The Psychopathology of Everyday Life

What it is

This is a book by Sigmund Freud, first published in a psychiatry monograph in 1901 and as a book in 1904, with many later editions. In it Freud examines everyday mistakes, forgotten names and slips of the tongue, arguing they reveal hidden unconscious thoughts rather than being random accidents.

Why it matters

The book became one of Freud's most widely read works and popularised the idea now known as the 'Freudian slip'. It shows how Freud extended psychoanalysis from treating illness to explaining ordinary daily behaviour, arguing that the line between normal and abnormal minds is unstable. Its many examples, some drawn from Freud's own life, made psychoanalytic ideas accessible to a broad public, including readers far beyond medicine.

Look closer

• Why might using examples from his own life make Freud's theory more convincing to readers?
• What kind of evidence does Freud use to support his claims about slips and forgetting?
• Can you think of other explanations for these 'mistakes' that Freud does not consider?