ABSTRACT

Whenever a character in fiction wrestles with temptation, you commonly see two mini-me’s on each shoulder. On one shoulder is an angelic version instructing the person to act in appropriate ways. On the other shoulder is a devilish version encouraging the person to act in inappropriate ways. Countless examples occur in advertising, film, literature, and music. The contrasting figures wage a battle of ethics. This is a battle called Psychomachia that is for our minds, attitudes, and behaviors. As we determine right from wrong we must weigh up three things: the id, the superego, and the ego. The id (personified as the devilish one) is our basic unconscious instincts. The id has no moral judgments of anything, no sense of morality; the id just acts on pleasure. The superego (personified as the angelic one) is our unconscious critical thinking-conscience based on what is socially acceptable. The ego (the primary person the two figures stand on) is the closest thing to the human mind. The ego is driven by the id and confined by the

Chapter Outline

superego. The ego tries to balance the two to make the most appropriate decision.