Generality
The Freudian slip can be defined as a sort of involuntary error caused by a psychic conflict present in the individual.
In common language, the term "Freudian slip" is usually used to indicate linguistic errors committed during a conversation. In truth, in the psychoanalytic field, the meaning of "Freudian slip" is much broader and also includes the sudden lack of memory, reading errors (reading a term different from what is actually written), writing errors (writing a different word from the one you would actually like to use), listening errors and even the loss of objects of various types.
These errors and shortcomings, considered by most to be synonymous with little attention, take on a completely different meaning according to psychoanalysis which considers them to be anything but random but attributable, instead, to the presence of internal contrasts between the individual between his conscious will and the his unconscious tendencies .
As one can easily guess, the slip of the article is named after the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, who first described his unconscious nature.
Did you know that ...
The Latin word " lapsus " can be translated with terms such as "fall", "error" or "slip".
What is that
What is Freudian Lapsus?
As mentioned, with the wording "Freudian slip" linguistic errors can be indicated, of writing, reading or listening, sudden lack of memory or even the loss of objects.
Before the advent of Freud, these errors and failings were considered completely irrelevant and attributed to moments of inattention; the well-known psychoanalyst, instead, considered them fundamental tools to understand and analyze the unconscious of an individual. Indeed, it believed that these slips represented in some way the result of a specific mechanism at the base of which there is the interference of the unconscious ( unconscious will ) with what the individual would like to do intentionally, therefore at a conscious level. ( conscious will ).
In other words, the Freudian slip would represent the true thoughts and real desires of the individual who, being unconscious, manifest themselves in the form of linguistic errors, in the form of apparently insignificant shortcomings of memory or in the form of other carelessness or oversights.
Freud was the first to describe the Freudian slips as psychological phenomena that he called " missed acts ". Another synonym used to indicate the lapsus in question is that of " parapraxis " (ie paraprassi or paraprassia, in the plural paraprassie).
Curiosity
Nowadays, the term "Freudian slip" is also used outside the context of psychoanalysis and improperly to indicate the common blunders that can occur in spoken language. In this case, in fact, more than a real Freudian slip, it could be a simple inattention or errors connected to the structure and use of the same language that have nothing to do with the individual's unconscious desires and thoughts. However, the discrimination between the Freudian slip and simple linguistic blunder is not always easily perceptible.
Features
What are the main characteristics of the Freudian Lapsus?
Regardless of the types of Freudian slip that individuals can manifest (written, verbal, memory, etc.), the main characteristics that distinguish them are the same. More in detail, a Freudian slip tends to manifest itself suddenly and to appear at random frequency . Therefore, the true thoughts or real intentions of the individual present at an unconscious level tend to manifest themselves in a completely unpredictable and, above all, involuntary manner.
Pathology and Normality
Freudian Lapsus: Normal Phenomenon or Psychopathological Manifestation?
The Freudian slips - therefore the set of failed acts described by Freud - are normally not considered as an expression of pathologies, however, they are nevertheless an indication of the presence of a conflict on an unconscious level. In the context of psychoanalysis, this conflict within the individual can be the basis of various psychiatric diseases but, at the same time, it can also be present in healthy individuals. The internal conflict between the unconscious and the conscience, therefore, can manifest itself in different forms that go beyond a situation of normality (healthy individuals) up to arriving at forms that, instead, are indicative of real psychiatric disorders (first of all the neurosis and hysteria ).
Summing up in the light of what has been said so far, it is possible to conclude by affirming that the Freudian slip and the mechanisms at its base are considered by psychoanalysis as common aspects both to normality and to the pathological picture.
Did you know that ...
Psychoanalysis is criticized precisely for its tendency to identify aspects of the psyche of the individual that are common to both normalcy and some psychopathologies.
Types and Classification
Types of Freudian Lapsus
As mentioned, in common language, when we talk about Freudian lapsus, we want to indicate mostly the linguistic errors that can occur during a conversation by uttering a word - apparently meaningless, or even worse, out of place - rather than another.
Actually, they are also considered Freudian slips:
- Confusing the name of one person with that of another;
- Reading a word other than the one that is actually shown on the text you are reading (reading errors);
- Understanding of a word other than that actually spoken by one's interlocutor (listening errors);
- Writing a different word from the one you would really like to write (writing errors);
- Sudden and temporary lack of memory;
- The inability to remember one's intentions;
- The inability to clearly define a specific memory;
- Lose an object or store it in a different place than where it should be stored;
- Commit random and repeated acts without realizing it (for example, fiddling with coins in your pocket);
- Bad habits of different kinds that are often attributed to inattention, fatigue or distraction.
Classification of the Freudian Lapsus
The aforementioned types of Freudian slip can be classified in different ways.
A first major subdivision could be carried out by grouping the different Freudian slips into linguistic lapses (verbal errors, writing errors, reading errors, listening errors, etc.) and in lapses of action (sudden memory loss, confusion in defining the memories, loss of objects, random acts and various carelessness, etc.).
Another type of classification, on the other hand, could be made on the basis of the context in which the slip occurs . In this sense, an example of classification of the most famous Freudian slip could be the following:
- Lapsus linguae : linguistic error that is committed during a conversation in which a term or name is pronounced in place of another.
- Lapsus calami : the translation from the Latin of lapsus calami can be "error due to the pen"; is the error that occurs in writing.
- Lapsus memoriae : it corresponds to the sudden void of memory towards a certain word, or the momentary confusion or difficulty of memory in remembering something.
Curiosity
Many individuals, in the presence of a Freudian slip characterized by the sudden lack of memory for a particular word in a conversation, usually use the well-known way of saying "I have it on the tip of my tongue".
Examples
Examples of Freudian Lapsus
As stated, the Freudian slip can manifest itself in different forms, involving the linguistic aspects or manifesting itself through real actions, generally attributed to inattention.
Therefore, some specific examples of Freudian slip and the potential meaning that could be attributed to it will be reported below.
- Call the husband or partner by the name of your brother or father. This linguistic slip could indicate the presence of problems within one's family dynamics.
- Having to present something or someone, use the phrase "I have the burden of presenting" instead of "I have the honor to present". In this Freudian slip the noun "honor" is replaced by "burden" which can be interpreted as a poor esteem or consideration of the presenter towards the individual or object in question.
- Confusing adjectives with opposite meanings like "pleasant" with "unpleasant" during a conversation or during a reading. In this case, what you are talking about or what you are reading, most likely, raises negative feelings that lead to the replacement of the above terms.
- Play around with the wedding ring repeatedly, pulling it off and inserting it into the finger (a random act that is generally not realized to be done). Such behavior could be an indication of tensions, concerns or problems in the context of one's married life.
- Frequently lose the same object. This type of Freudian slip could be connected to any memories or sensations that the object in question arouses, even if at an unconscious level, in the individual. For example, the object often lost could recall unpleasant sensations or remember events or people who, on the other hand, would like to forget or remove.
Interpretation
How do you interpret a Freudian Lapsus?
According to Freud, linguistic errors, of listening, lack of memory and carelessness - therefore, the set of all the different types of slip - provide information that can be useful in the context of psychoanalysis to understand, or at least try to understand, the unconscious of the individual and his psyche . Clearly, only specialized figures in this field (psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, etc.) possess the necessary tools to correctly evaluate the Freudian slip where this occurs. "Do it yourself" interpretations are unlikely to attribute the correct meaning to errors of this type, underestimating them or giving them too much importance; a difficulty that further increases if psychiatric pathologies really exist at the base of the Freudian slip. In fact, not all distractions and carelessness are actually Freudian slips, although they could still be objects of study for psychoanalysis. In any case, it should be remembered that the phenomenon of the Freudian slip is not necessarily an indication of psychopathology, but can also occur in perfectly healthy individuals.
Did you know that ...
Despite the work carried out by Freud, some specialists in the sector tend not to take into consideration the indirect manifestations of the unconscious, which are, precisely, the failed acts but also the dreams of the individual. According to the supporters of Freud's theories, such specialists deprive themselves of elements that can be extremely useful in analyzing the psychic functioning of a patient. On the other hand, there are also those who use the Freudian slip and other unconscious manifestations incorrectly, giving their interpretation excessive importance. In the correct interpretation of the Freudian slips, in fact, it is necessary to adopt a critical and balanced approach that takes into consideration the psyche of the individual as a whole.
