 Sigmund Freud is one of the most famous names in psychology. Even though most of his ideas have been abandoned by modern psychology, his psychoanalytic theory formed the basis for many current psychodynamic theories. Freud was the first to discuss the unconscious mind and its role in human behavior. Freud believed that there were three levels of consciousness. First, is the unconscious mind, which exists outside of your awareness at all times. Next is the pre-conscious mind, which includes all information that you are not currently aware of, but that can be recalled. Finally, the conscious mind is your current state of awareness. Remember the cartoons you used to watch as a child? The main character is confronted with a choice. On his left shoulder is a little devil pushing him toward a bad choice. On his right shoulder, a little angel is encouraging him to make a good choice. He is stuck in the middle and forced to make a decision that will affect him. This scenario is much like Freud's theory of personality. There are three parts to personality according to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory. These are the id, superego, and ego. The id is the first to develop, the ego is second, and the superego is the last to develop. The id is the biological component of the personality and includes your instincts. The id operates in our unconscious mind. It is like the little devil sitting on the cartoon character's shoulder that's always selfish and needy. It operates according to the pleasure principle. The pleasure principle is the idea that all of your needs should be met immediately. Then there's the superego. The superego exists in all three levels of consciousness. The superego is like the little angel. It is always concerned with what is socially acceptable. The superego pushes you to obtain the ego ideal or your view of what is right. It also represents your conscience or your view of what is considered to be wrong. Finally we have the ego. The ego operates in your pre-conscious and conscious mind. The ego is part of the personality that makes your decisions. This is like the cartoon character in the example. The ego is in the middle, makes the decision, and faces the consequences. The ego operates according to the reality principle. The reality principle is the idea that the desires of the id must be satisfied in a method that is both socially appropriate and realistic. The ego must mediate the demands of the id, superego, and reality. You now know how our consciousness interacts to determine behavior according to Freud, but what motivates our behavior? The answer to this is that we are motivated by our instincts. Freud described two types of instincts. Life instincts are one motivational drive described by Freud. Freud also uses the term libido or sexual energy for life instincts. Life instincts serve the purpose of survival and encourage growth, development, and creativity. Freud considers all pleasurable acts life instincts. Death instincts are another type of motivational drive described by Freud. Death instincts account for our aggressive tendencies. Freud believed that managing this aggression is a major challenge of human nature. Freud took his theories on personality and used them to form a developmental theory. He called this theory psychosexual development. Freud postulates five stages of chronological development that begin in infancy. These stages are oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. Key developmental tasks are characteristic of each stage. Freud believed the first three stages are the most important. These three stages occur before the age of six and form the foundation for personality development. Freud's theories, especially his idea on the unconscious mind, have had a lasting impact on the field of psychology. He described three levels of consciousness, the unconscious, the pre-conscious, and conscious. He also described three parts of the personality. The first part of the personality to develop is the id. The ego develops next and the super ego develops last. These personality components work together to determine behavior. Behavior is motivated by instinct. There are two types of instinct described by Freud, life instincts and death instincts. Freud also formed a developmental theory he called psychosexual development. This theory includes five stages of chronological development.