The Psychopathology of Everyday Life by Sigmund Freud
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Freud analyzes language, memory of names, and behaviors for signs of our repressed subconsciouses. He uses different anecdotes, describes the observation, and then uses his theory of the mind to explain how a forgotten name or a missed appointment derives from the darkest reaches of our minds.
I have few problems with those origins actually. I believe in dark intent and repressed urges. The problem I have with the many anecdotes here is the constant flimsy reasoning seems entirely arbitrary.
That being said, it is an important dawn of psychotherapy book and is important. It also is a book of its time and tells us a lot about people then and provides great background for those times. If you consider the time it’s written it is nice to have a window of the mind – however distorted – to those historical characters.
Still, it was often cumbersome, but ultimately I am happier with this than the Interpretation of Dreams or The Future of an Illusion.