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In a psychoanalytic criticism of Amir from The Kite Runner, how would his id, ego, and superego be identified? Which of these is strongest and weakest?
Quick answer:
In a psychoanalytic analysis of Amir, his ego is strongest, driving him to make rational yet selfish decisions, such as not helping Hassan to avoid confrontation and gain Baba's approval. His id manifests in his impulsive desires, like playing and tricking Hassan. The superego, initially weak, develops as Amir matures, leading him to act selflessly by rescuing and adopting Sohrab, Hassan's son, to atone for past guilt.
Amir is driven by a mix of his id and ego—his id because many of his decisions are driven by a will to survive in some pretty dire situations, and his ego because he knows somewhere inside of him that his choices are not altruistic or even moral. He chooses to survive at the expense of others. He does wrong by doing nothing to help Hassan, and then again when frames Hassan for stealing cash and a watch. When Amir is an adult, the reader gets the impression that he sees himself as a good man—but he's a good man for the sake of looking like one (and is therefore driven by his ego).
This is what makes Amir's evolution near the end of the novel so striking. He's an adult, and war has broken out in his home country. He finds and takes custody of a boy (Hassan's son),...
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makes a promise he can't keep, and then does everything in his power to make up for it. He can't turn back the clock, but he can start making better decisions and doing right by Hassan by doing right by his son. Once he starts doing that, he's driven by his superego and truly wants to make selfless decisions to help someone else.
According to Freud's idea of how the human psyche functions, an individual's psyche is divided into three parts, the id, the ego, and the superego.
A person's id is essentially the primitive instincts that cause an individual to act immediately upon pleasurable experiences. The id is not affected by reality and operates unconsciously. A person's id is impulsive, illogical, and selfish. Amir's id is reflected in his desire to play with Hassan and continually trick him. It is also the part of Amir's psyche that has an affinity for literature and seeks to avoid physical confrontation.
According to Freud, the ego is the part of the psyche that considers society's perspective and has been modified by the outside world. It is considered rational when compared to the id and is the decision-making component of one's personality. The ego is responsible for problem-solving and helps an individual make rational decisions to avoid unpleasant experiences. Amir's ego is reflected in his decision not to help Hassan when Assef rapes him in order to avoid physical confrontation and win Baba's admiration by bringing back the blue kite. It is also the part of Amir's psyche that decides to get rid of Hassan and repress his negative feelings once he arrives in America.
The superego is the part of a person's psyche that considers society's values and morals. The superego incorporates a person's conscience to punish the ego through feelings of guilt. It represents how individuals should treat one another and is relatively unselfish. Amir's superego is reflected in his overwhelming feelings of guilt, which influences Amir to travel back to Afghanistan to save Hassan's son Sohrab. It is also the part of Amir's psyche which influences his decision to adopt Sohrab.
In my opinion, Amir's ego would be considered the strongest part of his psyche because he attempts to make rational decisions which are selfish in nature throughout the majority of the novel. He knows his decisions are immoral, but they offer him a way to avoid physical pain and keep up with society's expectations. For most of Amir's life, he ignores his superego and refuses to make sacrifices to atone for his sins. It is only when he finds out Hassan is his half-brother that he acts upon his superego.