Freud's Views on Forgetting a Proper Name and Dream Analysis

Freud's Views on Forgetting a Proper Name and Dream Analysis

In several of his books, including Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis and On Dreams, Freud combines the topics of forgetting a proper name and dream analysis, formulating a thesis that helps to clarify his theories on both. He describes in psychoanalytic terms the mechanisms behind forgetting of a proper name and how they relate to the methods used in dream analysis. By looking at the two topics from a joint perspective, we can gain a greater understanding of them and how they relate to other areas of psychoanalysis.

The tendency toward forgetting of a proper name is an important theme in Freud's work. He explained the way in which forgetting something like a name was actually a substitute for forgetting something that, unconsciously, an individual does not wish to remember. He described the unconscious force that prompted this forgetfulness as a "counter-will", or an unconscious desire parallel to an individual's conscious desire. According to Freud, there is a connection between what one consciously forgets and what one unconsciously wants to forget. When a person has some unpleasant thought or issue that they wish to banish from their mind, the will to forget may "miss its target", and the wish to forget may manifest itself in some other way. In this case the individual may forget something seemingly unconnected to the thought they wish to banish, such as a proper name. Freud gives some relevant examples of this phenomenon in Introductory Lectures:

"For instance, if we have temporarily forgotten a name, we are annoyed about it, do all we can to remember it and cannot leave the business alone. Why in such cases do we so extremely seldom succeed...

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...and unconscious thought.

The significant tie between these two realms of thought can be found in hypnosis. In a hypnotic state induced by suggestion, and individual is made able to access both preconscious and unconscious thoughts, and to express them while not asleep. This is a valuable tool both for the psychoanalyst and for the patient; in a hypnotic state the patient has access to unconscious material that otherwise would be difficult to uncover and interpret.

Understanding of the areas of forgetting a proper name and the dream work is essential to understanding much of Freud's work, and comparing and contrasting the two can help us gain an extra dimension of insight into both. The tremendous impact of Freud's work, both culturally and clinically, is inescapable in American society. It is for this reason that it is so relevant for us to study it today.