(2001). Annual of Psychoanalysis, 29:51-65 Freud and Symbolism: Or How a Cigar Became More Than Just a Cigar Freud profoundly altered the ways in which we understand ourselves when he demonstrated how things are not always what they seem. Through his treatises on dreams, on everyday slips of the tongue, on jokes, on art, on history and more, Freud taught us that though consciously we believe we are in control of how we act and what we think, unconscious motivations are continuously driving our actions and our thoughts. Others before Freud had spoken of what was nonconscious, but it was Freud's genius to describe what came to be known as the dynamic unconscious. Consciousness gives the illusion of control over one's thoughts and actions, but unconscious mentation is what actually drives the machinations of the mind. Man's instincts are only barely reined in by the pressures of civilization. Freud believed that seething inner urges—instincts and drives—were constantly pressing to find expression and satisfaction in the worxsld. The conflict between these inner urges and t [This is a summary or excerpt from the full text of the book or article. The full text of the document is available to subscribers.] |
