Question

When 16-year-old Hafez received a large inheritance from his grandfather, he was tempted to purchase an expensive new car. He decided, instead, to deposit all the money into a savings account for his college education. Hafez shows signs of a
A. weak superego.
B. weak id.
C. strong collective unconscious.
D. strong ego.

Answer 1

Answer:

d. strong ego

Explanation:

According to Freudian psychology, our personality has 3 different structures which are formed and develop during childhood and that are constantly in conflict.

According to Freud, our behavior is the result of the interaction among these 3 structures:

1. Id: This is the most primitive structure and it focuses on the immediate satisfaction of impulses and desires.
2. Superego: This structure has to do with moral and 'conscience'. It is developed later in life and it focuses in 'the right thing to do'. This would be the moral compass part of our behavior.
3. Ego: The ego is the mediator between the other two structures. When a conflict between the first two arises, the ego is the one who helps us take the decision. It's the rational, pragmatic part of our personality.

In this example, Hafez received a large inheritance from his grandfather, at first he was tempted to purchase an expensive new car (thus, this is the id wanting to satisfy an impulse). However, he decided to deposit the money into a savings account for his college education. We can see that Hafez took a rational decision thinking about the future, this rational way of acting is a sign of having a strong ego.