Term Paper on "Sigmund Freud Bungled Actions"

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[EXCERPT] . . . .

Sigmund Freud's bungled actions theory. The writer explores the basis for the theory and uses several examples to illustrate how Freud believed it worked. There was one source used to complete this paper.

BUNGLED ACTIONS AND THEIR MEANINGS

Though the field of mental health is still in its relative infancy much progress has been made in the quest to understand the human mind and its workings. Sigmund Freud has been called the "Father of Psychology" for many years because of the foundation that he provided for the field. While many of his ideas have since been challenged his basic beliefs and ideas have been studied and respected and remain so to this day. One of the things that he developed was the theory of bungled actions. According to Freud everything that a person does has a meaning (Freud, 1960). Whether it is the desire to have sexual relations with one's parent, the inability to love because of problems with one of the egos or the accident that is not really an accident, Freud assigned hidden subconscious meaning to everything that happens. His theory of bungled actions explains his belief about the foundation or underlying cause of accidents including car wrecks, suicide by accident and other breaking and self-injuring behaviors.

WHAT IT IS Before one can begin to understand the many underlying and sublimely underpinnings of bungled actions as Freud understood them it is important that one first have a basic grasp and understanding of the theory itself.

Freud developed the theory of Bungled Actions as a method to explain when things happen that seem to be accidental but play right into what that person desires at the time. The desire may not even be a conscious or purposeful event, but can be something that is desired in the subconscious and the accident or bungled action provides a means to get that desire accomplished.

In analyzing Freud or any of his works the basic concept of his theory of bungled actions is his belief that there is no such thing as an accident. Freud did not believe there were accidents anymore than he believed slips of the tongue were merely coincidental.

Freud believes that everything that a person does serves a purpose or has some type of meaning or hidden need to accomplish an objective. Whether it is the desire to end one's life by accident so that it does not feel or look like a suicide, or it is the desire to hurt someone else by breaking their prized possessions by accident, everything that a person does traces back to the a desire to accomplish some goal according to Freud (Freud, 1960).

Few people have failed to hear at least once the term "Freudian Slip." This term is used when a person accidentally says what they really mean instead of what they mean to say. For example if a person said by accident "I wouldn't hesitate to marry her" when the proper comment for the conversation was "I wouldn't hesitate to work with her" Freud would conclude that the person speaking is secretly, maybe even unconsciously in love with the person he speaks of. As he started to say he would not hesitate to work with that person his true feelings came out and he spoke of his desire to marry her instead.

Bungled actions are similar to slips of the tongue however, they deal with actions not words which can have a more permanent impact.

Freud believed that bungled actions were like other life errors in that they are used to create or fulfill wishes that one should deny oneself. It is the basis for accidental deaths in traffic in which examination uncovers the fact that the dead person had been severely depressed and perhaps wishing he could die (Freud, 1960).

Another less severe example is one in which someone decides the proper thing to do is go visit a sick relative. However, thy have worked hard all week, they do not particularly care for this relative and they would much rather spend the day at… READ MORE

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