As you may recall, Freud believed that the id was the most basic and primitive part of personality.

He also suggested that it was the only part of personality that is present from birth.

The primary process is referred to as a primary part of personality because it is believed to come first.

Man thinking about food

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Babies are essentially, according to Freud, all id.

A primary process is used instead of acting on dangerous or unacceptable urges.

This image can take the form of a dream, hallucination, fantasy, or delusion.

The experience of this mental image through the primary process is known as wish fulfillment.

However, problems also result from using the primary process to dissipate the energy of the id.

The primary process has no way to distinguish between the fantasy image and reality.

Your mental image of the food you are craving will only satisfy you for so long.

Eventually, the tension will return when needs go unfulfilled.

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Badalamenti AF.Equivalence in Freud’s primary process.Psychoanal Rev.