---
title: "Id, Superego, Ego — AP Psychology Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "Freud's three-part personality model: the id demands pleasure, the superego demands perfection, and the ego mediates. Core to the psychodynamic view in Unit 8."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-psych-revised/key-terms/id-superego-ego"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP Psychology"
---

# Id, Superego, Ego — AP Psychology Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

Id - Represents innate desires; it demands immediate satisfaction.
Superego - Acts as moral compass; strives for perfection.
Ego - Balances conflict between id (pleasure principle) & superego (morality).

## Related Study Guides

- [8.8 Psychological Perspectives and Treatment of Disorders](/ap-psych-revised/unit-8/psychological-perspectives-treatment-disorders/study-guide/anATyQ6k5vzwx0d5Zjhl)

## Review

### Related Terms

- [Pleasure Principle](/ap-psych-revised/key-terms/pleasure-principle): The instinctive drive to seek pleasure and avoid pain, expressed by the id as part of the driving force behind behavior.
- [Reality Principle](/ap-psych-revised/key-terms/reality-principle): The ability of the mind to assess the reality of the external world, and to act upon it accordingly, as opposed to acting on the pleasure principle.
- Conscience: A part of superego that produces guilt depending on how acceptable behavior is according to internalized cultural rules.