Sigmund Freud's Bungled Actions Theory. Term Paper

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Instead of canceling the visit, the person grudgingly gets ready to go and at the train station accidentally gets on the train that takes home back home instead of the one that takes him to the relative's house. This in Freud's mind would be a bundled action because the person did not feel comfortable canceling so instead his subconscious took over and provided a way for him to get out of going by doing what he secretly wanted to do in the first place, which was to remain at home.

Accidental self-injury has long been attributed to the theory of bungled actions. If a person gets into a car accident and is killed or almost killed one may later discover that the person in the wreck was depressed and was facing a court date, or a divorce or financial ruin. The accident in the car according to Freud would not be an accident at all but would instead be the person's unconscious desire to escape the reality of what was about to happen in his or her life by ending that life (Freud, 1960).

In an accident where the person in question doesn't necessarily harm himself but instead harms others it could be a repressed desire to harm someone they know.

For instance, if a man gets into a fist fight with a driver on the road who he accuses of cutting him off at the red light, it could really be that the person in question was angry with his brother and wanted to hit him, however, he could not bring himself to hit a loved one so at the first opportunity he got into a fist fight and hit the brother through the hitting of the other driver on the road.

This would be another example of Freud's bungled actions theory.

Freud's theory actually points to a hidden unconscious world of repressed desires and motives for everything that occurs.

If bungled actions is factual every accident that occurs is actually not an accident but an attempt to complete something the person feels is wrong to want to do.

Repressed urges can include the desire to have sex with someone outside of appropriate circles, the desire to hurt others, the desire to embarrass others or many other actions in which polite society would frown upon. Freud believed that everybody has desires or urges that society would considerer wrong and the mind forces those desires and urges to the back of the brain where they lay hidden.

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However, according to Freud's theories including the theory of bungled actions, each of those desires has the ability to show itself if the right circumstances occur and the person can bring it forth through a slip of the tongue or an seemingly harmless accident.

Fred believed that it was not only healthy to explores the repressed urges, that it was necessary for healthy mental attitude. He spent his life and career perfecting the art of talk therapy which is still used today in various forms.

Many therapists believe that exploring repressed urges helps the client face those urges and understand their basis. It is through this understanding that healing can take place therefore they believe that exploring repressed urges is extremely healthy.

There are several reasons one would want to explore repressed feelings. One reason would be to stop self-destructive behaviors that are based in such issues that have been repressed. Another would be to stop behaviors that harm or hurt others that have done nothing to deserve it.

CONCLUSION

Sigmund Freud developed the theory of bungled actions for the purpose of explaining why people have accidents. In his practice there was no such thing as an accident, but instead, every accident had an underlying often subconscious reason for happening. Freud believed strongly that it was not only necessary to explore these bungled actions but to understand their foundational roots so that the person could let go of the problem and have a healthier mental attitude.

REFERENCE

Freud, Sigmund (1960) The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. Volume VI. Translated….....

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