Page 534 - Saunders Comprehensive Review For NCLEX-RN

must develop if the individual is to
survive. When this occurs, the
structure of the second system of the
personality, the ego, begins to take
form.

2. The ego

a. Functions include reality testing and
problem solving; follows the Reality
Principle
b. Begins its development during the
fourth or fifth month of life
c. Emerges out of the id and acts as an
intermediary between the id and the
external world
d. Emerges because the needs, wishes,
and demands of the id require
appropriate exchanges with reality
e. The ego distinguishes between things in
the mind and things in the external
world.

3. The superego

a. Necessary part of socialization that
develops during the phallic stage at 3
to 6 years of age
b. Develops from interactions with the
child’s parents during the extended
period of childhood dependency
c. Includes internalization of the values,
ideals, and moral standards of parents
and society
d. Superego consists of the conscience and
the ego ideal.
e. Conscience refers to capacity for self-
evaluation and criticism; when moral
codes are violated, the conscience
punishes the individual by instilling
guilt.
D. Anxiety and defense mechanisms
1. The ego develops defenses or defense mechanisms to
fight off anxiety.
2. Defense mechanisms operate on an unconscious level,
except for suppression, so the individual is not aware
of their operation.
3. Defense mechanisms deny, falsify, or distort reality to
make it less threatening.

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