Freud's trinity: any psych majors in the house?

[Liberal]

Regarding the id, ego, and super ego, we once had a teacher who explained things to us this way:

Consider when you feel like you have to urinate. Your id is telling you that there is urine in your bladder. It couldn't care less whether you live or die from it, but merely that you know what it knows. Your ego is telling you to discharge the urine. It wants to rid itself of the discomfort of the swollen bladder. Your super ego is telling you to discharge the urine in a toilet or other suitably civilized recepticle. It wants you to do the proper thing. Note that your super ego might also tell you to discharge it upon a willing partner, depending on your childhood associations with urine.

Is that a fair and accurate way of looking at id, ego, and super ego?

[Geek Mecha]

 _T]??rstand it:

Your id would say "Pee now!" not caring about your Armani suit, the Persian rug you're standing on, or roomful of Pulitzer prizewinners around you.

Your ego is contemplating letting you pee in the potted plant in the corner, but realizes that there are witnesses, and that pee has a distinct odor that would be noticed.

Your superego, which balances the id, would say "No. You need to find a proper restroom. Get to it with dignity, if you can." It may be tempted to let you pee in the potted plant, but it is tempered by the knowledge that that would be uncouth. The stronger the superego, the more whipped the id is.

Also, the id wouldn't be the one "telling" you your bladder is full of pee. I think it'd be better to say that your body is saying, "Bladder full of pee!", and the id, ego, and superego take in that little factoid and decide what to do about it.

[Geek Mecha]

My id did that.

[puddleglum]

The id is more concerned with reproduction than elimination but since it is the scenario offered:
The id would be saying pee now, the superego would be saying that it is wrong to pee outside of a bathroom and the ego would compromise. If the id was stronger in that particular individual the compromise might be to pee behind a bush, if the superego was more in control the compromise might be wait for an opportune moment to excuse oneself to the restroom.

[abel]

IAAPM, and basically what everyone else said... the Id is only concerned with gratifying itself. It could care less about what everyone else thinks. This is the only part of the subconscious that Freud says we are born with. Later on, we develop our Ego, which realizes people DO care, and therefore we can't go around peeing on anything when we feel like. The Superego is kind of like governing morality and values, which Freud would say we get from our parents/role models. The Superego would never do anything to offend someone else, cause that would be wrong!


Remember the iceberg diagram?

[COLOR=royal blue]
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp________
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp/&nbsp&nbsp|&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp\
&nbsp&nbsp/S.|&nbsp&nbspEGO&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp\&nbsp&nbspConscious
&nbsp/&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp|_______\___________
|&nbsp&nbspE |&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp/
&nbsp\&nbspG&nbsp|&nbsp&nbsp&nbspID&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp/&nbsp&nbspUnconscious
&nbsp&nbsp\O&nbsp|&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp/
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp\_|_____/
[/color]

Wow, I'm proud of that diagram...

[MrAndrewV]

Actually its:

"I would rather have a FULL bottle in front of me than a FULL-frontal lobotomy"

[Liberal]

And it ought to be attributed. Welcome to Straight Dope, MrAndrewV.

[abel]

<hijack>
I believe it's a Spoonerism... is that right, Lib?
</hijack>

[Liberal]

It's a phonetic chiasmus.

[abel]

"I'd rather have a free bottle in front of me than a prefrontal lobotomy."
-S. Clay Wilson


"I'd rather have a Bottle in Front of me
(Than a Frontal Lobotomy)."

Written by an Atlanta physician named Dr. Randy Hanzlick--who writes songs as a hobby--notice how the familiar chiastic reversal shows up in sounds of words. This is a perfect example of what can only be called phonetic chiasmus.


On this site it doesn't attribute a particular person to the quote.


I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal lobotomy - Jack Nicholson

I think the jury may be permanently out on who originated that quote, so I don't know WHO i should or could rightfully attribute it to. However, since it was starting to annoy me, too, I will gladly change it. And welcome to the board, MrAndrewV!

P.S. Any suggestions for a new/better sig?

[Liberal]

How about "This used to be a phonetic chiasmus."?