A Freudian slip is a term that refers to an accidental change in speech that, according to Sigmund Freud's theory, occurs under the influence of our repressed desires.
In general, as we remember, the famous creator of psychoanalysis considered the unconscious to be a key concept that determines many of our actions, deeds and problems. And the unconscious is based on repressed important experiences. Being under the control of consciousness during the waking period, our body does not have the ability to “read” information from the unconscious. But the psyche still sends us uncontrollable signals, which are expressed in parapraxis, that is, slips of the tongue, forgetting, loss, actions “by mistake.” For example, the names of people who are unpleasant or threatening to us are forgotten; important but annoying documents are lost; or a word suddenly falls from our lips expressing our suppressed and hidden desires.
Concept understanding problems and examples
If we take Freud’s theory, then he still wrote it with a non-therapeutic bias. Consequently, he assumed that the person who came a priori had some kind of problem. Therefore, from his point of view, all parapraxis, and especially reservations, are manifestations of unresolved unconscious conflicts and suppressed desires. That is, initially, thanks to such errors, we could suspect a problem area.
Now psychologists urge us not to understand the theory so globally. After all, in general, Freudian slips are errors that express things that are important to us. For example, many mothers, if their child is sick at home, begin to make slips on the topic of illness: instead of “salary” - “cotton wool”, for example. They also constantly make reservations, expressing their inner desire to go home to be near the baby. We are not seeing an underlying problem here, their relationship with their mother was not cold, and they were not “abandoned children.” These are situational reservations that go away as soon as the pressing problem is resolved.
The same can be noticed after a conflict, for example, with a wife. And half of the office is even starting to respond to the name Zina. And dieters are good at monitoring food-related reservations.
Therefore, currently in colloquial speech, the concept of a “Freudian slip” rather does not mean the deep, repressed needs that became the causes of neurosis; and those facts that are more significant for a person than the actual process. At the meeting, instead of “my program,” he said “my frame,” and everyone around remembered that the man was still in the process of renovating his house.
Signs of a true Freudian slip
Reservations that can truly indicate deep feelings must have stable forms. For example, one patient complained that in conversations with his parents he used the word “new” many times in all variations. “See you soon” when saying goodbye turns into “see you again”, “relationships” - “new things”, etc. Subsequently, during the analysis, it was revealed that the patient really wanted his relationship with his parents to be “different”, “updated”. After all, the “old-style” relationship became the reason for his low self-esteem. And he really wanted mom and dad to look at him “in a new way,” to “appreciate him.”
They must exclude urgent needs, which, as we noted above, can also appear in conversation.
To be not a single manifestation of the problem, but only one link.
Problems of interpretation
Like many of Freud's theories, his work with reservations has some nuances in interpretation. If a young man makes a reservation related to the intimate sphere, is it worth stating unequivocally that the reason for this lies solely in sexual desires repressed in childhood. Perhaps a very sexy girl just passed nearby.
There is one more famous example reservations of journalist Jim Noti, who on live television replaced the first letter of the surname of the Minister of Culture Hunt with “k”, thus obtaining English curse. Apologizing, Jim said that the slip did not mean his relationship to the minister or his assessment of his affairs, but was connected with the prolongation and transfer of the letter “k” from the word “culture” before the surname Hunt.
Can conclusions be drawn based on such reservations?
Modern psychologists talk about such parapraxis as possible helpers, and not as clear diagnostic material. So, if your husband suddenly calls you by a different name, this does not mean at all that he has a new lover. Perhaps this is the name of his mother, who called him a hundred times today, or a careless worker. Which he was already tired of making comments to. And even more so, you shouldn’t try to “solve” your problems on your own, relying on slips of the tongue.
But what can really help are the feelings that the resulting words aroused in you. Excluding, of course, the feeling of shame if you suddenly say a curse word in the wrong place. If you yourself laughed with pleasure at the trick that arose, then it cannot signal an important repressed, conflicting event. But if what you received makes you feel uneasy, you are angry with those who noticed the slip and are frantically trying to prove that they meant something completely different, then there is still something problematic in the resulting topic. But what exactly is something that only the person himself and his psychologist should understand.
In his writings, Freud examined the human psyche. He argued that it consists of conscious and unconscious parts, which are constantly in conflict with each other. Because of this constant confrontation, a person begins to develop neuroses. The desire for pleasure fights with self-preservation.
After deep psychological research, Freud identified several groups of unconscious human behavior.
Slips of the tongue are when a person, wanting to say something, uses one word instead of another. The same thing can happen. It happens when they read a text that is not written or hear something that is not said. Of course, hearing impairment does not play any role in this case.
Freud believed that these erroneous actions indicate what is really bothering a person at the moment on a subconscious level.
It turns out that any erroneous action is an attempt to break out of the subconscious. Sometimes even the person himself is not aware of what he really wants. The subconscious, with the help of random slips or slips, helps clarify the situation.
Sigmund Freud believed that any clause carries a hidden meaning. This is the reason why the term “Freudian slip” appeared. It should be remembered that each such mistake means a desire hidden in the depths of the subconscious.
Freud believed that humans have primitive instincts. It so happened that man was forced to suppress his primitive impulses all the time. Society dictated its own rules that had to be followed. From time immemorial, thoughts and desires have been hidden in the depths of consciousness, but at the slightest weakening of the protective forces, they tend to break out.
The most striking Freudian slips
Some phrases of politicians and TV presenters have become the most famous. For example, George W. Bush, when he was President of the United States, regularly delighted the world community with numerous Freudian slips. Thus, about the situation in Iraq, he said: “It takes a long time to restore chaos.”
Former Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Kudrin, speaking at an international forum, said: “The fight against corruption is the most important evil for Russia.”
Another popular mistake is forgetting or mixing up names. It often happens when a man calls his wife by the name of another woman. According to Freud's theory, such behavior indicates that he is thinking about another, without even realizing it.
It is believed that words that come out of the mouth by chance are by no means trivial speech errors. Many people think that such clauses reflect a person’s secret desires. Let's try to figure out if this is really so.
Politicians as objects of ridicule
At one time, US President George W. Bush was the object of jokes and ridicule. However, his father issued a famous disclaimer in 1988, which he is reminded of almost to this day. Then, as Vice President of the United States, George Bush Sr. spoke live while on a working visit to Idaho. Suddenly, the following statement came out of the vice president’s mouth: “We had victories, but we also made mistakes. This is a common practice of sex economic… sorry, agricultural policy.”
Freudian slip
We are used to calling such blunders Freudian slips. The father of modern psychoanalysis could be proud of his immortal popularity. This happens often: a person, wanting to say one thing, ends up saying something completely different. Everything would be fine if various obscenities that could put a person in an awkward position did not treacherously fly off the tongue. Sometimes a slip of the tongue can turn into a real disaster, for example, when it comes to announcers or reporters working live. The situation of a speaker who misspoke in front of an audience of thousands looks even more nightmarish. Why do people tend to make such ridiculous mistakes and is there really a hidden meaning in them? 
From the point of view of the founder of psychoanalysis
The famous psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud loved to wander through the nooks and crannies of the unconscious. It was not his area of interest to identify the patient's overt thoughts. According to the scientist, a person’s true desires are revealed by his reservations. Random speech errors in scientific circles are united under the term “parapraxis,” which is incomprehensible to the common man. They are able to expose a person’s forbidden impulses, for example, secret sexual desires, firmly settled in the subconscious. According to Freud, speech errors are not random and there is no mystery that cannot be solved.
Modern scientists question Freud's theories
The problem is that the human psyche cannot become the object of laboratory research. This means that all theories, including this one, are purely subjective. Thus, many modern psychologists are not followers of Freudian teachings and question the theories of the founder of psychoanalysis. Psychologists are joined by linguists and neuroscientists who have their own point of view on the origin of slips. Which one is right? 
Original research
Several decades ago, the authors of a seminal study decided to test or disprove the veracity of Freud's theory. The main character of the experiment was a sexy girl; the tool for stimulating the unconscious was a stun gun. The volunteers, who were exclusively heterosexual men, were divided into three groups. An elderly professor had to escort the participants from the first two groups to the audience. The final group of volunteers were more fortunate: their guide was a sexy laboratory assistant in a very revealing outfit.
One of the authors of the study, a psychologist practicing at the University of California, Michael Motley, recalls: “We almost stepped over the boundaries of what was permitted. The most attractive student was chosen for the experiment, wearing an ultra-short skirt and a transparent blouse.” 
Spoonerisms
When the participants went to their offices, they had to complete the task. Every second they had to read paired words to themselves. In fact, there was a catch here. The pairs were made on the principle of spoonerisms, or phrases in which people can deliberately make a slip by switching syllables. Here are the most prominent representatives- membrane drum (tympanic membrane) or imperishable “carriage, dear, deeply respected” (S.Ya. Marshak). The phenomenon itself was named after Professor William Archibald Spooner, who practiced at Oxford University. He became famous in scientific circles for his absent-mindedness.
But let's return to our research. From time to time, participants had to read paired word combinations out loud. In addition, the words had to be accompanied by an appropriate sound signal. If Sigmund Freud himself had observed this experiment, he would have exclaimed: “I knew it!” It is not difficult to guess that most of the sexually oriented statements were made in the presence of the beautiful laboratory assistant. For example, men in the control group said the phrase “naked howl” rather than “wash your hair,” or the expression “sweet cupcake” was replaced with “smooth sex.” It is noteworthy that total number Spoonerisms were approximately the same in all three groups. 
The final part of the test
The third group had to endure another test. Participants had electrodes with wires attached to their fingers, which were connected to a device that generated weak electrical impulses. However, the study authors rushed to deceive participants by saying that the probability of receiving an electric shock in case of a slip of the tongue could be 70 percent. Interestingly, the number of reservations has not decreased.
During the experiment, the level of sexual excitability was measured. Here, again, everything is logical. The most concerned men made more sexual slips. 
"The Polar Bear Problem"
The classic of Russian literature Leo Tolstoy once defined the phenomenon in which a person falls into the trap of his own thoughts. The term "problem" polar bear"appeared thanks to an amazing feature of the human mind. The essence of this theory is this: if you try not to think about some phenomenon or object, then it will haunt your consciousness. If you don't think about the polar bear, thoughts about it will begin to appear enviable consistency. The subjects of this experiment apparently devoted all their energy to trying not to think about sex. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the subtext of their reservations. 
Psychologist Daniel Wegner explains
Approximately this explanation of Freudian slips was given in the 80s of the 20th century by the American Daniel Wegner. According to the psychologist, the cause of blunders can be desperate attempts to avoid them. In fact, our subconscious can continuously filter thoughts so that secret desires do not have the opportunity to break out. The paradox of consciousness is the deliberate ignoring of an insidious thought that has once arisen. And what more people will try not to think about it, so a larger share Chances are the traitor will appear again and again. The secret will definitely become public knowledge - it's a matter of time. When you're preparing a speech in public, you choose your words carefully and run through a lot of options in your head. If there are too many of these options, consciousness pulls out exactly what you have been running from for so long and stubbornly. 
Conclusion
Michael Motley conducted another interesting experiment. He asked his students to complete a simple sentence: “The old man used flour to bake big…”. In theory, for a vacant position you can choose any word that means bakery product. However, the experiment participants most often mentioned “buns.” And all because this word in different contexts has different meanings. It is in this vein that Freudian slips are born. To top it all off, the psychologist emphasizes that in stressful situations, as well as under the influence of alcohol, the likelihood of a potential error increases even more.
About psychopathology ordinary life told psychologist Anna Khnykina.
Maya Milich, AiF.ru: How does modern psychology today relate to the works and scientific versions of Freud?
Anna Khnykina: Today's science honors. Absolutely all theories of development (in universities it is called “Developmental Psychology”) are in one way or another rewritten and adapted theories of development by Freud and his followers: Melanie Klein, Margaret Mahler and others. Science has not moved far from Freud; everything that is developing today, especially not in coaching, but in the therapeutic and near-clinical environment, is all one way or another based on psychoanalytic theory.
Sigmund Freud coined the term “parapraxis,” which in common parlance became the “Freudian slip.” By the term “parapraxis” the scientist meant any minor slip, slip or mistake, which, according to Freud, is not just an innocent gesture, but a manifestation of unconscious desires or conflicts.
— How to learn to “read” yourself without the help of a specialist? Listen to yourself? And is it necessary to do this at all?
— In order to learn to understand your unconscious, it will be enough for you to understand how projection and transference work. You can read something on the Internet, you can read books on this topic - there are a lot of them now. But there is one small, but very important point. This knowledge is not transmitted in a traditional information way; it can only be understood through personal experience, having lived through it. Therefore, the most thirsty people for understanding their unconscious ultimately go for their own psychoanalysis. And this is a long, regular systematic process that can take two to three years or more. In order to help others “understand themselves,” you will need additional university education, about 8-10 years, and much more personal analysis - about 5 years.
In addition, you will also need knowledge of mythology, hierarchy of symbols, history, religions...
- Slips of the tongue, misspellings, misreadings, mishearing, forgetting, losing and hiding things, strange actions “by mistake” - all this was interpreted by Freud as an external manifestation of unresolved unconscious conflicts and repressed desires. How can we understand that this is not just a random mistake, but really a manifestation of our unconscious and a surge of thoughts hidden deep inside?
— Not everything is interpreted as literally as we would like sometimes. It doesn’t always make sense to complicate everything, because “blunders”, verbal or written, also happen due to the fact that a person is doing several thought processes at the same time, for example, talking to you about business, and at the same time thinking about his family. And here in yours business conversation his wife's name slips out. You might think that he is now thinking about food or love, but for him, business and family are inseparable things. And there is absolutely nothing to hide here; besides, everything in the above example is quite understandable. There are no mistakes here, but this is not about the unconscious. When we talk about “unconsciousness” as a state, we must understand that it is a coma or sleep. It is absolutely impossible to understand how the unconscious works or what exactly is “hidden” there without going through your own path of exploration.
- If these erroneous actions, forgettings and slips of the tongue have become frequent, noticeable and tangible - what can this mean? Can these processes even be called a psychological deviation or a harbinger of one?
- Definitely, this is not considered a deviation. These could be some signs of something. In order to draw conclusions, it is necessary to study the associative series in each specific case.
If slips of the tongue, slips of the tongue, and forgetting have become frequent, most likely it is a particular person’s concentration that is falling. That is, he may be distracted due to fatigue. He may need to go on vacation, and not to see a psychiatrist.
— What else can speak about psychological everyday deviation? For example, fear open doors or perfect order in the closet, books arranged in alphabetical order, a strict schedule for watering flowers, which no one should violate, a “fad” for cleanliness, ironing, washed dishes and so on. Are these all different facets of the norm or, if you notice “obsession”, should you be wary?
— We are talking about serious deviations in cases where someone’s behavior threatens his personal safety or the safety of others. Also dangerous is a person who does not feel guilt or shame for harming another. As for reservations, obsessions, addictions, fixations - usually all this fits into the norm, the question here is rather why exactly does this seem strange to you? What exactly do you see in this and why does it alarm you? In psychoanalysis you will most likely encounter this approach to the problem.
Did he make a Freudian slip or just like that?
According to Freud: a slip often hides a true thought, a motive that a person is hiding, that is, we make a slip precisely when unconscious desires meet the conscious goal of behavior.
Psychologist's comment:
Don't make too many reservations great importance, everything takes place at this specific moment, in these specific circumstances. Listen more to your feelings at the time of the slip, analyze them - this way you will learn to trust yourself and understand much more.
According to Freud: Most often, a person’s name slips out of our heads when we do not consider the person important or he is unpleasant to us, therefore, to remember the name, it takes more time, and the memory does not occur of our will.