I've been reflecting on some old episodes of #BuffyTheVampireSlayer and stumbled onto a theory around the characters that relates to Freud's idea on the human psyche.
Freud's theory is relatively simple: our psyche (personality) is structured into three parts: the id, ego and superego, all developing at different stages in our lives.
According to Freud's model of the psyche, the id is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories. This is food, sex, shelter - our animal/basic instinct. The super-ego operates as a moral conscience - or for lack-of-a-better-term represents our better selves. And the ego is the realistic part of our mind that rationally processes information about the world. The ego generally mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego.
Although each part of the personality comprises unique features, they interact to form a whole, and each part makes a relative contribution to an individual's behaviour.
In the context of Buffy, the main character's psyche, has physical manifestations in her core circle of friends. Xander is Buffy's id, all desires and impulses, who doesn't learn or grow up. Giles is Buffy's super-ego with the motivation to make Buffy her best self as she journeys into adulthood. And finally Willow is Buffy's ego: grounded, helping process and sort the world around her.
