Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Practice Examination

How do Freudians define the ego?

1. The moral conscience of the personality

2. The executive administrator of the personality

3. The emotional core of the personality

4. The instinctual part of the personality

The correct answer is: The executive administrator of the personality

Freudians define the ego as the executive administrator of the personality. This concept reflects Freud's model of the psyche, which is divided into the id, ego, and superego. The ego plays a critical role in mediating between the desires of the id, which is driven by basic instincts and urges, and the moral constraints of the superego, which embodies social rules and values. Essentially, the ego functions to help the individual deal with reality and make decisions that take into account both internal drives and external circumstances. It employs defense mechanisms to manage conflicts between the id and superego and to maintain psychological equilibrium. In this context, the other options do not accurately capture the specific role of the ego: the moral conscience of the personality is more closely associated with the superego, the emotional core is not a defined part of Freud's model, and the instinctual part of the personality primarily refers to the id. Thus, defining the ego as the executive administrator emphasizes its balancing and decision-making functions within the personality structure.