superego

/ˈsuːpəriːɡəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsuːpəriːɡəʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌsü-pər-ˈē-(ˌ)gō How to pronounce superego (audio) also -ˈe-(ˌ)gō How to pronounce superego (audio)/ (ame, mw)

superego — noun

  • superegosingular
  • superegosplural

1. in Freudian theory, the internal moral agency within the psyche that judges thou

1.名詞C1
釋義

in Freudian theory, the internal moral agency within the psyche that judges thoughts and actions as right or wrong — it produces feelings of guilt, shame, or pride depending on whether the person's behaviour matches the standards they have internalised from parents and society.

例句

According to Freud, the superego develops around age five as a child internalises parental rules.

collocation: superego + develops

Jude felt a wave of guilt, his superego punishing him for lying to his grandmother.

superego + punishing + for + gerund

同義詞
  • conscience

    everyday term for the inner sense of right and wrong; superego is the specific psychoanalytic concept that includes the conscience as one of its functions

反義詞
  • id

    the primitive, instinct-driven part of the psyche that seeks immediate pleasure, opposed to the superego's moral restraint

文法句型

the superego

用法筆記

Almost always used with the definite article the, as in 'the superego'. Frequently contrasted with ego and id, the other two components of Freud's structural model of the psyche.

常見錯誤

My superego told me not to steal the candy.
My conscience told me not to steal the candy.
💡In everyday conversation, most English speakers use 'conscience' for this feeling. 'Superego' is a technical psychoanalytic term and sounds unnatural in casual contexts.