She spoke about the psychopathology of everyday life psychologist Anna Khnykina.
Maya Milich, AiF.ru: How does modern psychology today relate to the works and scientific versions of Freud?
Anna Khnykina: Today's science honors the brilliant doctor. Absolutely all theories of development (in universities it is called “Developmental Psychology”) are in one way or another rewritten and adapted theories of development by Freud and his followers: Melanie Klein, Margaret Mahler and others. Science has not moved far from Freud; everything that is developing today, especially not in coaching, but in the therapeutic and near-clinical environment, is all one way or another based on psychoanalytic theory.
Reference Sigmund Freud coined the term “parapraxis”, which in everyday life became a “Freudian slip”. By the term “parapraxis” the scientist meant any minor slip, slip or mistake, which, according to Freud, is not just an innocent gesture, but a manifestation of unconscious desires or conflicts.
— How to learn to “read” yourself without the help of a specialist? Listen to yourself? And is it necessary to do this at all?
— In order to learn to understand your unconscious, it will be enough for you to understand how projection and transference work. You can read something on the Internet, you can read books on this topic - there are a lot of them now. But there is one small but very important point. This knowledge is not transmitted in a traditional information way; it can only be understood through personal experience, having lived through it. Therefore, the most thirsty people for understanding their unconscious ultimately go for their own psychoanalysis. And this is a long, regular systematic process that can take two to three years or more. In order to help others “understand themselves,” you will need additional university education, about 8–10 years, and much more personal analysis—about 5 years.
In addition, you will also need knowledge of mythology, hierarchy of symbols, history, religions...
- Slips of the tongue, misspellings, misreadings, mishearing, forgetting, losing and hiding things, strange actions “by mistake” - all this was interpreted by Freud as an external manifestation of unresolved unconscious conflicts and repressed desires. How can we understand that this is not just a random mistake, but really a manifestation of our unconscious and a surge of thoughts hidden deep inside?
— Not everything is interpreted as literally as we would like sometimes. It doesn’t always make sense to complicate everything, because “blunders”, verbal or written, also happen due to the fact that a person is doing several thought processes at the same time, for example, talking to you about business, and at the same time thinking about his family. And then in your business conversation the name of his wife comes up. You might think that he is now thinking about food or love, but for him, business and family are inseparable things. And there is absolutely nothing to hide here; besides, everything in the above example is quite understandable. There are no mistakes here, but this is not about the unconscious. When we talk about “unconsciousness” as a state, we must understand that it is a coma or sleep. It is absolutely impossible to understand how the unconscious works or what exactly is “hidden” there without going through your own path of exploration.
Article on the topic
The history of psychoanalysis, or How a woman quarreled between Freud and Jung
- If these erroneous actions, forgettings and slips of the tongue have become frequent, noticeable and tangible - what can this mean? Can these processes even be called a psychological deviation or a harbinger of one?
- Definitely, this is not considered a deviation. These could be some signs of something. In order to draw conclusions, it is necessary to study the associative series in each specific case.
If slips of the tongue, slips of the tongue, and forgetting have become frequent, most likely it is a particular person’s concentration that is falling. That is, he may be distracted due to fatigue. He may need to go on vacation, and not to see a psychiatrist.
— What else can speak about psychological everyday deviation? For example, the fear of open doors or perfect order in the closet, books arranged in alphabetical order, a strict routine for watering flowers that no one should violate, a “fad” for cleanliness, ironing, washing dishes, and so on. Are these all different facets of the norm or, if you notice “obsession”, should you be wary?
— We are talking about serious deviations in cases where someone’s behavior threatens his personal safety or the safety of others. Also dangerous is a person who does not feel guilt or shame for harming another. As for reservations, obsessions, addictions, fixations - usually all this fits into the norm, the question here is rather why exactly does this seem strange to you? What exactly do you see in this and why does it alarm you? In psychoanalysis you will most likely encounter this approach to the problem.
What is a Freudian slip?
What does this phrase mean? And why do they say Freudian slip? This is a well-known phrase that implies a slip of the tongue that a person uttered unconsciously, for reasons unknown to him. The name of the famous Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud is mentioned for a reason. Freud is the founder of psychoanalysis and the doctrine of the conscious and unconscious.
The meaning of the expression "Freudian slip"
It is a well-established belief that people lie when they make a Freudian slip. However, such an assumption is far from the truth. Sometimes a person himself does not realize the reason for such a slip of the tongue.
In his early writings, Freud emphasized that the confrontation between the unconscious and human consciousness is the cause of neurotic disorders. In other words, the desire to experience pleasure conflicts with the instinct of self-preservation.
The psychologist published his book “I and It”, in which he identified three components of the human psyche:
- I (Ego) – presupposes the principle of reality;
- It (Id) - represents the unconscious part of the psyche, the unity of subconscious drives;
- Super-I (Super-Ego) - is responsible for the moral and religious attitudes of the individual, rules of behavior and moral prohibitions. Produced during human development. The qualities of the Super-ego are conscience, reflection and the formation of human ideals.
The superego and id are constantly in a state of conflict. This is the reason that a person in identical situations chooses a different line of behavior. For a short time, the It can prevail over the Super-Ego. That is, the unconscious dominates over consciousness. It is at such moments that a person utters a random phrase indicating what he was thinking.
Origin of the catchphrase
Many people are frightened by the prospect of being in an awkward position during a public speech or even when communicating one-on-one. The “father of psychoanalysis,” Sigmund Freud, is partly responsible for these experiences.
History of the expression
The scientific works of Sigmund Freud are based on the identification of two “halves” of a person: conscious and unconscious. Deep motives and the conscious part are in constant conflict with each other, as a result of which the individual experiences neuroses and other diseases of the psyche or nervous system. In this case, secret desires struggle with conscience and awareness of good and evil. This phenomenon is described in more detail in one of the most famous works of Sigmund Freud, “The Psychopathology of Everyday Life” (1901).
After conducting in-depth research, the great psychoanalyst identified several types of unconscious actions of an individual. Let us describe these varieties in more detail.
Slips of the tongue - in this case, in the process of speech activity, a person randomly uses a completely different word than the one he wanted to voice. The same phenomenon can be traced in the process of reading or listening to information, where a person reads or hears not what is being discussed, but what hovers in the depths of his unconscious.
According to the teachings of Sigmund Freud, during the process of slips of the tongue, a person hears or says what is bothering him at the moment. At the same time, he cannot track the moment at which the secret thought burst out, and, therefore, stop its impulse.
In short, a person's erroneous actions may indicate his true desires, which he himself may not be aware of. Reservations play the role of a “beacon” that helps illuminate a person’s soul from the inside and lift the veil of true desires, not covered by the concepts of good and evil, honor and shame.
Examples of Freudian slips and their secret meaning
There are many Freudian slips made by famous people. Let's look at examples of the most “famous” clauses:
- The head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov, said at one of his public speeches: “We are supported by several million rubles.” He was planning to say “people,” but he misspoke and said “rubles,” thereby voicing the thoughts that really bothered him;
- The head of the A Just Russia party, Sergei Mironov, making a speech at a meeting of the State Duma, misspoke, replacing “street art” with “arthritis.” The politician's mistake only caused general merriment. It is worth noting that not all slips of the tongue of Russian deputies are perceived by the public so kindly and loyally;
- During a televised speech, US Senator Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts used the word "breast" instead of "best people." In addition to everything, he instinctively made an unambiguous gesture with his hand, depicting a rounded object. Despite the fact that the senator immediately corrected his speech error, his prestige was shaken;
- the presenter of the Vesti TV channel, Maria Morgun, at one time renamed the State Duma to the State Duma;
- another journalist, broadcasting sports news, mistakenly pronounced the letter “CH” in the title “Grand Slam Tournament”; her colleague, instead of “Chechen captivity,” said “Chechen member”;
- once US Secretary of State Candolizza Rice recklessly called the then-current President George W. Bush her husband.
"Psychopathology of everyday life"
This is the name of the book, where the scientist described in detail this phenomenon, which in everyday life is called “Freudian slips.” All such actions, examples of which we have already given, are united under one general term - parapraxis.
Freud divided random manifestations of the unconscious into four categories. Firstly, these are accidental slips of the tongue, misheard words, slips of the tongue. Secondly, forgetting, forgetting names or events. Thirdly, accidental loss of things, and fourthly, actions that are performed by mistake.
Despite the fact that at first glance such random, unexpected actions look quite innocent, Sigmund Freud saw in them a manifestation of internal conflicts and desires that are repressed into the unconscious. He perceived dreams similarly, considering them a way to find out what was going on in the id of a particular person.
For a psychoanalyst, for example, moments when a client forgets about the time of a consultation or timely payment for treatment can become important. In the course of identifying the reasons for such forgetfulness - if it really occurs automatically - various internal unresolved conflicts may emerge.
Speech errors according to Freud as a reflection of hidden desires
There is an opinion that Freudian slips are a public expression of information deeply hidden in the subconscious. Freud believed that most unconscious desires and aspirations are the root causes of mental disorders. And at a moment when a person himself does not realize this, reservations appear.
What is a Freudian slip in simple words? The expression “Freudian slip” means hidden desires that have involuntarily become public. A person cannot always admit even to himself his innermost and secret desires. However, on a subconscious level, these needs are localized and subsequently manifest themselves in the form of typos, slips of the tongue, and slips of the tongue.
The difficulty lies in the fact that it is not always possible to identify the reason for the formation of reservations and interpret them correctly. Of course, with great desire and commitment, all difficulties can be overcome.
Freud created the concept of slips of the tongue. It states that all speech errors can be conditionally differentiated into the following categories:
- clerical errors, misspellings, misspellings, mishearings, slips of the tongue;
- memory disorders in which a person forgets names, words, sensations;
- gestures and facial expressions that go against the words.
If one of the listed violations is detected, it is necessary to look for the cause of its occurrence. According to the scientist, “there is no place for coincidences in life.”
Often these kinds of speech errors are attributed to overwork, depression or emotional overexcitement, with the assurance that they do not contain any hidden subtext.
Meanwhile, Freud had a different point of view. By carefully analyzing unconsciously uttered phrases and expressions, one can discover that a person's actions do indeed have a certain meaning.
In everyday life, situations often occur that confirm the theory of the famous psychoanalyst. The most obvious case is with guests, when instead of the phrase “Well, come more often,” you tell them: “Don’t come more often.” This clearly characterizes your attitude towards these people. Perhaps, consciously or unconsciously, they are unpleasant to you.
Types of reservations
Slips of the tongue are just one form of error. In total, Freud identified 4 forms of output of subconscious reactions:
- Actions. For example, a person says “here, take it,” and he moves the object away. Or he says “nice to meet you,” and he puts his hands in his pockets and walks away a couple of steps.
- Losing or unconsciously hoarding things. Have you ever been unable to find the right notebook or folder for a long time? They couldn’t remember where they themselves put it.
- Forgetting, including one’s own intentions and motives for actions already taken. We came to the kitchen, but don’t remember why. They wanted to say something, but immediately forgot.
- Errors in reading, listening, writing, speaking. Sometimes we hear our problems in someone else’s speech. “What did you say, let’s break it up? A! Let's go to!" Whom a person subconsciously wants to break up - one can only guess.
In case of errors when reading or listening, not only hidden motives and desires, but also disagreement with the information can influence. In a broad sense, all errors according to Freud reflect the individual’s disagreement with himself or other people, conditions, or situations.
Freudian slips in men and women: examples and their interpretation
The most “popular” slip according to Freud among both men and women is the situation in which they call their lover by the name of their previous partner. In most cases, such incidents are due to the fact that the person has not yet completely forgotten his past relationship.
Probably, this is exactly the explanation for such an incident that the “father of psychoanalysis” found.
Freud's theory
Sigmund Freud argued that every clause implies a whole array of meaning, so you should listen to them carefully. The statement “Freudian slip” implies that every slip contains the true motives and desires of the speaker.
One of the provisions of the teachings of the great psychoanalyst is that every person has primitive instincts. We suppress our true desires due to the development of civilizations, changes in mentality and foundations of society, ideas about good and evil, feelings such as shame and conscience.
However, this does not mean that such an “animal” part of the individual will simply disappear: on the contrary, it is lodged deep in the human psyche, in the unconscious. Sometimes it breaks out through slips of the tongue, making itself felt. For example, if a person replaces simple words such as “organism” with the sexually charged word “orgasm.” Obviously, in this case, the individual feels sexually dissatisfied, and his unconscious is aimed at the desire to correct the current state of affairs.
