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Summary of 'The Unconscious (Chapter III)' by Freud
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Summary, explanation and conclusion of the main ideas of the text 'The Unconscious (Chapter III)' by Freud.
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THE UNCONSCIOUS (CHAP. III)Sigmund Freud (1915)
Summary:
III. UNCONSCIOUS FEELINGS
We have confined the previous debate to representations, and now we pose a new problem: Are there unconscious impulse
movements, feelings, or sensations, or is it absurd to form such compounds?
We are of the opinion that the opposition between conscious and unconscious is irrelevant to the drive. A drive can never be the
object of consciousness; only the representation that symbolizes it can be. Similarly, in the unconscious, the drive can only be
represented through representation. Therefore, when we speak of an unconscious or repressed drive, it is only because of a
carelessness in expression.
Regarding unconscious feelings and sensations, we find a significant difference with representations: the latter persist as real
formations in the Icc system, while unconscious affects only have a possibility of presentation, without being fully developed.
To sum up, although in psychoanalytic practice we speak of unconscious affects, the difference with representations lies in the fact
that the latter have a more solid existence in the unconscious than affects.
We have discovered with particular interest that repression can inhibit the expression of the drive in the form of affect. This reveals
that the Cc system normally controls both affectivity and motility, highlighting the crucial role of repression in restricting the
development of affect and muscle activity, not just limiting consciousness.
We can say, conversely, that while the Cc system governs affectivity and motility, we consider the psychic state of the individual to
be normal. However, there is a distinct difference in their relationship to these two offloading actions. Although their control over
voluntary motility is firm, their control over the development of affect is less solid, evidencing a constant struggle between the two
systems.
The relevance of the Cc system for the detachment of affect and action also helps us to understand the role of substitute
representation in the formation of disease. Often, the drive must wait until it finds a substitute representation in the Cc system in
order to develop as affect. In this process, the qualitative character of affect is determined by the nature of this conscious
substitute.
Concisely, repression separates the affect from its representation, but the actual process implies that the affect does not manifest
itself until there is a new surrogacy in the Cc system.
Explanation and conclusion:
The text addresses the question of whether there are unconscious drive movements, feelings, or sensations, arguing that the
distinction between conscious and unconscious is irrelevant to drive. It is argued that a drive can never be the object of direct
consciousness but can only be represented by a symbolic representation. Similarly, in the unconscious, the drive can only be
represented through representation.
Regarding unconscious feelings and sensations, it is pointed out that, unlike representations, they persist only as possibilities of
presentation in the Cc system, without being fully developed. In short, although we speak of unconscious affects in psychoanalytic
practice, the difference with representations lies in the fact that the latter have a more solid existence in the unconscious than
affects.
Of particular note is the discovery that repression can inhibit the expression of drive in the form of affect, revealing that the Cc
system normally controls both affectivity and motility. However, there is a difference in their relationship with these two discharge
actions: while their control over motility is firm, their control over the development of affect is less solid, evidencing a constant
struggle between the two systems.
It is concluded that repression separates the affect from its representation, but the real process implies that the affect does not
manifest itself until there is a new surrogacy in the Cc system. In summary, the text highlights the complex relationship between
drive, affects, and representations, as well as the crucial role of repression in the regulation of psychic life.
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