der not only reality but also morality (Psychological Self-Help, Available Online). The superego sets the focus for how one should behave. It develops as the child internalizes the morals and values of parents and culture, thereby providing both a sense of right, wrong and a set of ideals (Freud, 1936).
             George E. Vaillant, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, expands on Freud's idea of ego proposing that there are four levels of defense mechanisms that develop in an individual according to their stage of psychological development (Bee, 2000). Vaillant concludes that defense mechanisms must be mature in order for an adult to successfully manage the stresses of life.
             Level I is distinguished by psychotic mechanisms. Denial, distortion, and delusion are the most basic forms of psychological defense (Bee, 2000). Psychotic mechanisms are best employed when an individual has no control over a situation. Such an example would be a patient facing surgery or chemotherapy. The patient might deny her fear or project it to someone else. Level I defenses reduce stress by allowing the mind to modify reality in order to meet the desire for comfort and survival demanded by the id (Psychological Self-Help, Available Online).
             Codependent personality types, who find themselves in an abusive situation, deceive themselves into believing that they have found a means of obtaining their basic needs for comfort and survival. Often, the abused has a false sense of security with their abuser. Usually after an argument, the abuser's superego is guilty and his ego feels the need to make amends. The id of the abused is pacified in its demands when the amends are being made. However, the superego of the abused is scared, ashamed and has a feeling of low self-worth. Her ego employs denial, distortion and delusion so that the demands of her id are satisfied and her superego can live in the reality that the abuser has created withou...