ABSTRACT
When Sigmund Freud introduced his theory of narcissism in 1914, he formulated the idea of an ego ideal, which represented internalized parental standards and expectations, including culturally determined ideals conveyed through the parents. With the evolution of the structural theory, developmental notions became much more intrinsic to Freud's vision of the mental apparatus. In 1923, in Freud's presentation of his structural theory, the ego ideal is unambiguously referred to as the superego, with a much increased emphasis on the critical and self-punitive aspects of the agency. The ego as an agency is central to the structural frame of reference. In the third phase the concept of the ego was extended as part of the new structural theory, and Freud now spoke of the ego as an active agency of the mental apparatus, an active participant in conflict with the other agencies and the external world.
