598 freud's psycho-pathological Tiii:()Kn:s. 



cessful rival in love or ambition. According to Freud's theories 

 the reason why you substitute the name Johnson for Jobson is 

 because the unconscious mind avoids the name associated with 

 a painful complex, and substitutes for it a name similar in sound. 

 Or the complex might operate b}- the mere forgettting of the 

 name Jobson, although it would naturally be familiar to you. 

 Freud does not deny that forgetting may occur in a simpler 

 fashion; but he appears to believe that at least most cases of 

 temporary forgetting are to be explained in this v\^ay. 



The following are some of his instances : 



A patient asks Freud to recommend him a sanatorium in the 

 Riviera. Fie thinks of a sanatoriimi and recollects the name of 

 the doctor in charge, but cannot remember the name of the small 

 place where it is, and has to ask the ladies of his family. The 

 name of the place turns out to be Nervi. This explains his for- 

 getting. In his profession he has enough to do with nerves. 



]\Ir. Y falls in love with a lady, who soon after marries 

 Air. X. Mr. Y was an old acquaintance of Mr. X.. and still has 

 business relations with him. But he ( Mr. Y) can now never 

 remember his name, and on wishing to correspond witli him has 

 to ask other people his name. 



A person, in taking an oral examination in philosophy, 

 gained credit for greater knowledge than he possessed by saying 

 he had long taken an interest in a philosopher Gassendi, whose 

 name he had only heard by chance a few days before. He says, 

 " I believe it is due to my guilty conscience that even now I 

 cannot retain this name in spite of all my efforts." 



A patient telephoned to Freud for an appointment, and also 

 wished to know r!ie fee, which was lo dollars. .\fter the 

 examination he again asked the fee, saying: " I don't like to owe 

 monc}- to anyone, especially doctors. 1 prefer to pay right 

 away." Instead of pay he said play. He took out his purse ; 

 but to his apparent annoyance found that he had only 4 dollars 

 with him. He promised to send a cheque for the balance. 

 Freud's opinion that the man was playiny^ with him was con- 

 firmed when, on afterwards sending out his bill, the letter was 

 returned by the post office marked " Not found." 



A lady patient, who had made an ap])ointment. wrote ihat 

 she was s()rrv she would be able (meaning not be able) to keep 

 it. Freud thought at the time she was merely making an 

 excuse, and found out afterwards that she had been persuaded 

 by her friends not to consult him. 



The motive of the unconscious mind sometimes appears to 

 be praiseworthy; sometimes the reverse. Freud gives some in- 

 iiances where his unconscious mind seemed to be more respect- 

 ful to his wife than his conscious mind. On one occasion he 

 had wished to make merry with an intimate friend over a state- 

 ment of his wife a few hours before. But he fonnd he could 

 not do so, as the statement had passed completely from his 

 memory. 



