The average general, like so many average men and women is trapped in the neurotic paradox. General Arthur Perseval at Singapore was this type, simply refusing to credit that the Japanese attack his fortified island base. In every man, an earthy, hungry id battles with an intelligent, tactful ego overseen by a watchful superego. Excellence, mediocrity, or incompetence hinge on how smoothly the monkey, the spinster, and the bait clerk settle their differences.