Freudian slip: what it means, examples. What does the expression Freudian slip mean? Why a Freudian slip?

The expression “Freudian slip” is firmly rooted in colloquial speech. It is usually used to indicate the hidden motives and thoughts behind the erroneously pronounced word.

When using this phrase in an ironic or humorous context, many people do not even think about its origin and true meaning.

Origin of the expression

Sigmund Freud is a prominent scientist in the field psychology and psychiatry, originally from Austria. Freud achieved worldwide fame with the development of psychoanalysis in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory that has had a tremendous influence not only on the development of psychology and medicine, but also on the development of other sciences - anthropology, sociology.

Moreover, psychoanalysis has influenced literature in many ways and art of the last century.

According to the theory of psychoanalysis, people's life experiences and behavior are largely determined by internal unconscious drives. When a person tries to become aware of them, a defense mechanism consisting of psychological resistance is triggered.

Freud argued that conscious and unconscious The components of the human psyche are constantly in conflict with each other. Many natural desires and inclinations contradict the norms and rules accepted in society.

A person consciously suppresses his “wrong” instincts and impulses, displacing them into the subconscious. However, from time to time the subconscious signals where the roots of a particular problem are and what you should pay attention to. Reservations are one of these eloquent signals of the psyche.

The essence of reservations in the interpretation of S. Freud

Freud was the first scientist to consider and describe reservations from a scientific point of view in his work “Psychopathology of Everyday Life,” which appeared in 1901.

A Freudian slip is a broad concept that covers not only various speech errors. The scientist created an entire scientific theory, highlighting three categories of reservations:

1. Errors in oral and written speech: slips of the tongue during a conversation or reading aloud, slips of the tongue, mishearings.
2. Forgetting names, titles, any words. This also includes erroneous actions. For example, a person absolutely does not remember where he put some necessary thing. Subsequently, this item may be found in an unusual or completely inappropriate place for it (keys in the refrigerator, a notebook in a cupboard with dishes, etc.).
3. Facial expressions and gestures that are inappropriate for the occasion and place.

Subconscious motives and aspirations, as a rule, are at such a “depth” that a person does not notice their presence in himself. Slips of the tongue and other erroneous actions, according to S. Freud, “signal” to consciousness about the presence of hidden psychological problems associated with unsatisfied suppressed desire.

Famous Freudian slips

Thanks to the media and the World Wide Web statements of famous people– politicians, journalists, public figures – instantly become the property of society. They are happily picked up and quoted. Below are the most famous examples of Freudian slips.

George W. Bush, as President of the United States, commented on the situation in Iraq: “It will take time to restore the chaos.”

On one of major international forums ex-Prime Minister A. Kudrin said that the fight against corruption is the main evil (meaning business) for Russia.

Speaking on television, Senator Ted Kennedy misspoke, saying instead of “the best people” (“ best") the word "breast"- "breast". At the same time, he even involuntarily made a corresponding gesture with his hand, depicting something round. Despite the fact that the politician immediately recovered, his reputation was damaged.

TV journalist of the domestic Vesti channel M. Morgun once called the State Duma a “state fool.” The phrase became popular among ordinary people.

But it’s not only public figures who “delight” the public with such blunders. There are many well-known everyday clauses with unknown authorship.

“The victim shit himself (“got off”) with a slight fright.” “Now the artist we screw up (“adore”) will perform.” “Gad (“glad”) to see you!”

The most common speech error in everyday life is forgetting names or confusion with them. For example, if a man called his wife by someone else’s name, then most likely his thoughts are occupied by the woman bearing that name. Forgetting first and last names may indicate that this person is not interesting and does not mean anything to the person.

In the scientific world debates about the validity of theories Freud's claims do not subside even today. This scientific concept has many fans and opponents.

Be that as it may, but, perhaps, no scientific theory has such widely known like psychoanalysis. The concept of a “Freudian slip” has escaped beyond classrooms and textbooks, becoming a popular catchphrase.

Surely you have heard the expression “Freudian slip”, maybe someone used it in your address, or you just became curious about the history and meaning of this expression. Why is this phenomenon so interesting, and what does the name of the popular Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud have to do with it? Find out from the article.

Sigmund Freud is an Austrian psychoanalyst, author of the theory of psychoanalysis. He devoted his research activities to the study of the conscious and subconscious person.

Initially, his theories were negatively perceived by society, but they have found true recognition and reflection in our time. Nevertheless, Freud's psychoanalysis is still the leading direction in psychotherapy.

Sigmund Freud was the first to use the conversation method. Today it is one of the most popular means of psychotherapy. According to Freud, free associations open a portal between a person’s conscious and unconscious, which helps to find hidden reasons for behavior, internal anxieties and fears.

Freud believed that any psychosis is a consequence of memories that cannot be gotten rid of due to lack of awareness. Because of this, internal tension becomes even stronger. Associative conversation during psychotherapy helps to bring memories, experiences, and emotions to the conscious level.

What is a Freudian slip

Freudian slips are based on the method of free association described above. Only this does not happen in a psychoanalyst’s office, where the participants are united by ethics and a code of non-disclosure of the content of the conversation, but in any setting, at any time. And, as a rule, this is not the most suitable time and place.

A Freudian slip is a common name for all manifestations of the subconscious. We are not necessarily talking about a word or a sound, although this is often what is meant by a clause. But hidden, suppressed desires can also manifest themselves through slips of the tongue, facial expressions, and gestures.

When a slip is made, something important, but hidden by the person, comes to light. And sometimes he himself does not understand true desires, thoughts, and therefore the slip surprises and frightens the author himself.

Reservations are normal. This is the same field for reflecting the subconscious as dreams, fantasies, and creativity. Don't be scared or surprised if you say something strange yourself. Take this into account and analyze it. Slips of the tongue not only convey lies, but also send signals about internal problems. With the help of mistakes, you can understand your true motives, notice mental contradictions, and solve problems.

Freud believed that any error in speech or writing is the result of the work of the subconscious. But there is still no consensus on this matter. Some scientists believe that slips of the tongue do not always reflect games of the subconscious. The other part admits that there are Freudian slips, but all errors cannot be considered so.

However, several modern experiments have confirmed the theory. Here's how one of the experiments went:

• Two groups of male volunteers were recruited.
• A very attractive and skimpily dressed girl was launched into the audience of one of the groups.
• Participants from both groups were asked to read Spoonerisms in which the first letters of the words can be easily swapped: sweet cupcake, wash your hair.
• The group to which the girl spoke made more mistakes in words. Participants read “sweet sex,” “howl to the naked.”
• In the group where there was no girl, reservations arose less often, but they also existed. Therefore, it is impossible to judge the result unambiguously.

Later another experiment was conducted. Fake electrodes were attached to the participants, which supposedly could give them an electric shock at any moment. To read, they were given the phrases “Volin Colt”, “Kok Tolka”. As a result, most of the participants read “Kolka’s current” and “Colin’s volt”. Again, it is not entirely clear whether this is caused by fear of a possible electric shock.

Slips of the tongue occur more often in stressful situations, states of tension, excitement, fatigue, and intoxication. Absent-mindedness, fear, speaking quickly, and multitasking also increase the likelihood of slips of the tongue.

Types of reservations

Slips of the tongue are just one form of error. In total, Freud identified 4 forms of output of subconscious reactions:

• Actions. For example, a person says “here, take it,” and he moves the object away. Or he says “nice to meet you,” and he puts his hands in his pockets and walks away a couple of steps.
• Losing or unconsciously hoarding things. Have you ever been unable to find the right notebook or folder for a long time? They couldn’t remember where they themselves put it.
• Forgetting, including one’s own intentions and motives for actions already taken. We came to the kitchen, but don’t remember why. They wanted to say something, but immediately forgot.
• Errors in reading, listening, writing, speaking. Sometimes we hear our problems in someone else’s speech. “What did you say, let’s break it up? A! Let's go to!" Whom a person subconsciously wants to break up - one can only guess.

In case of errors when reading or listening, not only hidden motives and desires, but also disagreement with the information can influence. In a broad sense, all errors according to Freud reflect the individual’s disagreement with himself or other people, conditions, or situations.

Examples of Freudian slips

We see examples every day in life. Here are just a few of the possible caveats:

1. “Good home” instead of “good afternoon” is said by a tired or preoccupied person with household chores.
2. “Hello, Masha,” the man addresses the girl with a different name. And who is Masha? Maybe a mistress, or maybe a problematic employee at work, or Masha, with whom a dialogue has just taken place, and the person has not yet had time to adjust to a new opponent.
3. “You look disgusting,” one girl compliments another. I wanted to lie and say “that’s great,” but subconscious anger and envy won. Or maybe the girl really doesn’t look very good, then the truth just came out.
4. “The fight for honesty is our main enemy,” the deceitful leader suddenly blurted out. I wanted to say nicely “our main friend.”

You yourself can name many more examples of Freudian slips. This has probably happened to you too. A clause looks different: one letter, a phrase, a phrase, a term completely inappropriate in the context. Suppressed emotions and thoughts burst out unexpectedly.

Be attentive in your communication, and you will learn much more about the people around you. But don't forget that your secrets can be exposed to everyone.

Last update: 09/12/2018

A Freudian slip is an error, the roots of which, as psychoanalysts believe, should be sought in the unconscious. Most often, such slips or slips reveal thoughts and feelings that people keep to themselves or that they may sometimes not be aware of. It's quite common for people to call their spouses by their ex's names, use the wrong word in conversation, or simply misinterpret what others have said or written.

Hints of the unconscious

The famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud was the first to describe various types and examples of such slips in his book The Psychopathologies of Everyday Life (1901).

“Two factors seem to play a definite role in the substitution of words in our minds: first, the effort of attention, and second, an internal factor connected with psychic matter,” Freud suggested in his book. “In addition to simple forgetting, there is also forgetting caused by repression,” Freud explained.

According to Freud, unacceptable thoughts and beliefs are held in the unconscious, and only such reservations reveal them.

A modern view of Freudian slips

Today this expression has become a kind of saying, used when a person makes a mistake in speech. People often remark (jokingly, of course) that a mistake reveals hidden emotions on the part of the speaker.

Freud attached great importance to the hidden meaning of these errors; however, disclaimers are simply unavoidable - so much so that it is very rare that it actually makes sense to attach any significance to them. In his article for Psychology Today Jena Pincott suggested that people make 1-2 mistakes for every 1000 words they speak. On average, this is from 7 to 22 slips per day - depending on how much a person talks. Most of them, according to Pincott, are simply cases of forgetting, speech and other errors.

Several studies support Freud's idea that unconscious or even repressed thoughts can increase the likelihood of such errors. Motley and Beers (1979) showed that people who thought they might receive an electric shock were more likely to make electric shock-related statements. Men who were next to a beautiful female experimenter were also more likely to make reservations related to her attractiveness.

In his classic experiment, Harvard psychologist Daniel Wegner asked participants to talk for five minutes about whatever came to their mind (stream-of-consciousness verbalization). People just talked about whatever came into their heads; the difficulty was that Wegner asked them not to think about the polar bear. Whenever the participant thought about a polar bear, he was required to ring a bell.

The experiment found that those who were asked not to think about a polar bear thought about it, on average, once a minute.
Based on these findings, Wegner developed ironic process theory, which explains why suppressing certain thoughts can be difficult. While part of the mind suppresses this or that thought, another part periodically “checks” to see if we are thinking about it - ironically, the thought we are trying to get rid of is occupying our mind.

Almost always, the more effort we make not to think about something, the more often it comes to mind. And what we often think about, we tend to express in words.

History of the term

Freud developed this idea during his work with a young man who misquoted a phrase from the Aeneid in Latin. The young man missed one word, and Freud believed that this would help him better understand what was going on in the client’s subconscious.

Through association, Freud determined that the word reminded the young man of blood, which he believed was associated with the fear he felt about his girlfriend's pregnancy. Freud theorized that the man blocked the word precisely because it reminded him of a negative experience.

Examples of Freudian slips in popular culture

You've probably heard a lot of funny slips of the tongue. Maybe your biology teacher accidentally said "orgasm" instead of "organism" (much to the amusement of your class). Or maybe someone in your presence blurted out “It’s disgusting to see you!”...

Such reservations always amuse others, especially if they were captured on camera. It’s very funny to hear such blunders from famous politicians or public figures, who are supposed to talk about the most serious things with the most serious look.

• In 2014, during one of his sermons at the Vatican, Pope Francis replaced the word "caso"(“example”) accidentally used an Italian swear word "cazzo". Dad recovered quickly, but the video with the reservation had already been posted on dozens of websites, blogs and, of course, YouTube.
• During a televised address, Senator Ted Kennedy wanted to say that "The national interest should be to reward the best ("best") and the brightest people." Instead, Kennedy blurted out "breast"(“chest”), even cupping your palm. He also quickly recovered and continued his speech, but this incident affected his reputation.
• At one of the dinners, Condoleezza Rice said: “As I already told my husband... As I already told President Bush....” This is a typical Freudian slip, which may have demonstrated some hidden feelings that the unmarried Rice had for her boss.

A Freudian slip is a term that refers to an accidental change in speech that, according to Sigmund Freud's theory, occurs under the influence of our repressed desires.

In general, as we remember, the famous creator of psychoanalysis considered the unconscious to be a key concept that determines many of our actions, deeds and problems. And the unconscious is based on repressed important experiences. Being under the control of consciousness during the waking period, our body does not have the ability to “read” information from the unconscious. But the psyche still sends us uncontrollable signals, which are expressed in parapraxis, that is, slips of the tongue, forgetting, loss, actions “by mistake.” For example, the names of people who are unpleasant or threatening to us are forgotten; important but annoying documents are lost; or a word suddenly falls from our lips expressing our suppressed and hidden desires.

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.

Signs of a true Freudian slip

Reservations that can truly indicate deep feelings must have stable forms. For example, one patient complained that in conversations with his parents he used the word “new” many times in all variations. “See you soon” when saying goodbye turns into “see you again”, “relationships” - “new things”, etc. Subsequently, during the analysis, it was revealed that the patient really wanted his relationship with his parents to be “different”, “updated”. After all, the “old-style” relationship became the reason for his low self-esteem. And he really wanted mom and dad to look at him “in a new way,” to “appreciate him.”

They must exclude urgent needs, which, as we noted above, can also appear in conversation.

To be not a single manifestation of the problem, but only one link.

Problems of interpretation

Like many of Freud's theories, his work with reservations has some nuances in interpretation. If a young man makes a reservation related to the intimate sphere, is it worth stating unequivocally that the reason for this lies solely in sexual desires repressed in childhood. Perhaps a very sexy girl just passed nearby.

There is another well-known example of a slip of the tongue by journalist Jim Naughty, who on live television replaced the first letter of the surname of the Minister of Culture Hunt with “k”, thus obtaining an English curse. Apologizing, Jim said that the slip did not mean his relationship to the minister or his assessment of his affairs, but was connected with the prolongation and transfer of the letter “k” from the word “culture” before the surname Hunt.

Can conclusions be drawn based on such reservations?

Modern psychologists talk about such parapraxis as possible helpers, and not as clear diagnostic material. So, if your husband suddenly calls you by a different name, this does not mean at all that he has a new lover. Perhaps this is the name of his mother, who called him a hundred times today, or a careless worker. Which he was already tired of making comments to. And even more so, you shouldn’t try to “solve” your problems on your own, relying on slips of the tongue.

But what can really help are the feelings that the resulting words aroused in you. Excluding, of course, the feeling of shame if you suddenly say a curse word in the wrong place. If you yourself laughed with pleasure at the trick that arose, then it cannot signal an important repressed, conflicting event. But if what you received makes you feel uneasy, you are angry with those who noticed the slip and are frantically trying to prove that they meant something completely different, then there is still something problematic in the resulting topic. But what exactly is something that only the person himself and his psychologist should understand.

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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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 does this mean - 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.

Interpretation of Freudian slips

What does a Freudian slip actually mean? Of course, everyone can make a reservation: neither men, nor women, nor children are immune from this.

An important point in Freudian slips is deciphering certain phrases and understanding the nature of what is happening. You can say too much at work or at home, in the presence of guests or during important negotiations.

The more people worry and hold back, try to hide something, the faster the secret becomes apparent. And the reason for this is accidentally dropped phrases.

Freudian slips in men

The Freudian slips of a man in love are very eloquent. Sometimes, having started a new relationship, but not completely erasing the past, a man starts talking. A woman can hear from the lips of her beloved the name of his ex-girlfriend. The situation is definitely not a pleasant one.

A man watching a boxing tournament or a football match is beyond competition. Not only fans, but also commentators make reservations here.

No man is immune from an accidentally dropped phrase in the presence of beauties. Some of the blunders can even qualify as routine jokes. And if a man, at the sight of his wife’s girlfriends, suddenly wanted to “howl naked” instead of washing his hair, then turning the incident into a harmless joke would be much more correct than accusing the man of all mortal sins.

Examples of Freudian slips in women

A woman in love can give herself away with a careless phrase, just like a man. Phrases uttered by women can relate to everyday life, shopping, communication with children or teachers.

One phrase: “Serve the food!” is worth it. Another expression addressed to the husband at the end of the working day sounds something like this: “Wash me down!” Hearing such a phrase, a real man will take his beloved not to the kitchen to work the second shift, but to dine in a restaurant.