The superego’s prohibitions give way to the seductive ego ideal.
Evidence
In the transition from disciplinary society to achievement society, the superego positivizes itself into the ego ideal. The superego is repressive. Above all, it prohibits. It rules over the ego with the “harshness and cruelty” of the “dictatorial ‘Thou shalt’” and its “harshly restraining, cruelly prohibiting quality.” In contrast to the repressive superego, the ego ideal seduces. The achievement-subject projects itself [entwirft sich] onto the ego ideal, whereas the obedience-subject subjects itself [sich unterwift] to the superego. Subjection and projection are two different modes of existence. Negative compulsion issues from the superego. In contrast, the ego ideal exercises a positive compulsion on the ego. The negativity of the superego restricts the freedom of the ego. Projecting oneself into the ego ideal is interpreted as an act of freedom. But when the ego gets caught in an unattainable ego ideal, it gets crushed altogether. The gap between the real ego and the ego ideal then brings forth auto-aggression. — Byung-Chul Han, The Burnout Society, 125
Categorization
- DEFINE: Defines the shift from the obedience-subject (subjected to superego) to the achievement-subject (projected onto ego ideal), which is the book’s central definitional move.
- XREF: The projection/subjection opposition maps onto the reader’s own-psychic-life test: when ambitious pursuit feels free but grinds you down, that is the ego ideal exercising its positive compulsion.