Download ID Game Taylor - Renton School District

Name:_______________________
Per:_________________
1) When you eat something you like, you tend to eat:
a) Way too much
b) Just enough
c) A little less than you want
2) If you're angry, you:
a) Stand up and fight
b) Have to get out your anger somehow
c) Can walk away from the situation
3) Do you get jealous?
a) All the time
b) Only when provoked
c) No
4) Your sense of humor is:
a) Childish
b) Silly
c) Witty
5.) You have a huge test to study for, but you don't really feel like working. Instead,
you ask your parents if you could go to a party, but they say no. What do you do?
a. You decide to go to the party anyways. You can have a good time and when
you come home you could deal with your parents then.
b. You listen to your parents, but you still are too lazy to study for your test so you do it
after some video games/movies
c. You decide to suck it up and study for your test- you want to make sure you get a
good grade
6.) Let's say you've just become the leader of a country. You need a way to govern
your people. How do you go about doing this?
a. You think to yourself that you don't like rules; you'd rather just let your people live
however they want to.
b. You see how the country was running before you became leader and view the positive and
negative sides. You change what you dislike
c. You base your laws off of ones you either read in a book or ones you think are morally
right.
7.) You and your friends decide they want to do something this weekend. How do you
make the plans?
a. Just go with the flow- whatever happens that day will happen. It's more fun that way
b. Ask everyone what they want to do and see if there's a way you can make everyone
happy.
c. Think of what all you're doing this weekend and decide on the best time and place you can
meet.
8.) There's a really cute guy/girl that just transferred to your school. You really want
to go out with him, so what do you do?
a. Just go up and ask them out straightforward. Hey, if you like the person, you're not going
to miss your chance
b. Talk to them a bit to get to know him first. Building up a friendship is the best way to start
a relationship
c. Wait for them to approach you. If they likes you then they'll make the move.
10.) Your crush asks you to go to a dance with them this Friday, but that's exactly the
same day and time your best asked you to hang out. What do you choose?
a. You think about it and decide to go with your crush- Besides, the dance is very rare. You
can hang out anytime! You reschedule
b. You tell both of them you can make it, going with your friend half the time and your crush
the other half.
c. You decide to go with your friend. She/he would be really hurt if you turned her down
again just to go with some boy you hardly know
11.) What do you want to make your career?
a. You want to get a job with something you’ll have fun doing for the rest of your life. You
definitely don’t want to get bored.
b. You want to get a job that deals with discovering new things or learning about the world
around you.
c. You want to do something that will help mankind in some way like becoming a doctor or
teacher.
12.) What is your favorite subject in school?
a. Gym/lunch
b. English/History.
c. Math/science
#A
#B
#C
THE ID, EGO, SUPEREGO GAME
We may say that the id comprises the psychic representatives of the drives, the ego consists of those functions which have to
do with the individual’s relation to his environment, and the super-ego comprises the moral precepts of our minds as well as
our ideal aspirations.
The drives, of course, we assume to be present from birth, but the same is certainly not true of in-terest in or control of the
environment on the one hand, nor of any moral sense or aspirations on the other.
It is obvious that neither of the latter that is neither the ego nor the superego develops till some-time after birth.
Freud expressed this fact by assuming that the id comprised the entire psychic apparatus at birth, and that the ego and
superego were originally parts of the id which differentiated sufficiently in the course of growth to warrant their being
considered as separate functional entities.
—Charles Brenner, An Elementary Textbook of Psychoanalysis (Revised Edition)
The id, ego, superego game is one in which Freud’s classic explanation of how the psyche works, his “structural
hypothesis, can be applied to television programs, films and other aspects of popular culture, the media, and
everyday life. Freud’s notions about the id, ego, and superego are described in the quotation that starts this
exercise.
Freud also had a “topographic hypothesis” in which he postulated that our psyches are like icebergs: above the
water, the part of the iceberg you can see is your conscious; slightly below the water line is an area you can
dimly make out, what he called the subconscious; and finally, down deep in the water where you can’t seen
anything you’ll find your unconscious, which is not accessible to you.
We can describe the id, ego, and superego as follows:
Id:
The id in Freud’s theory of the psyche (technically known as his structural hypothesis) is that element of the
psyche that is the representative of a person’s drives. It is also the source of energy, but lacking direction, it
needs the superego to help harness it and control it. In popular thought, it is connected with impulse, lust, and “I
want it all now” kinds of behavior.
Ego:
In Freud’s theory of the psyche, the ego functions as the executant of the id and as a mediator between the id
and the superego. The ego is involved with the perception of reality and the adaptation to reality.
Superego:
In Freud’s theory, the superego is the agency in our psyches related to conscience and morality. The superego is
involved with processes such as approval and disapproval of wishes on the basis or whether they are moral or
not, critical self-observation, and a sense of guilt over wrong-doing. The functions of the superego are largely
unconscious, and are opposed to id elements in our psyches. Mediating between the two, and trying to balance
them, are our egos.
PLAYING THE GAME
We play the id, ego, superego game by looking for manifestations or representations of each of these concepts
in some text or aspect of life. For example, let me suggest that we can look at the three main characters in Harry
Potter as being id, ego, and superego figures.
ID
EGO
Superego
Ron
Harry
Hermoine
Emotion
Moderator and Command
Conscience and Regulator
In essence the three combine to form one “heroic” personality and each character represents one aspect of that
personality.
One reason we play this game is to see whether we can determine, in the case of television programs, for
instance, why we like a certain show and whether or not we may be identifying with one or another of the main
characters. We can also apply this id, ego, superego game to other aspects of media, popular culture, and
everyday life.
Please fill in the chart below, which offers a number of different topics to consider. You may not be able to find
a perfect fit, but it is possible to find things to put in this chart. You may have to simplify matters a bit. Let me
suggest that Harry is “essentially” an ego figure, whose claim to fame is not having typical human reactions to
impossible situation.
Topic
The Avengers
ID
EGO
SUPEREGO
Topic
Films:
Books:
Regions of the USA
ID
EGO
SUPEREGO
Topic
Songs
TV Programs
Teachers
ID
EGO
SUPEREGO
1. How does using the id/ego/superego chart make you see things about media, popular culture, and aspects of everyday
life differently? What did you learn?
2. You can extend this chart and deal with topics not listed on it. What other topics would you consider?
3. Can you learn anything about trends by playing this game? That is, do you think that television shows, films, popular
music, and other media have moved from being id to superego dominated or the opposite?
4. Who were your heroes when you were young? Were they id, ego, or superego figures? What about your heroes now?
5. Why did Mr. Taylor make you take this test? Why do you think he wanted you to know your personality type? How
does knowing this information help you to prove that you are the person you say you are?