Example Answer for Question 2 Paper 2: A Level Psychology, June 2017 (AQA)

Section A – Approaches in Psychology: Q2 [4 Marks]

According to Freud, personality has three components. The id is pure erotic energy which lies in the unconscious mind: It is governed by primal urges that Freud called drives, and operates according to the pleasure principle.

The ego is governed by the reality principle and is tasked with taming the id.  The ego has to mediate the demands of the id and the reality of the external world and the moral demands of the superego.

The superego is the conscience inner voice that tells us what’s right and wrong: The superego is based on the morality principle and represents what is morally right. The superego punishes the ego (through feelings of guilt) when morals standards are not upheld.

Please Note: These answers have been produced without the knowledge of the mark scheme and merely reflect my attempt at producing a model answer on the day of the exam.