Freudian Slips

Ever wonder why we begin to say one thing but end up saying something totally opposite or not what we had in mind originally to say at all? Perhaps these slips of the tongue mean more to us then just being simply random or jumbled mistaken phrases or words. Freud was of the opinion that any slip, be it oral or written, is not a random event, but meaningful for one's understanding of themselves. Freud did not believe in chance, since his views of Psychology was rooted in a psychodynamic biological context. So nothing is meaningless, everything is rooted in our Unconscious and the slips are a window into that part of the psyche.

Unlike dreams which manifest while we sleep, slips occur at times that when analyzed, can be another road to the unconscious. The slips signify a thought or part of our psyche that we have repressed but are trying to bubble up for us to encounter and deal with. They occur because we at a conscious level do not want to deal with that they might reveal about us and our personalities. Freud wrote of these concepts in his book, "The Parapsychology of Everyday Life". This book is filled of excellent examples of slips of different kinds, which everyone can relate to on a conscious level. I do agree that slips do occur and that everyone has probably experienced it. However do I think that Freud's views on the origin and meaning of slips are totally correct? No I don't.

Freud believed that each slip could be traced back to a repressed wish that was repressed due to psychosexual emotions and feelings. The slip is what the unconscious wants to say, to have made clear to the conscious mind. It might be as simple as one words, which when investigated leads to a larger understanding of the root cause of that slip. I certainly believe and understand that we have psychological slips of the tongue and pen, but I don't think they are all rooted in sexual energy from our unconscious. Anyone who has experienced a slip of any kind, and thinks about why the said what they said, can see that it might be rooted in something totally random or not even sexual at all. Something totally neutral in its origins and manifestations. I think they might be important, but I think many of the slips are simply random psychology "hiccups" that really have no reason behind them at all. I think it is great for someone to investigate such slips, but one need not worry about them as much as Freud implied.

Having said all of the above, I encourage anyone to read Freud's book on the subject and come to their own conclusions on what significance, if any can be found in the understanding of slips.