Selected papers on hysteria and other psychoneurosesFreud, Sigmund
Science
Selected papers on hysteria and other psychoneuroses
Freud, Sigmund
Hysteria; Neuroses; Psychoanalysis
One has the right to attack the theory more closely by asking what it is
that is transformed into physical pains. The cautious reply will be
something out of which psychic pains could have and should have been
formed. If we wish to venture further and attempt a kind of algebraic
formulation of the presentation mechanism we may attribute to the
presentation complex of this unconsciously remaining love a certain
amount of affect and designate the latter quantity as the thing
converted. Direct deduction of this conception would be the fact that
the “unconscious love” has through such conversion forfeited so much of
its intensity that it was reduced to a weak idea. Its existence as a
separate psychic group would only be made possible through such
weakening. Yet this present case is not suitable to afford us any
clearness in this delicate matter. It probably corresponds to an
imperfect conversion only. From other cases it seems quite probable that
perfect conversions also occur and that in these the unbearable idea
actually becomes repressed as only an idea of very little intensity
could be repressed. After an associative union has been consummated the
patients assure us that since the origin of the hysterical symptoms
their unbearable thoughts never occupied their minds.
I have stated above that on certain occasions, though only transitorily,
the patient consciously recognized the love for her brother-in-law. Such
a moment occurred when for example, at the death bed of her sister the
thought flashed through her mind, “Now he is free and I can become his
wife.” I must discuss the significance of these moments for the
conception of the whole neurosis. However, I think that the assumption
of a defense hysteria (abwehr hysterie) includes the requisite that at
least one such moment has already occurred. For consciousness does not
know in advance when such an unbearable idea will present itself. The
unbearable idea which with its appendix is later excluded for the
formation of a separate psychic group must have been originally in the
mind, otherwise no conflict would have resulted leading to its
exclusion.[20] Just such moments should be designated as “traumatic.” It
is in them that the conversion takes place which results in the
splitting of consciousness and the hysterical symptoms. Everything tends
to show that in Miss Elisabeth v. R. there were a number of such moments
(the scenes of the walking, morning meditation, bath, and at the bed of
her sister) and perhaps new moments of this kind occurred during the
treatment. The multiplicity of such traumatic moments is made possible
by the fact that an experience similar to the one which at first
initiated the unbearable idea, introduces new emotions to the separated
psychic groups and thus transitorily abolishes the success of the
conversion. The ego is forced to occupy itself with this suddenly
enforced and lighted-up idea, and then to restore the former state by
means of new conversions.
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