What does a Freudian slip mean?

Freud's works are widely known not only in scientific circles. And all because the founder of psychoanalysis tried to look at many things from the inside. Everyone knows his works on dreams and the subconscious.

Also of interest are discussions about gender relations and the search for associations related in one way or another to the sexuality of men and women. The Austrian psychoanalyst also analyzed the reservations.

This phenomenon was described by him back in 1901. “Psychopathology of everyday life” is the name of the study concerning erroneously spoken expressions and the reasons for their occurrence.

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What is a Freudian slip

What does the expression Freudian slip mean?

We are talking about a fairly common expression, which implies a slip of the tongue made by a person due to some motives unconscious to him. The use of the name of Sigmund Freud here is quite natural, because it was he who was the founder of psychoanalysis, who was the first to formulate the doctrine of the conscious as well as the unconscious human basis.

Where did this catchphrase come from?

Most of us are afraid of being in an awkward situation when speaking in public or even talking to someone in private. Part of the culprit for these experiences was Sigmund Freud, who published his famous work, The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, in the early twentieth century. According to the opinion of the “father of psychoanalysis,” behind any of our most innocent slips lies something serious - something that is trying to break through from our subconscious, revealing our true desires. Subsequently, this idea gained worldwide fame, and the term “Freudian slip” is now present not only in academic use, but also among other segments of the population.

We can say that one of the doctor’s many hypotheses has become an axiom for many people, and now almost any reservation is given serious significance. The interlocutor tries to find a secret meaning in the words of the slipper, which often provokes awkward situations. Of course, this state of affairs exists because of Freud's authoritarianism. In addition, his followers also zealously propagated his ideas, although not all psychotherapists agree with them.

By the way, as you know, the scientist developed this famous theory while working with a guy who incorrectly quoted a phrase from the Aeneid in Latin. The patient missed one word, and the doctor decided that this circumstance would help him determine what was happening in the subconscious of the young man. Using associations, Freud was able to determine that the word reminded the client of blood, which, in turn, was associated with the guy’s fear about his lover’s pregnancy. According to the doctor, this word was blocked by the patient due to memories of negative experiences.

Who is Sigmund Freud and why is he famous?

Sigmund Freud is widely known as the founder of psychoanalysis. He had a significant influence not only on psychology, but also on sociology, medicine, literature and anthropology of the past century. He completed an internship with the French psychiatrist Jean Charcot. Subsequently, he admitted that practice taught him to see the differences between diseases and to use hypnosis, thanks to which many of his patients were cured.

Freud used conversations in treatment - people had the opportunity to speak out, thereby changing consciousness. The technique was called the Free Association Method. Monologues of random phrases and thoughts allowed the insightful doctor to identify the patient’s problems and find a solution. The psychiatrist stopped using hypnosis, preferring to communicate with patients who were in pure consciousness. As you know, the method has become widespread.

According to Freud, any psychosis can be called a consequence of a person’s memories, which are not easy to get rid of. He developed the theory that the overwhelming number of psychoses are based on the Oedipus complex and infantile childhood sexuality. In general, the scientist was convinced that sexuality is a factor that significantly influences almost all psychological problems. Freud's views on human nature were groundbreaking for his era, and resonate throughout the scientific community today.

Freudian slip meaning of expression

The main idea voiced by the father of psychoanalysis is the intervention of the subconscious in certain actions. Adult men and women can accidentally utter a phrase that escapes from the subconscious.

In principle, it is this dumping of irrelevant information that is a Freudian slip; what this means is only one thing: a person spoke about one thing, but something else came out of his mouth.

Where does the expression Freudian slip come from?

The expression Freudian slip has itself become a term or saying. It is applicable to people who, while uttering certain phrases and expressing their thoughts, have made unfortunate mistakes.

Not everyone can afford to say what they think. For the most part, both men and women are forced to control not only words, but also thoughts. This is especially important for public people; the phrases they say are listened to.

Any mistake here can lead to loss of influence. An inappropriately spoken phrase can even cost you your career.

Freudian slip translation into English

As soon as the work of the Austrian psychoanalyst was translated into English, and this happened in 1914, pundits declared that in this way any mortal could comprehend self-analysis. The Freudian slip is translated into English as Freudian slip, which means to slip out or slip.

Examples of Freudian slips

A classic example of a Freudian slip can be the phrase 43 of US President George W. Bush, uttered by him long before taking office. Even during the reign of Ronald Reagan, in one of his interviews, Bush called the state’s agricultural policy “sex-based.”

Americans recalled this incident to the famous politician more than once: both during the election debates and even after the end of his political career.

Commentators make a lot of mistakes. A very original phrase from a woman’s mouth came from a tennis tournament about a big penis.

One can only guess what the announcer was thinking about when she tried to convey to the public information about the best tennis players who managed to get into the prestigious Grand Slam tournaments in all respects. Perhaps about a beloved man, or maybe about one of the handsome athletes.

Some phrases seem completely harmless and naive. At some stage, the brain does not work correctly, control weakens and the person, like a child, begins to say what he thinks. Sometimes secret thoughts emerge from the subconscious that the speaker was afraid to admit to himself.

Examples of Freudian slips and their secret meaning

Once, the famous politician Zyuganov noted during his speech: “We are supported by several million rubles,” and he wanted to say not “rubles,” but “people.” Naturally, journalists quickly determined what the communist leader was really worried about at that moment.

George Bush Sr. once said: “We have had victories. There were also mistakes - the usual lack of sex in economic... that is, agricultural policy.” Subsequently, politicians were reminded of this reservation more than once.

Maria Morgun, being one of the journalists of the Vesti TV channel, at one time called the State Duma “State Duma”. This disclaimer quickly spread across the Internet.

Another television journalist, reading out the news, mistakenly replaced the letter “W” with “H” in the title “Grand Slam Tournament,” which immediately created strong associations with the male genital organ.

Once upon a time, US Secretary of State K. Rice mistakenly called the then head of the country, George W. Bush, her husband.

Taking into account these well-known examples, it is not at all difficult to guess what conclusions Sigmund Freud would have drawn. It is worth noting that the scientist was convinced that reservations arise due to the opposition of two different intentions that arose in the human psyche. He seems to be trying to block an intention that should not become known to others, and emphasize another intention that he needs to convey. A person does not want to make public the first intention for various reasons and tries to force it out of consciousness, but in the end it is still revealed in the form of a reservation.

Speech errors according to Freud as a reflection of hidden desires

It is believed that a Freudian slip is saying out loud something located in the depths of the subconscious. Freud believed that many unconscious desires and aspirations are the cause of mental disorders, and when a person does not understand this himself at a conscious level, such reservations come into play.

As a result, the term “Freudian slip” is nowadays considered to be a hidden desire that accidentally burst out into the open. A person does not always manage to admit to himself that he wants something, but in the subconscious all these desires are recorded and “issued” through certain clerical notes and reservations. The difficulty is that it is not always possible to determine the nature of the occurrence of these speech errors and correctly decipher them. Although, of course, with a high degree of desire, this can be achieved.

Sigmund Freud created a whole theory about slips of the tongue, according to which all errors in human speech can be roughly divided into the following categories:

All typos, mishearings, slips of the tongue and edits.
Problems with memory, when names, words, impressions are forgotten or things are unconsciously hidden.
Facial expressions and gestures that do not correspond to words.

If one of these problems has emerged, then, undoubtedly, there is a reason for this, because, as Freud believed, there is no place for accidents in life. And yet, unfortunately, not all of them are clear.

We often attribute such speech errors to overwork, depression or mental agitation, being sure that they do not carry a secret meaning. However, Freud fundamentally disagreed with this. If you try to understand in detail why a person said or wrote something that was not at all what he had planned, then in the end you will notice that his action really had its own meaning.

Ordinary everyday situations often clearly demonstrate confirmation of the theory of the famous scientist. For example, if you tell guests “Don’t come more often,” instead of “Well, come more often,” then this clearly indicates that, on a conscious or unconscious level, for some reason you are not entirely pleased with these visits. Also quite a popular phenomenon is forgetting someone’s name or the way to a house or building. We most often forget what is actually not very interesting or necessary for us.

Freudian slip: accident or pattern

It is difficult to find people who have not heard of Sigmund Freud. The works of this father of psychoanalysis have aroused considerable interest for many decades. Some admire his teachings, others call him an “intellectual charlatan.” Nevertheless, during his lifetime he was awarded the title of Doctor of Medicine, was a professor, and an honorary member of the Psychoanalytic Association of America, the British and French Psychological Societies. This is perhaps the most famous theorist of psychology.

What is a Freudian slip

Despite the fact that the personality and work of the psychoanalyst cause a lot of discussion and controversy, his theory of the unconscious remains quite popular to this day.
In his opinion, various unconscious desires can even cause mental problems. This is where the term “Freudian slip” comes from. In simple terms, any erroneous action is the release of a hidden desire to the surface. Even if a person is not aware that he wants something, the subconscious through random slips or slips helps to clarify the true picture. The main thing is to learn to see and understand the signs being sent. A Freudian slip is not just a trivial, meaningless mistake, it is an outlet for hidden desires. Sometimes it is difficult even for an experienced psychoanalyst to understand the nature of their appearance, but in the process of work you can try to figure it out.

Error classification

It is worth noting that in his analysis, Sigmund Freud did not only talk about slips of the tongue or slips of the tongue. He created a whole classification of errors. Thus, in his opinion, all actions can be divided into several groups.

The first of them will include all slips of the tongue, misspellings, mishearings and typos. The second includes all memory problems: forgetting names, one’s plans, impressions, other people’s words, hiding things and other erroneous actions. Each of these facts indicates certain problems. Moreover, the further a person tries to push aside his desires and needs, the more clearly they appear.

The most understandable and common group is the first. Most often, people are interested in what a Freudian slip means. But even understanding the meaning of this phrase, it is not always possible to figure out what the subconscious wanted to say.

Reasons for reservations

Many people say that any unintentional errors occur due to fatigue or mental overexcitation; they mean absolutely nothing.
But Sigmund Freud thinks differently. He first of all asks the question of why a person made such a mistake. Having tried to answer it, you can understand that this did not happen by chance, each action has a certain hidden meaning. This is what gave rise to the term “Freudian slip.” Its meaning and the cause of its occurrence must be sought in the depths of the subconscious. If you have mixed up your name, address or telephone number, then the answer in most cases lies on the surface. Most likely, you miss a randomly remembered place or person. But there are reservations, the meaning of which needs to be thought about. The main thing is to remember that every mistake is a hidden desire. So don't be surprised if you tell guests you didn't really want to see that you "don't look forward to their visit," even if you were planning to say the same phrase without the "not" part.

Possible mistakes

Among the most common examples, the words of modern politicians or TV presenters are often cited. Some of their phrases become truly catchphrases. If one of the politicians said that “there are hundreds of rubles behind them,” and then corrected the last word to “people,” then without any psychoanalysis it is clear what was on the speaker’s mind. This is a very striking version of the Freudian slip.

The examples, of course, don't end there. Another popular mistake is forgetting names. According to a famous psychoanalyst, it is not for nothing that a wife is offended if her husband calls her differently. This just means that he thinks about the other, even if he is not aware of it. And if, when trying to give a compliment to a woman, she says “loser” instead of the intended “lost weight,” then there’s no point in making excuses.

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 hid as deep as possible in the subconscious. But at the slightest weakening of the protective forces, they begin to break out. Moreover, if a Freudian slip was made, then do not rush to justify yourself. Think about it: perhaps there is nothing terrible in the fact that the internal censor has released long-hidden desires.

The reason for their appearance is quite simple. Unconscious thinking is similar to what was in the heads of our great-grandfathers. They did not yet know how to highlight nuances, analyze, or connect logical analysis. They tended to perceive reality in fragments, pieces; their thinking could be called “thickening of colors.” The same process occurs in modern man, only it is hidden in the depths of the subconscious. And any involuntary combination of words or letters that changes the meaning of what was said is called a “Freudian slip.”

The easiest way to understand this is if you remember any dream where you see a person about whom you cannot tell who he is to you - a colleague, husband, father, boss. The collective image has all their features, but at the same time does not resemble anyone in particular. This is a vivid example of the work of the so-called “thickening” of the subconscious.

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Freudian slips in men and women: examples and their interpretation

Perhaps the most common Freudian slip, both among men and women, is the situation when one of them calls his current other half by the name of his previous passion. Of course, most often this indicates that the person has not completely erased past relationships - at least that is how Freud would probably interpret it. By the way, fans of one of the most famous TV series in the world, “Friends,” probably remember an example of such a situation - in the scene when Ross, being in front of the altar, named the bride after his ex-girlfriend. Naturally, according to the plot, it was obvious and subsequently confirmed that the hero at that time had not yet forgotten about his past relationship.

Concept understanding problems and examples

If we take Freud’s theory, then he still wrote it with a non-therapeutic bias. Consequently, he assumed that the person who came a priori had some kind of problem. Therefore, from his point of view, all parapraxis, and especially reservations, are manifestations of unresolved unconscious conflicts and suppressed desires. That is, initially, thanks to such errors, we could suspect a problem area.

Now psychologists urge us not to understand the theory so globally. After all, in general, Freudian slips are errors that express things that are important to us. For example, many mothers, if their child is sick at home, begin to make slips on the topic of illness: instead of “salary” - “cotton wool”, for example. They also constantly make reservations, expressing their inner desire to go home to be near the baby. We are not seeing an underlying problem here, their relationship with their mother was not cold, and they were not “abandoned children.” These are situational reservations that go away as soon as the pressing problem is resolved.

The same can be noticed after a conflict, for example, with a wife. And half of the office is even starting to respond to the name Zina. And dieters are good at monitoring food-related reservations.

Therefore, currently in colloquial speech, the concept of a “Freudian slip” most likely does not mean the deep, repressed needs that became the causes of neurosis; and those facts that are more significant for a person than the actual process. At the meeting, instead of “my program,” he said “my frame,” and everyone around remembered that the man was still in the process of renovating his house.