Erroneous actions arise from certain motives. Psychoanalysis considers situations when the number of motives is unlimited or, on the contrary, the motive is single, which speaks of a certain mental illness. The psychoanalyst also takes into account the patient's admission of error to clarify the underlying problem.
From the previous lecture, we learned that erroneous actions arise on the basis of intentions, desires. But more often than not, erroneous actions are committed due to the fact that several intentions are born at the same time.
Psychoanalysis primarily studies those intentions that have arisen due to mental processes, and not physical, organic or material. There are erroneous actions based on one intention that are not related to the real situation. For example, actions that express emotions are often pointless. We unconsciously manipulate clothes - straighten our tie, pull on the lace. Or hum a familiar melody.
But most often an erroneous action occurs when two intentions collide, one of which can be called violated, and the other violating. To find out the reason for the offending intent, the physician looks at the patient's actions at a time when the error might have been appropriate. If a person involuntarily made a slip and called the boss, then the memories will show the last quarrel with the director. But where does the intention come from that is not related to the real situation and the actions being performed? Most likely, it depends on the associative array created by consciousness from previous actions.
The case where the erroneous action has intent can be attributed to one of three groups:
- The patient is aware of the error and deliberately makes it.
- When the psychoanalyst points out the error to the patient and the alleged reasons for its occurrence, and the patient, in turn, admits the error, but does not hide his surprise.
- A patient who abruptly rejects error does not accept any theory of its occurrence.
We can conclude that intention can be born in the unconscious - another proof of the existence of an uncontrolled part of consciousness.
All three groups show the degree of recognition of the motive of the erroneous action by the patient. All intentions cannot be fully proven, since one is connected with the other, and the doctor begins to disassemble the whole chain until he comes to the truth. There are isolated cases when one motive absorbs a person's consciousness, and erroneous actions are based only on it. The classification of the degree of error recognition is applicable for reservations, forgetting typos and other types of erroneous actions.
