I-weakness
Ego weakness is a pathology derived from Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of instances . Psychological disorders can arise from the interaction of the I-instance with the entities IT and ABOUT-I, as well as the demands of reality. If the ego can mediate between the divergent requirements with sensible and realistic decisions, then there is an ego strength. If, on the other hand, it is subject to one of the other two instances or if it adapts to the requirements of reality without any problems, it is a question of ego weakness.
Sigmund Freud's daughter Anna Freud , in her influential book Das Ich und die Abwehrmechanismen (1936), analyzed numerous methods with which the ICH defends the instinctual claims of the ES.
Examples of weak ego characters
The “ authoritarian personality ” ( Theodor W. Adorno ) submits to the norms of the SUPER-ego, typically represented by the head of the family. The "externally directed character" ( David Riesman ) adapts conformistically to the expectations of his fellow men.
literature
- Anna Freud: The ego and the defense mechanisms . Kindler, Munich 1964