The 110 Best Phrases Of Sigmund Freud And Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud is one of the most notable figures in the history of psychology thanks to his psychosexual theory.
The father of psychoanalysis has influenced many psychologists and, despite being criticized by others, his ideas on psychotherapy or personality are still studied in psychology studies. He will be loved or hated, but Freud is, without a doubt, the most famous psychologist.
Since this well-known theorist has been so important to the development of behavioral science, in today’s article We have compiled several of his best phrases and reflections Enjoy them!
1. The freedom of the individual is not a gift of civilization. It was older before there was any civilization
Freud lived through the Victorian era and, therefore, lived through a period of repression Individual freedom is conditioned by society
2. Since no one can be forced to believe, no one can be forced not to believe
Forcing someone to do something they don’t want to does jeopardizes their happiness.
3. A man who has been his mother’s undisputed favorite maintains the feeling of a conqueror throughout his life.
In his theory of psychosexual development, the mother has a very important role. You just have to think about the Oedipus complex.
4. The mad man is a daydreamer
Freud began his contact with neurotic patients through hypnosis.
5. If you want to live, prepare to die
The fear of death may not let us live.
6. Unexpressed emotions never die. They are buried alive and come out later in worse forms
A phrase in clear reference to the repression of emotions.
7. Dreams are often deeper when they seem crazier
Freud was also interested in the relationship between dreams and mental health.
8. Sleep is the liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature, a detachment of the soul from the chains of matter
In dreams we can manifest those repressed desires
9. Illusions are entrusted to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure. We must, therefore, accept them without complaints when they collide with the reality in which they break into pieces.
Living on illusions is not positive and can clash with reality
Freud, in reference to social distinction and its social character.
23. We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love
Love can make us vulnerable people.
24. Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity
Neurosis is characteristic of those people who do not know how to live in uncertainty.
25. Psychiatry is the art of teaching people how to stand on their own feet while lounging on couches.
The greatest exponent of psychoanalysis speaking about psychiatry.
26. Whoever thinks about failing has already failed before trying; Who thinks about winning, takes a step forward
The self-fulfilling prophecy is evident in those negative people.
27. It is characteristic of the philosopher to be able to speculate about all things
The philosopher is constantly philosophizing.
28. Immortality means being loved by many anonymous people
Being immortal means being recognized and still in the minds of many people.
29. The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind
Freud was always interested in the interpretation of dreams as this phrase shows.
30. Men are more moral than they think and much more immoral than they can imagine
An ironic quote that deals with the immorality of some.
31. He who has eyes to see and ears to hear can convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, they chatter with his fingers; betrayal oozes from them through all their pores
False or deceptive people always give themselves away in some visible way.
32. Where does a thought go when it is forgotten?
Freud asked this question in clear reference to the unconscious.
33. The act of birth is the first experience of anxiety and therefore the source and prototype of the affect of anxiety
Freud states that the stress produced during childbirth represents the first time we feel anxiety and suggests that it is normal.
34. The virtuous man is content dreaming what the evil man does in real life
The wicked have no qualms and act regardless of the moral consequences.
35. Analogies, it is true, do not decide anything, but they can make one feel more at home
The comfort zone is a place where we feel comfortable.
36. I can’t think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a parent’s protection.
If the figure of the mother was important in his theory, so was the figure of the father.
37. Not everything depends on desires, but still, I have decided to try to carry out my desires
Fighting for our desires is one of our great motivations.
38. From error to error the complete truth is discovered
The mistakes we make are one of the best ways to learn.
39. The goal of life is death
A quote with a certain tone of irony that refers to death.
40. Just as no one can be forced to believe, no one can be forced to disbelieve
Freud, talking about hypnosis Suggestion depends on whether the person allows himself to be suggested.
41. The best is the enemy of the good
The bad makes us mobilize, fight to be in the good and value it.
42. For the first time the child must exchange pleasure for social dignity
There is a moment in life when you begin to balance between what you want and what society allows you to want.
43. It could be said about psychoanalysis that if you give the little finger you will soon have the whole hand
Psychoanalysis is a theory that became very popular and that, with certain modifications, is still alive.
44. In mourning the world has become poor and empty; in melancholy the ego itself
Melancholy is a decision we make, the ego is something we have to live with.
45. Fear is a suffering caused by the expectation of evil
Fear is an emotion and at the same time a feeling. After cognitive appraisal, we anticipate something bad.
46. Civilization began the first moment an angry man threw a word instead of a rock
Language has had a great influence on the development of humanity
47. A woman should soften but not weaken a man
Relationships between a man and a woman should always be positive.
48. The more accessible the fruits of knowledge, the more widespread the decline of religious beliefs
Religious beliefs feed on ignorance
49. In matters of sexuality, we are currently, all of us, sick or healthy, nothing more than hypocrites
Freud lived in the Victorian era, characterized by great social repression That is why it is one of the main themes of his theory.
50. One is very crazy when one is in love
Love makes us crazy, but it is a unique feeling.
51. Children are completely selfish; they feel their needs intensely and fight hard to satisfy them
Children do not think about social consequences, only about what satisfies them on an individual level.
52. Religious doctrines are illusions that do not admit proof and no one can be forced to consider them true or believe in them
There is no way to prove a religion and, therefore, no one can prove or disprove them.
53. What progress we have made. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now they’re happy to burn my books
Another quote with a great sense of humor Freud talks about the criticism he received.
54. Only one’s own experience makes a wise man
The best source of knowledge is experience. This is what is called experiential learning.
55. The tendency to aggression is innate, independent, an instinctive disposition in a man. It constitutes a powerful obstacle to culture.
Culture ensures that one of our greatest instincts, aggression, does not manifest itself.
56. No, our science is not an illusion. But it would be an illusion to suppose that what science cannot give us is what we can get anywhere else.
Freud’s theory has been criticized for being unscientific.
57. Most people don’t really want freedom, because freedom implies responsibility and most people fear responsibility.
Many people prefer to follow culturally established patterns, as it is more comfortable.
58. One day, looking back, you will realize that these years of struggle have been the most beautiful of your life
Fighting for what we want can make us immensely happy.
59. Modern science has not yet produced a calming medicine as effective as a few kind words.
Kind words are one of the keys to mental health. This is the idea on which many therapeutic theories today revolve.
60. America is a mistake, a gigantic mistake
The United States did not seem to be liked by Sigmund Freud
61. It would be very nice if a god existed, who had created the world and was a benevolent providence; that there was a moral order in the universe and a future life; but it is a very surprising fact that all this is exactly what we feel compelled to wish existed.
As can be seen in this quote, Freud was not exactly religious
62. Every joke, deep down, hides a truth
A quote similar to behind every lie there is always a hidden truth.
63. The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with 70% of its volume on water
70% would refer to the unconscious, according to Freud.
64. Plato said that the good are those who are content to dream what the bad make come true
Bad guys don’t stop to think about whether what they do is right or wrong.
65. Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis
Another Freudian reflection on religion
66. The first requirement of civilization is justice
Without justice a civilization cannot advance.
67. The intention that man should be happy is not in the plan of creation
The idea of what happiness is is a social construction
68. One hundred percent truth is as rare as one hundred percent alcohol.
A curious comparison between alcohol and the truth.
69. Since I began the study of the unconscious, I found myself very interesting
When studying the unconscious, Freud surely carried out deep introspection.
70. Being completely honest with yourself is a good exercise
Honesty is one of the best human virtues.
71. We will all die, but our works will remain
If they are successful, they will remember us after we die.
72. A man should not strive to eliminate his complexes, but rather come into agreement with them: they are legitimately what direct his behavior in the world.
Acceptance is one of the best ways to overcome emotional problems.
73. It is a good exercise to be completely honest with yourself
Sincerity with oneself is another of the great virtues of the human being.
74. The sexual life of adult women is a dark continent for psychology
Evidently, in the time that Freud lived, women’s sexuality was a taboo subject.
75. Time spent with cats is never wasted
A curious quote from Freud that mentions cats.
76. One is the owner of what he remains silent and a slave of what he speaks
Free association was a technique that Freud used and consists of verbalizing our unconscious thoughts.
77. I have found few good things about humans in general. In my experience, most are garbage, no matter whether they publicly subscribe to an ethical doctrine or not. It’s something you can’t say very loud or even think
A harsh criticism of how some human beings behave.
78. Civilization is permanently threatened by disintegration due to the primary hostility of man
One of the drives Freud talked about was the death drive, a destructive drive.
79. Humanity progresses. Today he only burns my books; centuries ago they would have burned me
Human beings and the culture we build progress and evolve.
80. Immorality, no less than morality, has always found support in religion
Freud was very critical of religion, as can be seen in his sentences.
81. The first notions of sexuality appear in the infant
His theory talks about the different stages of the child’s psychosexual development.
82. Just by fearing mediocrity, you are already safe
Fearing mediocrity can be very stimulating and motivating.
83. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
It is not necessary to interpret everything that evokes that symbol as a phallic element. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
84. No critic is more capable than I of clearly perceiving the disproportion that exists between the problems and the solution that I provide to them.
Freud always defended his ideas despite being criticized.
85. There are two ways to be happy in this life, one is to act like an idiot and the other to be an idiot.
Ignorance can make us immensely happy.
86. The big question that has never been answered and that I have not been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the human soul is, what does a woman want?
The complexity of women, according to Freud, is captured in this phrase.
87. The first human to insult his enemy instead of throwing a stone at him was the founder of civilization
A quote that can be interpreted in different ways.
88. One can defend oneself from attacks; against praise one is defenseless
When someone praises you, it’s hard not to thank them.
89. The unconscious of a human being can react to that of another without going through the conscious
Although we are rational beings, on many occasions, our instincts come to light.
90. If inspiration does not come to me I go out to meet it, halfway
Inspiration must be sought many times.
91. Like the physical, the psychic is not necessarily what it seems
A way to imply the existence of the unconscious mind.
92. Sadism is fine where it is, but it must correct its purposes
Freud was very interested in the study of sexual inclinations that went against the morals of the time.
93. Where does a thought go when it is forgotten?
A poetic reflection on the unconscious.
94. Religion is an illusion whose strength derives from the way it fits with our instinctive desires
Freud links the existence of religious cults with drives.
95. Where the It is, there the I must be
The role of the Self is in part to counteract the forces of the irrational part of the human being.
96. You wanted to kill your father to be him. Now you’re a father, but a dead one
Another of Freud’s phrases related to the Oedipus complex.
97. It is a human predisposition to consider unpleasant ideas false.
This idea seems to fit with the concept of cognitive dissonance.
98. Civilization is constantly threatened by hostility between people
Freud had a perspective on society similar to that of Thomas Hobbes.
99. A religion, even if it calls itself a religion of peace, must be harsh and merciless towards those who do not belong to it
Another of Freud’s criticisms of religion.
100. Man has become a prosthetic god
The father of psychoanalysis reflects on the self-imposition of dogmas.
101. When you don’t have what you want, you must want what you have
A quote from Freud about managing expectations.
102. From our vulnerabilities come our strengths
Freud knew perfectly well how what is inside can emerge in a surprising way.
103. The good are those who are content to dream what the bad make come true
Hidden desires and impulses are some of the topics this doctor and psychiatrist treated.
104. He who loves becomes humble. Those who love, so to speak, give up a part of their narcissism
A truly beautiful way to conceive love.
105. Look into the depths of your own soul and learn first to know yourself, then you will understand why this illness attacked you and perhaps from then on you will avoid getting sick
Only by knowing the origin of each pathology will we be able to treat it.
106. Anxiety in children is nothing more than an expression of the fact that they feel the loss of the person they love
Psychological problems in childhood were widely discussed in his work.
107. What we cannot remember, we will repeat
A phrase that can help us in our daily lives.
108. Maturity is the ability to postpone gratification
Impulse control was another of the topics that obsessed him throughout his life.
109. When a man is freed from religion, he has a better chance of living a normal and healthy life
Freud was a scourge of religions throughout his life.
110. In small matters trust the mind, in big matters the heart
