imprinting

Freud's psychoanalytical model of the soul, referring to his rider metaphor: the head symbolizes the ego; the animal body the id. Similarly dual, the libido-energy branches out from the id into two main areas: the mental urge to know (up), and the bodily urge to act (down). Both unite in the ego in order to fulfil the needs of the id. This includes judgement of inner/outer reality, leading to experiences by muscle control, which imprint the super-ego. The imprints contain socialisation, taking place in childhood. If they support the instinctual needs of the id, the organism remains mentally healthy – the 'rider' carries out his 'animal's' will "as if it were his own".

In psychology and ethology, imprinting is a relatively rapid learning process that occurs during a particular developmental phase of life and leads to corresponding behavioural adaptations. The term originally was used to describe situations in which an animal internalises (learns) the characteristics of a perceived object, for example of a dangerous predator or a sweet fruit.