Forgetting Things

by Sigmund Freud

The founder of modern psychiatry, Sigmund Freud powerfully believed that conscious decisions are underpinned by a guiding subconscious that can be understood only by analysis. Taken from one of his most important works, The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, published in a new translation by Penguin Modern Classics, this volume explores why we forget, how we remember and why our memories can sometimes prove deceptive.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Short Stories, Psychoanalysis, Classics

55 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Dr. Sigismund Freud (later changed to Sigmund) was a neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, who created an entirely new approach to the understanding of the human personality. He is regarded as one of the most influential—and controversial—minds of the 20th century.

In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.

Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.

In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.

After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.

In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.

Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.

Reviews

[Sadjad Abedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

ایده‌ی فروید در مورد فراموشی جالبه اما اونطور که باید و شاید مخاطب رو مجاب نمیکنه.

[Syd Amir · Rating 2 out of 5]

کتاب بسیار کم حجم و موجزی بود ازین جهت که در تحلیل یک پدیده نویسنده مخاطب رو با سیل اطلاعات ربط و بی ربط بمباران نکرده بود خوشم امد راهبرد نویسنده در تحلیل فراموشکاری شیرین بود. در این کتاب فروید با طرح مثال های عینی از بیماران اطرافیان و خودش موارد متعددی از فراموشکاری را بررسی می کند در خلال این بررسی ها گاهی ارجاعاتی به کارهای محققان دیگر نیز دیده میشود.

علت این ک ب این کتاب دو دادم هم شاید این بود ک موضوعش خیلی دغدغه ام نبود و ب پیشنهاد یکی از دوستان خوندم هرچند همون طور ک گفتم نوع طرح بحث و روشی ر ک نویسنده پی پرفته بود رو واقعا میپسندم :)

[Mehrdad · Rating 3 out of 5]

فروید تو این کتاب به دلایل فراموشکاری ما می‌پردازه و دوتا دلیل عمده رو مطرح میکنه. یکی اینکه ما وقتی یک اتفاق یا کاری برامون به صورت مستقیم یا غیرمستقیم تداعی کننده یه خاطره یا حس بد باشه فراموشش می‌کنیم. مثال غیر مستقیمش اینه که به دلیل یه تشابه اسمی با یه فردی که دوسش نداریم، کار فرد دیگه رو فراموش می‌کنیم به موقع انجام بدیم!
دومی اینه که وقتی اولویت هامون عوض میشه، درواقع فراموش کاریمون یه انتخابه. به بیان دیگه "قصدهایی که از اهمیت کمتری برخوردارند وقتی با انگیزه های مبهم روبرو می شوند، در معرض فراموش کاری قرار می گیرند".
بخش آخر کتاب هم به فراموشی اسامی خاص میپردازه و میگه اونم یه جورایی با تصمیم خودمونه و معمولاً وقتی رخ میده که همون موقع میخوایم ذهنمونو به چیز دیگری منحرف کنیم.
در کل کتاب تلنگر جالبی بود راجع به اینکه خیلی از فراموشکاری هامون بیش ازونی که فکر میکنیم ریشه در انتخاب ها، اولویت ها و طرز تفکر خودمون داره.

[Tom Farrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a fine book, just a little boring and possibly outdated. Freud gives examples of times he and his patients have memory lapses for items and proper names and follows each example with a justification. They are interesting musings but nothing particularly shocking or groundbreaking. I now have a better idea of Freud’s work, his thought process, his life and works, and I have some interesting ideas on memory to explore further with updated information. All of this could have been relayed to me without reading this book though, and I don’t think anything more than a several page summary of the book would do anyone but the most devoted Freud fans much good.

[Coenraad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freud explains why people forget things, especially people's names, in two essays. These pieces are interesting and informative, yet simultaneously trivial, given the ordinary examples he collects and analyses. This comment may say more about the reader than the writer, which may have given Freud something more to analyse.

Freud se twee kort stukke oor waarom mense dinge, take en name vergeet, is tegelyk fassinerend en beuselagtig. Dit sê dalk meer oor die leser as die skrywer omdat die keser psigoanalise dalk verkeerd begryp.

[Rahmanism · Rating 4 out of 5]

نکته اساسی که یادم مونده اینه که وقتی یه موضوع با موضوع ناخوشایندی مشابهتی داشته باشه، موضوع اول رو فراموش می‌کنیم.

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really boring! I already forgot everything I read.

[Jordy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This small peculiar book is perfect to use as a starting point with Freud’s oeuvre. Nothing more, nothing less.

You can clearly make up from it that Sigmund was a bright and knowledgeable doctor, equipped with a remarkable memory and a talent for inventing theories. However, I am sure that there are no solid studies on the theories that are stated in this book and all the examples are picked from a means-to-end scenario. Nevertheless, the theory does make sense and gives food for thought about the way you forget things yourself.

Summarised: forgetting is caused by the fact that you do not want to remember or that you, bluntly said, simply do not give a f*ck about it. (Either consciously or subconsciously.) Or as Freud states: “..in all cases the motive for forgetting something proved to be based on aversion.’’ p.4

[mariam · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first time venturing into the Freud world knowing nothing other than the fact that he wants to smash his mom but the book itself was incredibly dull and boring.

Sentences were long and convoluted in a way it didn’t need be and considering psychology is a “science” I thought his writing would be straightforward.

In terms of the actual memory issue, it was interesting but as another review said nothing that couldn’t have been repeated in a couple of sentences though I suppose the book itself was to prove his theories rather than just state them as fact.

His theories also were generally just common sense to an extent. The Bosnia and Herzegovina bit was the onlly thing that stood out to me.

Filler episode

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time I have forayed into the world of Freud. He provided interesting concepts as to why people forget and amazingly could trace his own forgetfulness to its origins in many examples. That made me think...I could never do that! He finds that many times of forgetfulness is in repressing a related 'other' event, person, situation. I like the ending though as after all that he had a disclaimer that sometimes it could just be a simple case of forgetting!

[John Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short volume from the Penguin 70s commemorative range is an extract from the psychopathology of everyday life and discusses why we forget. This was an interesting short read and the translation is excellent. Freud argues that we subconsciously forget things because we don't want to remember them either because we don't care or from a disliking of something/someone.

[Alun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, snappy and easy to read but not convincing.

[ریچارد · Rating 2 out of 5]

انسان ها به دلایل انگیزه هایی که ممکن است در لایه خودآگاه ذهنشان از آن مطلع نباشند، مسائل را فراموش می کنند. همین و لازم نیست پول بدهید بروید شصت صفحه خاطرات نویسنده را بخوانید. آقای فروید مثال های زیادی از زندگی شخصی اش و مواردی که افراد با انگیزه های مختلف موضوعی را فراموش کرده اند می زند، اما در سرتاسر مقاله دلیلی ندیدم که نشان بدهد قطعا تمام فراموشی ها به خاطر این است که انگیزه ای در درون انسان نمی گذارد به چیزی در حافظه ش دسترسی پیدا کنید. به ترتیب آقای فروید اگر بخواهم بگویم شاید چون هیچ کس دیگر در یاهو مسنجر لاس نمی زند، پسوردش را فراموش کرده ام.

[Gary Daly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent Eastwood to City bus read, read it twice (once more on the way home). We are all forgetful and in there are times when we 'think' and even remark to our friends and family how we are 'going through a forgetful phase.'
'...in all cases the motive for forgetting something proved to be based on aversion' ( Mr. Freud, p. 4).
These pocket Penguins are an excellent addition to your library and if you could get hold of all 70 titles, get 'em because they are awesome travel reading.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my frist official dalliance with Freud and I thoroughly enjoyed it ^_^ He made some very interesting connections between seemingly unrelated (yet usually commonplace) thoughts/facts/general truths, and really did make you go 'oh yea. That makes sense'. Not difficult or daunting - digestible Freud ^_^

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am convinced that Freud was a very clever and incisive man, but not that all of his theories in this book are anything approaching the truth; especially Forgetting Proper Names where Freud does not even manage to convince himself.

[Tim Belonax · Rating 2 out of 5]

I respect Freud but this book rambled on and didn't shed much insightful knowledge about forgetting besides," Hey, maybe you're repressing something."

The cover by Shrigley was the best part of this book.

[Mohammad Mokhalled · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب کوچک و با مضمون خوبی هست
مثل خیلی از کتاب های فروید...

[Lex Redding · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up several times before I actually read it in one day. Some interesting thoughts but a little much for me to comprehend at times.

[Alvi Singer · Rating 3 out of 5]

پشتِ صحنه‌ی همه‌ی فراموش‌کاری‌ها موارد «بی‌میلی یا بیزاری» نهفته است.
به نظرم این جمله‌ی اساسیِ فروید است که بر اساس آن این کتاب را نوشته است. کتابی است مختصر، اندازه که با مثال‌هایی ساده و تحلیل‌هایی قابل فهم و مرحله به مرحله آنچه که می‌خواهد را می‌گوید. و انصافاً خوب هم می‌گوید. چند ساعت صرف کردن وقت روی این کتاب می‌ارزد به فهم و درک فراموش‌کاری.

[رضوان]

سبک خاص فروید توی توضیح دادن با مثال یک موضوع در این کتاب به حد اعلا رسیده است.
فروید از خودش به عنوان کسی که حافظه ایی قوی دارد و تک تک فراموشی هایش را میشکافد تا دلایلش را پیدا کند .کتابی ساده و منطقی

[Laçin Tutalar]

I was able to build much empathy with Freud's anecdotes from self and others as I read this at a quite absentminded time myself! Small forgetfulness, big resistance...

Also: This book has one of the best bookcovers I've seen.

[Farzaneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

«آنچه را که یکبار فراموش کرده‌ای، بالاخره باید آن را به انجام برسانی.»