What term describes the personality component that develops around age 5 and helps in making moral judgments?

The term that describes the personality component developing around age 5 and that plays a crucial role in making moral judgments is the superego. The superego is a fundamental element in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche, which also includes the id and ego. The superego acts as the moral compass of an individual, internalizing societal and parental standards of right and wrong.

It typically develops as children begin to learn the rules and values that are culturally and socially accepted, particularly as they interact with parents, caregivers, and authority figures. This internalization begins around the age of five when children are usually better able to grasp moral concepts.

The superego can often create feelings of guilt or pride depending on whether a person's actions align with these internalized moral standards, illustrating its functional importance in making moral judgments and guiding behavior. In contrast, the id represents basic instincts and desires, while the ego mediates between the id and the superego, striving to find realistic ways to satisfy the id’s demands while taking the moral guidelines of the superego into account. Conscience, while related, is not synonymous with the superego but rather acts as the part of the superego that enforces moral standards and