Commentary on “The Superego—A Vital or Supplanted Concept?”

Abstract

Since Freud's original formulation, many modifications and alterations of the superego concept have been postulated. Each paper in this issue of Psychoanalytic Inquiry presents a particular view of the superego concept. I examine each paper especially with regard to whether its author regards this construct as indispensable or supplanted in analysts' efforts to explain moral and ethical choices.