Slips of the Tongue

There are moments when we blurt out words that we didn't really mean to express. Some of these blunders may be quite embarassing. These mistakes are often caused by our unconscious thoughts. A phenomenon often observed by Freud in his patients - thus the term Freudium slip, also called Parapraxis or Slip of the Tongue.

In pscyhoanalysis, slips of the tongue uncover your hidden wants, desires, and thoughts. Yes, sometimes, the tongue could betray the owner and divulge his/her darkest secrets. An example would be a female patient of Freud, relating her thoughts about a man: "I really never had anything against him. I never gave him the chance to cuptivate my acquaintance." Later on, Freud found out that she was romantically involved with the man, and her slip of the tongue "cuptivate" was accidentally expressed instead of the intended word "cultivate."

It's indeed an interesting way to learn about a person's real thoughts through slip of the tongue. But perhaps, a mistake is just a mistake. Not every slip of the tongue has deep psychoanalytical roots. For instance, when a female asked a man what would he like for breakfast. If he said "bed and butter" instead of "bread and butter," it may have a psychoanalytical explanation relating to the hidden urges of the man, or simply an honest grammatical error. Maybe the man was used to eating his bread while lying on bed? So when you hear a person blurt out the wrong words, it's best to not jump to conclusions too quickly. Asking further would help you learn more about the person's mind.

Do you have a memorable slip of the tongue experience? Share it by posting in the comment box below.