At day care, 3-year-old Sara has learned that she has to wait her turn to ride on the tricycle rather than push another child off the tricycle. Using Freud's terminology, Sara's ability to postpone gratification in a socially acceptable way is a reflection of her:

Question

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Freud proposed that the ego is the part of the personality that deals with the demands of reality and helps to mediate between the id (our primitive, instinctual desires) and the external world. Sara's ability to delay gratification and follow social norms demonstrates the functioning of the ego. The id represents our instinctual desires, so option A) is incorrect. The superego represents our internalized sense of morality and social norms, but this does not fit the scenario given, so option C) is incorrect. Thanatos instinct refers to the death drive, which is not relevant to the scenario, so option D) is incorrect.

At Day Care, 3-Year-Old Sara Has Learned That She Has