A “Freudian slip” is a slip of the tongue that reveals an individual’s innermost dreams and desires. There is hardly a person who has not come across this famous expression at least once in his life. However, many do not even suspect what meaning lies behind these words. In fact, they have an interesting subtext, which psychologists advise focusing on. In this article we will find out what a “Freudian slip” means.
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.
In his book “The Psychopathology of Everyday Life,” which is the basis of the theory of psychoanalysis, he came to the conclusion that behind random errors and harmless slips lie deep-seated mental disorders, symptoms of psychoneurosis.
In the process of analyzing numerous cases of such deviations, the psychologist concluded that “the boundary between normal and abnormal in the area of nervousness is fragile and that we are all a little nervous ... such symptoms have the power to disrupt nutrition, sexual functions, normal work, and communication with people.”
Gradually, this theory gained worldwide fame, and the concept of a “Freudian slip” is used not only in scientific circles, but also among ordinary people everywhere.
Almost one of Freud's many hypotheses became true for a large number of people. And now they are looking for hidden subtext in virtually any slip of the tongue.
The interlocutors try to find hidden meaning in the speech of the person who made the mistake. And this, in most cases, provokes difficult situations. Undoubtedly, this development of events exists thanks to the authoritarianism of the scientist. Moreover, followers of Freud's theory also vigorously popularized the scientist's ideas. It is worth noting that not all psychiatrists share the views of the famous Austrian.
Who is Sigmund Freud and why is he famous?
Sigmund Freud gained worldwide popularity as the founder of psychoanalysis. He influenced such 20th century sciences as psychology, sociology, literature, anthropology and medicine. Trained with the famous French psychiatrist Jean Charcot. Later he said that thanks to practice, he learned to distinguish between diseases and began to practice hypnosis. It was thanks to hypnotherapy that most of his patients were healed.
During treatment, Freud used conversations. Patients were given the opportunity to speak out, which subsequently changed their consciousness. The technique was called the “Free Association Method”.
Random remarks provided an opportunity for the observant psychoanalyst to identify the patient's problem and find a solution to it. Subsequently, Freud abandoned the use of hypnosis, preferring to communicate with patients who were clearly conscious. This technique has received widespread popularization.
According to the psychologist, psychosis is a consequence of pictures of the individual’s past, which are not so easy to get rid of. Freud put forward the theory that the fundamental basis of most psychoses is the Oedipus complex and infantile childhood sexuality. He was sure that sexuality is an indicator that significantly affects problems that have psychological overtones.
The scientist's judgment about human nature became progressive at the beginning of the last century. It resonates in scientific circles in our time.
Look after yourself, be careful
Now it’s hard to believe, but the reason for a mistake, a typo, or the fact that the keys were quietly lying in the washing machine during the search could have been elementary human fatigue - Sigmund Freud did not deny this either. Indeed, we can put butter in a drawer and a newspaper in a closet. When pronouncing an unfamiliar word, we may make a mistake.
Objections can be random and are not a sign of a psychological problem, but simply a consequence of overstimulation in the flow of interpersonal information. Therefore, we need to accept reservations and mistakes that mean nothing to us. For example, you may write the word “cold” several times in a text and, even after thinking about what it might mean, not come to any clarity.
And yet, quite often, a mistake, a mistake, a wrong action is the tip of the iceberg - and the iceberg itself becomes obvious after reflection, a conversation with an understanding friend or a psychologist who can help you understand what is really bothering you. To understand whether a slip of the tongue means something or is just tiredness, pay attention to your own emotional state. If the slip caused only a smile or even complete indifference, you can reassure yourself. If the remark caused a fairly strong emotional reaction - fear, anger, severe discomfort - you should pay attention to this. An accidentally missed word is a kind of gift to our consciousness; thanks to it, we will not miss anything important that fills our inner world. And with the right psychological “digging,” you can detect the discrepancy between the desired and the actual and find harmony between them.
Serious warning. There is another important point in studying slips - the realization that they are not accidental can provoke a person to behave in a not very sensitive manner towards his friends and acquaintances. It may, for example, manifest itself in the form of a sarcastic remark, “Ahhh, now I know what you really think!” and destroy many previously good relationships. “My friend and I were reading Freud avidly.” - Katya says. - 'We were 18 years old then, and we did a lot of stupid things: we caught our classmates and other friends with reservations and tried to “undress” their souls. We had a good, friendly group, two boys and two girls. But one of the young men fell in love with another girl and had no particular desire to date us. One day he came to a meeting, irritated and rumpled, but forced himself to smile and howled: “Girls, I’m so glad to say goodbye to you! How we all attacked him! He resisted, said that he didn’t mean anything bad and was glad to see us, but we brought him to the point where he first called Freud an ugly word, and then he left us.”
You should be careful with reservations - or rather, know what is hidden behind them. They are a product of the subconscious, a kind of breakthrough that usually comes to a person unexpectedly. And above all, he must learn them himself in a calm atmosphere, and not under a hail of friendly jokes.
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.
Having considered the above mentioned slips, it is easy to guess what conclusions the “father of psychoanalysis” Sigmund Freud would have made.
He was convinced that slips of the tongue are an echo of the confrontation between two different motives that arose in the mind of the individual. The person is in some way trying to hide a secret desire and focus on what needs to be made public. He tries to displace his innermost desire from his consciousness for various reasons. However, it still opens as a disclaimer.
Reasons for the appearance of the unconscious
According to Freud, people have primitive instincts. Civilization was built in such a way that all natural impulses had to be suppressed. They were hidden as deep as possible in the subconscious. But at the slightest weakening of the defense they began to break out. And if Freud objects, do not rush to make excuses. Reflections: perhaps there is nothing terrible in the fact that the internal censor releases long-hidden desires.
The reason for their appearance is quite simple. Unconscious thinking is similar to what was in the minds of our ancestors. They did not yet know how to distinguish nuances, analyze, and integrate logical analyses. They tended to perceive reality fragmentarily, in parts; their thinking can be called "color aggregation". The same process occurs in modern man, but it is hidden in the depths of the subconscious. Any involuntary combination of words and letters that changes the meaning of what was said is called a “Freudian blunder.”
The easiest way to understand this is to remember any dream in which you see a person about whom you cannot say who he is - a colleague, husband, father, boss. The collective image has all their qualities, but at the same time does not resemble anyone in particular. This is an excellent example of how the so-called “thickening” of the subconscious works.
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.
Another striking example of Freudian slips is forgetting names and memorable dates. This fact indicates that such information does not carry any special personal interest.
Miracles of memory
It is very important to notice little things like forgetting or being late. If your colleague is late once a year, it’s an accident, anything can happen. Although even here Dr. Freud would have worked on the motives. But if you are regularly late, and it lets you down (for example, you replace each other), then you definitely need to look for the meaning. Freud described in his writings cases of patients being late. He attributed this to resistance to the psychotherapy process. Many psychologists note that being late is a passive way to express aggression.
For example, there is a lot of tension between you and another person. But neither side enters into the conflict. In order to somehow release the tension, delays “happen.” This doesn't just apply to work.
For example, you and your loved one have agreed to meet. And now you are waiting for him. Or he is often late from work. In addition to suspicions of treason, one can definitely suspect a reluctance to go home. The process of “arrival” of a loved one is often delayed. Perhaps he is unconsciously trying to tell you about the tense atmosphere at home.
Photo by Khoa Võ: Pexels
The same applies to losing things. If you lose something, think about how you treated this thing? What did she mean to you? What did you want to get rid of unconsciously in this way?
Remember that unconscious motives can be bizarre and illogical. Of course, being late does not improve family and romantic relationships. Or oversleeping for work is not the best option to rest and relax. Your unconscious only gives you small puzzles and problems. Having solved them, you will be able to realize your desires and fears more logically, safer, wiser.
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.
[edit] Freudianism in culture
Classic Freudian slip
Freud's popularity became so great in the 1930s that the great Lec dedicated two aphorisms to him:
| Don't tell anyone your dreams. What if the Freudians come to power? |
| I dreamed about Freud. What would that mean? |
Half a century later, a certain Russian Petrosyan transformed the second aphorism into a ditty:
| I walked through the reed forest and saw Freud naked. And such crap I dream about every G-d day. |
The most depressing thing is that Freud is firmly and, obviously, forever entrenched in the brains of the rabble and the rabble and replaces not only psychology, but a significant part of the social sciences in general. The fact that Freud died in 1939, and since then science has stepped very far forward, is ignored.
Also, Sigmund Freud is a character in Les Podervyansky's play Hamlet.
Automatic actions
Many have encountered an action where, at the thought of throwing away the packaging of a chocolate bar, the chocolate itself ended up going into the trash bin. The answer in this case is quite simple, because such an action can tell us what the individual is hiding from others.
If something breaks in your hands and you don’t care about it, it means that on a subconscious level you have long wanted to get rid of this item, but could not admit it to yourself.
