A Note On The Unconscious In Psychoanalysis By Freud: A Critical Review

CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE ESSAY:  A NOTE ON THE UNCONSCIOUS IN PSYCHOANALYSIS BY SIGMUND FREUD

Sigmund Freud

     The essay, A Note On The Unconscious In Psychoanalysis, written in 1912 by the founder of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, opens with the sentence, I wish to expound in a few words and as plainly as possible what the term 'unconscious' has come to mean in Psychoanalysis and in Psychoanalysis alone. As written, Freud, in his essay, delves into the notion of the unconscious mind, how it differs from the conscious mind, and how it relates to psychoanalysis. He presents multiple significant ideas, and insights, along with examples. He begins by describing the unconscious as mental content that can be recalled but which is not currently in our consciousness or awareness. We have no way of knowing what form or shape it exists in the unconscious, just that it is present in some latent state. Thus it can be said that an unconscious conception is one of which we are not aware, but the existence of which we are nevertheless ready to admit on account of other proofs or signs, mainly based on our memories instead of fresh perceptions. Coming to the conscious, he simply defines it as the idea that exists in our consciousness and of which we are aware. The conscious and unconscious are clearly separated by him, with the former being what we are aware of and the latter being what is not currently in our awareness. In psychoanalysis, this distinction serves as a fundamental idea.

Freud also contradicts his own theory by suggesting alternative beliefs which state that the unconscious is not a psychological concept but rather a physical or bodily disposition for recurrent thoughts and ideas. He contends that such theories go beyond the purview of psychology and fall short of explaining basic psychological phenomena like memory. To further insist upon his study, he introduces the concept of post-hypnotic suggestion and uses this experiment as evidence for the existence of the unconscious and how it can influence conscious actions. In this experiment performed by Bernheim, a subject is hypnotized before being aroused. While the subject was under the hypnotic influence of the physician, he was instructed to carry out a certain action at a specific time following his awakening. He awakens and appears fully conscious and in his normal state; he has no memory of his hypnotic state, but at the predetermined moment, the urge to perform a particular task comes to his mind, and he does it knowingly even though he has no idea why. The only reasonable interpretation of this incident is that the order existed in the person's mind in a state of latency, or that it existed unconsciously until the appropriate moment, at which point it became conscious. But only the idea of the act to be done arose into consciousness, not the whole affair as to why or how. He also cites the theory of hysteria, which was first proposed by P. Janet and elaborated by Breuer and Freud himself, as proof of the existence and potency of unconscious ideas. He claims that the majority of hysterical symptoms are caused by unconscious concepts, some of which the patient may not be aware of until the ideas are revealed through psychoanalysis. For instance, a lady experiencing hysteria may vomit because she believes she is pregnant. She might be unaware of this idea, but it may be easily found in her mind and brought to her awareness through one of the scientific processes of psychoanalysis. He distinguishes between foreconscious and unconscious ideas. Foreconscious concepts are those that can easily penetrate into conscious awareness, but unconscious ideas, despite of their strength, remain buried. It suggests that a latent or unconscious thought is not always a weak one and that the presence of such an idea in the mind allows for the most convincing, indirect demonstrations, which are equivalent to the direct proof provided by consciousness. Some latent ideas, no matter how strong they get, never make it into consciousness. This distinction emphasizes on the complexities of the unconscious. He goes on to say that when unconscious concepts try to reach consciousness, they are met with resistance. This resistance is an important part of psychoanalysis, implying that certain processes inside the mind actively prevent unconscious concepts from becoming conscious. He claims that bringing our unconscious thoughts into our conscious minds is challenging, but it is possible with some exertion. When we do it on ourselves, we notice a distinct sense of repulsion that must be overcome, and when we perform it on a patient, we see the most unmistakable symptoms of what we call his resistance to it. Psychoanalysis eliminates any doubt that the repulsion to unconscious conceptions is solely caused by the tendencies embodied in their contents. The last concept that Freud puts forward in his essay is the idea of dream analysis. He believes that dreams are products of the unconscious mind and that their interpretation discloses the workings of the unconscious. He claims that dreams are the result of underlying thoughts that have been altered and disguised. The latent thoughts in a dream are identical to the products of our usual conscious activity; thus they should earn the title of foreconscious thoughts, and may have been indeed been conscious at some point during waking life. However, by connecting with the unconscious tendencies during the night, they have become assimilated to the latter, reduced to the state of unconscious ideas, and subjugated to the laws that regulate unconscious activity. Freud concludes by observing that our concept of the unconscious has evolved. It has progressed from being merely a descriptor of mental content to expressing a more sophisticated system of psychical activity, which he refers to as The Unconscious, and in German, he advocated denoting this system as Ubw, an abbreviation of the German word Unbewusst.

In conclusion, Sigmund Freud's 1912 essay, "A Note On The Unconscious In Psychoanalysis," provides a crucial framework for the concept of the unconscious in psychoanalysis. Freud's views emphasize on the significance of distinguishing between the conscious and unconscious, with an emphasis on the latter's complicated dynamics. He points out the value of psychoanalysis in revealing unconscious thoughts and the resistance faced by them when they approach consciousness. In addition, Freud highlights hypnosis, hysteria, and the significance of dreams as products of the unconscious, shedding light on how their interpretation can provide a deeper insight into a person's mind. While some aspects of his ideas have been criticized and evolved over time, his work continues to have an impact on understanding the intricacies of the human mind in the field of Psychology.

Source: A Note On The Unconscious In Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, 1912 /  The Routledge Critical and Cultural Theory Reader, Neil Badmington and Julia Thomas, 2008.