Ego operates on the basis of

Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis and his theory is also known as the Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality.

• A primary assumption of Freudian theory is that the unconscious mind governs behavior to a greater degree than people suspect.​
• He considered personality as a three-tier system of Id, Ego, Superego.
• ID is totally unconscious, Ego is partly conscious, and Superego is totally conscious. 

Key PointsAccording to Freud psychoanalytic theory:

The id

• The id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality.
• It consists of all the inherited (i.e., biological) components of personality present at birth, including the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), and the aggressive (death) instinct - Thanatos.
• The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche that response directly and immediately to basic urges, needs, and desires.
• The personality of the newborn child is all id and only later does it develop an ego and super-ego.

The super-ego

• It operates on the basis of morality which is driven by the moral conscience of an individual.
• The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others.
• It develops around the age of 3 – 5 years during the phallic stage of psychosexual development.

The ego 

• It is the realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego.
• The ego of an individual operate on the basis of the reality principle i.e., 
• The ego is 'that part of the id which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world.' 
• Freud made the analogy of the id being a horse while the ego is the rider. The ego is 'like a man on horseback, who has to hold in check the superior strength of the horse.'

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Hence, it is concluded that our Ego works on the reality principle and acts as a bridge between Id and Superego.