Failed act (parapraxis, lapse): definition, causes and types
Failed acts are errors in behavior and cognition , including memory or spoken and written language, which according to the classical approaches of psychoanalysis provide information about the unconscious processes of the person who commits them.
In this article we will describe what parapraxias are, what types exist according to Sigmund Freud and how they are given meaning from traditional psychoanalytic practice.
What is a failed act?
Parapraxias, also called failed acts, Freudian slips or lapses, are faults in discourse, in actions , in memory, in reading or in writing that, according to Sigmund Freud and other later psychoanalysts, reveal an interference of the unconscious part of the mind in manifest behavior.
Some examples of common faults can be forgetting to respond to an email about an interview for a job that does not convince us, to say by mistake a word of sexual content to a person who attracts us and to call the current couple for the name of an ex-partner.
The word "parapraxis" comes from a translation of the word "Fehlleistungen", used by Freud himself . The Greek word means "another action", while the German word can be translated as "wrong action".
The first failed act recorded by Freud was that of a young patient who forgot a word when quoting a fragment of The Aeneid. The therapist determined through the association of words that the man associated the term with blood, and hypothesized that he had unconsciously blocked it in order to avoid remembering a traumatic event related to it.
Meaning of parapraxias
Freud's theory, and therefore psychoanalytic practice in general, is based on the belief that it is possible to infer repressed unconscious impulses and conflicts from many actions and experiences in which this structure of the mind intervenes.
Not only dreams are susceptible to be studied as manifestations of the unconscious; according to psychoanalysis, in many cases we can detect similar elements during the vigil . Some cases are parapraxias, neurotic symptoms, defense mechanisms or the method of word association.
Freud wrote that, since the failed acts also occur in people who do not show any type of psychopathology, they can be considered a sign that unconscious processes also exist in those who do not suffer from neurosis or other psychological disorders.
Although in some cases the psychoanalytic hypothesis seems to be accurate, it should be borne in mind that frequently this type of error can be due only to factors such as fatigue or chance. Recall that even Freud himself said that "sometimes a cigar is just a cigarette" when he called attention to his own habit.
Types of Freudian slip
Freud described four types of failed act : verbal, or lapsus linguae, those of writing and drawing (lapsus calami), those of auditory and reading comprehension and memory blocks motivated by unconscious factors.
Next we will describe the main characteristics of each one of them.
1. Verbs (lapsus linguae)
Lapsus linguae are the most common failures and also the best known by people in general ; for this last reason it is very common to use the word "lapse" to refer exclusively to verbal parapraxias.
The verbal slips of famous people are very popular on the Internet and on television. For example, Mariano Rajoy, president of the Government of Spain, said in 2016 to the leader of the parliamentary opposition: "What we have done, which you did not do, is to deceive the people".
2. Graphics (lapsus manus)
Lapsus manus, as it is called the failed acts that occur in writing or other graphic manifestations , they work in a very similar way to verbal ones. Like these, in many cases they can be explained by a decrease in the level of attention or alert, as well as by other similar factors.
The concept "lapsus calami" is close to that of lapsus manus. It is used to refer exclusively to written errors, so it is more restrictive.
3. Listening and reading comprehension
This type of failed acts consist in understanding in a wrong way something that we have heard or read . It is relatively usual for this to happen at times when we fear that our interlocutor will mention a specific issue, but also when there is simply a term very present in our mind.
An example of this type of error may be someone who, after returning from an appointment with a person he likes, hears his partner ask "Were you with your lover?" Instead of "Were you with your mother? "
4. Symbolic forgetfulness (lapsus memoriae)
Symbolic or motivated forgetfulness is a type of failed act that has especially attracted the attention of psychology . It is not uncommon for people to forget to go to medical or professional appointments that generate a particular rejection, as well as carry out tasks that do not interest them.
In many cases the lapsus memoriae are manifested in spoken language; thus, not being able to remember the name of a person we do not want to think about during a conversation would be an example of symbolic oblivion.
