culture. Nowadays, people are corrupted by wealth, physical appearance, fame, parenting style, and success. The United States is currently suffering from a plague of narcissism. In data, nearly 37,000 college students have narcissistic symptoms from the 1980s to present. In the book, The Narcissism Epidemic, it is said;

Works Cited

• Chandra Joseph, Samy Antony, K.S. Classical to Contemporary Literary Theory: A Demystified Approach. Atlantic Publishers (P) LTD. New Delhi. 2010.
• Twenge, Jean M, Campbell, W, Keith. The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement. New York: Free Press, Inc, 2009.