Conscience Vs. Superego: A Catholic View on Freud's Theory

Everyone has heard the phrase "let your conscience be your guide", and many people relate conscience to an angel and a devil on their shoulder telling them to perform and act that is right or wrong. Many people believe that the "superego", developed by Sigmund Freud and conscience are the same thing: a Jiminy Cricket-like character that encourages a person to do the right thing. Freud's theory of conscience consists of three parts- the Id, Ego, and Superego, all of which an impact on human decision making. The ideas of conscience and superego are very similar, but also very different in many ways. Conscience is the internal voice that tells a person which actions are morally right and which are morally wrong, while the superego is an internal voice that originates form society and authority figure that can give good moral guidance or bad moral guidance. In addition, conscience is an instinct that can be developed and formed through the growth of one's character, and the superego develops following the id and ego, through the influences of the surrounding environment.