The Psychopathology of Everyday Life by Freud - Book Report/Review Example

The Psychopathology of Everyday Life Part I Summary Today Sigmund Freud is regarded as one of the forefathers of modern psychology. Even as many of Freud’s ideas have been abandoned by contemporary thinkers, much of his terminology remains within the fabric of modern language. Freud published a wide array of literature throughout his lifetime. One of his central texts is the Psychopathology of Everyday Life. This text provides an overarching perspective on Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis. The first chapter considers the phenomenon of forgetting proper names. While many individuals attribute the forgetting of names simply to a lapse in memory, Freud works to uncover the deeper psychological ramifications of these memory lapses. Specifically Freud argues that these lapses in memory are attributable to past instances of repression. This perspective on everyday events is thematic throughout the entire text. For instance, Freud does not simply link his psychoanalytic perspectives on forgetting to proper names, but also extends these notions to forgetting of foreign words, and the forgetting of the order of words. In this way Freud argues that oftentimes individuals will be unable to reproduce the correct order of lines in a poem because the mispronouncing actually is the surfacing of past repressed painful events. Freud’s belief that lapses in memory hold an underlining psychoanalytic significance can be extended to considerations surrounding reading and speech. In this way, Freud believes that language, through both verbal speech and written text, provides a window on the subconscious. For example Freud indicates that, “A woman who is very anxious to get children always reads storks instead of stocks” (Freud, p. 88). This logic is continued through the text. As Freud’s text develops he articulates a broad ranging analysis of ways he believes the unconscious appears in daily life. As noted this prominently includes lapses in memory, as well as mistakes in reading and speaking. Additionally, however, Freud extends these considerations to physical actions a person carries out. In this way Freud believes that these actions constitute another window unto the unconscious. For instance, he states that, “If the lapse in speech, which is without doubt a motor function, admits of such a conception, it is quite natural to transfer to the lapses of our other motor functions the same expectation” (Freud, p. 131). In this way, the most central aspect of the text is not these memory lapses or disturbances in functioning, but the unconscious that underlines all of these everyday behaviors. In one example Freud discusses the use of keys. Freud indicates that in one situation he had two keys. When he attempted to access his work office he accidently used the key for his house, despite the fact that this key looked entirely different from his work key. In this situation Freud argues that his use of the home key instead of the work key demonstrates his desire to be at home rather than to be at work. Finally, towards the end of Freud’s text he indicates that human actions are controlled by determinist mechanisms in ways far greater than most humans suspect. Part II Opinion There are a number of personal opinions I have developed in my reading and study of Freud’s Psychopathology of Everyday Life. From an overarching perspective, one considers Freud’s methods of scientific inquiry. In certain situations, it’s clear that Freud indicates that he incorporates empirical methods of study. For instance, Freud states, “I was led to examine exhaustively the phenomenon of temporary forgetfulness through the observation of certain peculiarities, which, although not general, can, nevertheless, be seen clearly in some cases” (Freud, p. 4). In this instance, Freud is indicating that his insights are not simply gained through abstraction rationalism, but also involve empirical observation. Freud’s initial observations in these regards appear scientifically replicable. In this way, he simply indicates that he was unable to remember a proper name. Freud’s explanation for forgetting this name, however, seems to rely too deeply on abstract principles. In this way Freud argues that he forgot the name because he had earlier attempted to repress something; it was then the associative connection between the names that caused the lapse in memory. While from a surface level observational perspective it appears that Freud’s observations and conclusions here make rational sense, I believe that they do not hold a stringent adherence to scientific principles, such as the scientific method. In this way, it would be highly challenging to replicate Freud’s observations in a controlled environment. Ultimately then, there is the possibility that Freud’s insights are entirely specious. When examining Freud’s text there are further considerations as to how he justifies his conclusions. Freud’s observations take on greater degrees of rationalism as the text progresses. In this way he argues that in some instances memory lapses are attributable to different factors. For instance, Freud states, “it is quite probable that a suppressed element continually strives to assert itself in some other way, but attains this success only where it meets with suitable conditions. At other times the suppression succeeds without disturbance of function” (Freud, p. 9). Here Freud is arguing that sometimes suppressed elements strive to assert itself, while in other instances they do not. My personal opinion on Freud’s belief, in these regards, is that he is using multiple tautologies. Namely, Freud has structured his argument in a way that it is impossible to disprove, as when memory lapse does not conform to Freud’s perspective, he can simply make recourse to these outliers. Another instance I believe Freud implements a specious argument is through his rationalization of the process of remembering the wrong order of words. In this way he argues that individuals reproduce lines of a poem in the wrong order because this wrong order is actually an instance of the person reproducing past repressed, painful events. Freud’s justification of this process, however, is established through abstract word associations. While in some situations Freud’s insights may seem to hold a degree of truth, I believe that this is not enough proof to confirm Freud’s belief. Instead, I believe that Freud is resorting to a process of logic that is similar to that used by psychics when reading someone’s life and future. Namely, because of the abstract nature of interpreting words and language, Freud is able to claim that every time someone mistakes a series of words, past suppressed elements are actually surfacing. Similar specious elements can be observed in Freud’s discussion of the ways physical actions are directly reflective of the unconscious. While Freud argues that his use of the wrong key demonstrates that he would rather be in a different place, it seems that again this argument is solely reliant on random observations. Rather than constituting a scientific fact that can be replicated by other researchers, I believe that in this instance Freud is instead guilty of confirmation bias. Namely, rather than deriving a conclusion from the specific occurrence after carefully analyzing the data, Freud has begun with the consideration that the unconscious emerges in a variety of contexts. Freud has then searched for specific instances that confirm his belief. In this way, it is highly likely that an individual uses the wrong key in instances when they don’t wish to be at a different place, but instead out of excitement. Still, in other instances Freud seems to use psychoanalysis as a means of covering up for his own mistakes. He writes, “In my book The Interpretation of Dreams, I was responsible for a series of errors in historical, and above all, in material facts, which I was astonished to discover after the appearance of the book” (Freud, p. 185). Here Freud seems to be merely covering up for his mistakes rather than presenting a valid point regarding the way an individual is influenced by suppressed memories. Ultimately then, Freud’s text is a carefully structured, but highly biased and imaginative, vision of how psychoanalysis could exist in everyday life. While I believe it’s clear that Freud’s observations do not maintain a high degree of scientific validity, they nonetheless can be seen as constituting well-articulated observations on daily life, much like a work of literature. In this way, I believe that Freud can be viewed as a cartographer that has attempted to articulate vagaries of human psychology, just as a mapmaker attempts to chart out new regions. Perhaps faulting Freud for not using more structured scientific processes is misunderstanding his intentions. Namely, he may be attempting to establish areas where future scientists or researchers can apply the scientific method. Additionally, one considers that Freud is able to successfully bring the reader’s attention to the recognition that human actions are controlled by circumstances outside of conscious control. Ultimately then while Freud’s specific explanations for human behavior may be lacking, the text is illuminating for its positive embrace of determinism. In conclusion, this essay has provided my personal opinion of Freud’s Psychopathology of Everyday Life. In this context of understanding, I believe that Freud’s insights are largely slanted, as they are derived from less than scientific observations. Additionally I believe that Freud is guilty of confirmation bias in many situations. Still, I believe that Freud’s text is significant for the insights and perspectives it provides on the variety of ways that human actions are controlled by forces outside of conscious recognition. References Freud, Sigmund. "Psychopathology of Everyday Life." all-about-psychology. N.p., 2012. Web. 27 Sep 2012. . Read More