Introductory lectures on psycho-analysis : $b a course of twenty-eight lectures delivered at the University of ViennaFreud, Sigmund
Science
Introductory lectures on psycho-analysis : $b a course of twenty-eight lectures delivered at the University of Vienna
Freud, Sigmund
Psychoanalysis
That such things should be must seem very strange to you. Perhaps you
will be inclined to assume that the “indirect” counter-will is enough to
characterize the incident as pathological. But I can assure you that it
is also found within the boundaries of health and normality. And
further, do not misunderstand me; this is in no sense a confession on my
part that our analytic interpretations are not to be relied on. I have
said that forgetting to execute a plan may bear many meanings, but this
is so only in those cases where no analysis is undertaken and which we
have to interpret according to our general principles. If an analysis of
the person in the case is carried out it can always be established with
sufficient certainty whether the antipathy is a direct one, or what its
source is otherwise.
The following is a second point: when we find proof in a large majority
of cases that the forgetting of an intention proceeds from a
counter-will, we gain courage to extend this solution to another group
of cases in which the person analysed does not confirm, but denies, the
presence of the counter-will inferred by us. Take as an example of this
such exceedingly frequent occurrences as forgetting to return borrowed
books or to pay bills or debts. We will be so bold as to suggest, to the
person in question, that there is an intention in his mind of keeping
the books and not paying the debts, whereupon he will deny this
intention but will not be able to give us any other explanation of his
conduct. We then insist that he has this intention but is not aware of
it; it is enough for us, though, that it betrays itself by the effect of
the forgetting. He may then repeat that he had merely forgotten about
it. You will recognize the situation as one in which we have already
been placed once before. If we intend to carry through, to their logical
conclusions, the interpretations of errors which have been proved
justified in so many cases, we shall be unavoidably impelled to the
assumption that tendencies exist in human beings which can effect
results without their knowing of them. With this, however, we place
ourselves in opposition to all views prevailing in life and in
psychology.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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