**\#️⃣ Tags:** #Dictionary #Psychology #InnerWorld > **🌱 Planted:** Wed 18 June 2025 --- ***The Superego represents the moral expectations of our parents, culture and society.*** The **superego**, also known as the **Inner Critic**, is the element of the Psyche which reflects the internalisation of morals, rules and ethics as presented by the expectations of our parents, culture and society. The superego is formed during the early years of childhood through interactions with our parents or caregivers, and it reflects the values and rules of the external world. [[Sigmund Freud|Freud]] said the superego indicates a successful identification with the parental authority. Without a superego, we wouldn't have an inner compass to know what is considered right or wrong by society's standards. In healthy development, it provides moralistic guidance and helps to regulate our impulses so our behaviour is socially appropriate. In unhealthy development where there's dysfunction or [[Trauma]] it can become overly harsh and rigid. This happens when we were brought up around conditional love or excessive punishment, and can later lead to self-criticism, perfectionism or just a persistent sense of not being good enough. # Library - [[Embracing Your Inner Critic by Hal Stone]]