remarks on the concept of the unconscious in psych
unconscious in psychoanalysis
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University of Buenos Aires (UBA)
Psicoanalisis FREUD
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NOTE ON THE CONCEPT OF THE UNCONSCIOUS IN PSYCHOANALYSIS
Sigmund Freud (1912)
Summary:
We want to make clear the meaning of the term "unconscious" in psychoanalysis. A representation can be present in our
consciousness and then disappear, only to resurface later, not because of new sensory perception, but from memory. To explain
this, we suppose that the representation was present in our mind even during its absence from consciousness, albeit latent.
This idea may be objected to philosophically, but we argue that it is fundamental for psychology to explain phenomena such as
memory in its own terms. We call "conscious" what is present in consciousness and "unconscious" what is latent in it. An
unconscious representation is one of which we are not conscious, but which we admit existing by other indications.
The experiment of post-hypnotic suggestion shows the importance of distinguishing between conscious and unconscious. In this
experiment, a person performs an action without being aware that they received the command while hypnotized, highlighting the
nature of the unconscious. This phenomenon also reveals a dynamic: the idea becomes active as soon as it becomes conscious,
even if other associations remain unconscious.
Posthypnotic suggestion, though artificial, reflects natural phenomena, such as those observed in hysteria, which demonstrate this
psychological aspect even more clearly.
The psychic life of the hysterical patient is full of efficient but unconscious thoughts, which give rise to all the symptoms . It is
characteristic of the hysterical mind to be governed by unconscious representations. For example, a hysterical woman may vo mit
because of the unconscious idea of being pregnant, which she is consciously unaware of, but can be discovered by psychoanalyti c
techniques. Despite executing seizures and gestures during a "seizure," you may not be aware of the actions attempted, but
analysis can reveal your role in dramatically reproducing a scene from your life.
The analysis of neurotic phenomena reveals that a latent or unconscious thought is not necessarily weak, and its presence admits
of indirect evidence of great force. Therefore, we introduce a distinction between preconscious and unconscious thoughts. The
former can easily pass into consciousness, while the latter remain unconscious and seem to be disconnected from it.
Regarding foreseeable objections, I reject the idea of an unconscious consciousness, arguing that the word "conscious" should not
be extended to designate a consciousness of which the individual has no knowledge. Cases of division of consciousness can bes t
be interpreted as migration of consciousness between different psychic complexes. In addition, I point out that conclusions about
normal psychology can be derived from the study of pathological states, such as slips of the tongue, memory errors, etc., whi ch
can be attributed to intense unconscious thoughts, like neurotic symptoms. The differentiation between preconscious and
unconscious thoughts leads us to consider the functional and dynamic relationships in psychic activity, recognizing an effici ent
preconscious that can pass into consciousness easily and an efficient unconscious that remains disconnected from it.
We do not know whether these two modes of psychic activity are identical or diverge from their beginning, but we may ask why
they should have differed during psychic processes. To this question, psychoanalysis unhesitatingly gives us a clear answer.
It is by no means impossible for the product of the effective unconscious to penetrate consciousness, but a certain expenditure of
effort is necessary for this to do so. If we try it in ourselves, we receive the clear feeling of a defence that must be mastered; And
if we provoke it in a patient, we receive the most unmistakable indications of what we call his resistance to it.
Thus, we learn that unconscious thought is excluded from consciousness by living forces which oppose its acceptance, while they
do not hinder other thoughts, the preconscious thoughts. Psychoanalysis leaves no doubt that the rejection of unconscious
thoughts is brought about merely by tendencies embodied in their content.
The nearest and most probable theory that we can formulate at this stage of our knowledge is the following: The unconscious i s a
regular and inevitable phase in the processes on which our psychic activity is founded; Every psychic act begins as an uncons cious,
and may remain unconscious or advance to consciousness, depending on whether or not it encounters resistance. The distinction
between preconscious and unconscious activity is not primary but is established only after the "defence" has come into play. Only
then does the distinction between preconscious thoughts that appear in consciousness and can return to consciousness at any
time, and unconscious thoughts that are forbidden to do so, become both theoretical and practical.
A crude, but quite adequate, analogy of this relation which we suppose between conscious and unconscious activity is afforded by
the field of ordinary photography. The first stage of photography is the negative; Every photographic image must go through the
"negative process", and some of these negatives that have been able to pass the examination will be admitted into the "positive
process" that culminates in the image.
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