Id, ego, superego map to structural theory as ________ is to topographical theory.

Id, ego, superego map to structural theory as ________ is to topographical theory.

• A. Unconscious, preconscious, conscious
• B. Conscious, preconscious, unconscious
• C. Preconscious, unconscious, conscious
• D. Conscious, unconscious, preconscious

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how Freud’s structural components line up with his topographical levels of awareness. The id contains instinctual drives and wishes that are not accessible to awareness, so it sits in the unconscious. The ego acts as the reality-based mediator and operates with material that can be brought into awareness, meaning it regularly uses the preconscious as a workspace (and it can involve conscious thought as it plans and negotiates). The superego embodies internalized rules and standards; while it can influence behavior at a conscious level through moral judgments, its power largely comes from those internalized ideals which can surface in conscious reflection as well as from unconscious pressures. Placing them in order along the levels of awareness gives: unconscious for the id, preconscious for the ego, and conscious for the superego. This sequence best maps the way each part typically interacts with awareness.

The idea being tested is how Freud’s structural components line up with his topographical levels of awareness. The id contains instinctual drives and wishes that are not accessible to awareness, so it sits in the unconscious. The ego acts as the reality-based mediator and operates with material that can be brought into awareness, meaning it regularly uses the preconscious as a workspace (and it can involve conscious thought as it plans and negotiates). The superego embodies internalized rules and standards; while it can influence behavior at a conscious level through moral judgments, its power largely comes from those internalized ideals which can surface in conscious reflection as well as from unconscious pressures. Placing them in order along the levels of awareness gives: unconscious for the id, preconscious for the ego, and conscious for the superego. This sequence best maps the way each part typically interacts with awareness.