Failed act (parapraxis, slips of the tongue): definition, causes and types

These types of errors in cognition are more common than they appear.

Failed acts are errors in behavior and cognition, including memory or spoken and written language.According to classical psychoanalytic approaches, they provide information about the unconscious processes of the person who commits them.

In this article we will describe what parapraxias consist of, what types exist according to Sigmund Freud and how they are given meaning by traditional psychoanalytic practice.

What is a failed act?

Parapraxias, also called failed acts, Freudian slips or lapses, are failures in discourse, actionsThe first is a failure in memory, reading or writing that, according to Sigmund Freud and later psychoanalysts, reveals an interference of the unconscious part of the mind in overt behavior.

Some examples of common failed acts may be forgetting to respond to an e-mail regarding an interview for a job that does not suit us, mistakenly saying a word of sexual content in front of a person we are attracted to, and calling a current partner by the name of an ex-partner.

The word "parapraxis" comes from a translation of the word "Fehlleistungen", used by Freud himself.. The Greek word means "another action", while the German can be translated as "wrong action".

The first faulty act Freud recorded was that of a young patient who forgot a word while quoting an excerpt from The Aeneid. The therapist determined through word association that the man associated the term with blood, and hypothesized that he had unconsciously blocked it in order to avoid remembering a traumatic event related to it.

Meaning of parapraxias

Freud's theory, and thus psychoanalytic practice in general, is based on the belief that it is possible to infer repressed unconscious conflicts and impulses from many actions and experiences involving this structure of the mind.

Not only dreams are susceptible of being studied as manifestations of the unconscious; according to psychoanalysis, in many cases we can detect similar elements during the unconscious, in many cases we can detect similar elements during the waking state.. Some cases are parapraxias, neurotic symptoms, defense mechanisms or the method of word association.

Freud wrote that, since failed acts occur also in people who do not show any kind of psychopathology, they can be considered a sign that unconscious processes exist also in those who do not suffer from neurosis or other psychological disorders.

Although on some occasions the psychoanalytic hypothesis seems to be proved right, it should be kept in mind that often such errors may be due only to factors such as fatigue or chance. Recall that even Freud himself stated that "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" when his own habit was called to his attention.

Types of Freudian slip

Freud described four types of failed actsverbal, or lapsus linguae, those of writing and drawing (lapsus calami), those of listening and reading comprehension, and memory blocks motivated by unconscious factors.

The main characteristics of each of them are described below.

Verbal (lapsus linguae)

Slips of the tongue are the most common and also the most known by people in general.For this reason it is very common to use the word "slip of the tongue" to refer exclusively to verbal parapraxias.

Verbal slips of famous people are very popular on the Internet and on television. For example, Mariano Rajoy, Prime Minister of Spain, said in 2016 to the leader of the parliamentary opposition, "What we have done, which you did not do, is to deceive people."

2. Graphics (lapsus manus)

The lapsus manus, as it is called to the failed acts that occur in writing or other graphic manifestationsThey function in a very similar way to verbal ones. Like these, in many cases they can be explained by a decrease in the level of attention or alertness, as well as by other similar factors.

The concept of "lapsus calami" is close to that of lapsus manus. It is used to refer exclusively to written errors and is therefore more restrictive.

3. Auditory and reading comprehension

This type of failed act consists in misunderstanding something we have heard or read.. It is relatively common for this to happen at times when we are afraid that our interlocutor will mention a specific subject, but also when there is simply a term very present in our mind.

An example of this type of error can be someone who, after returning from a date with a person he likes, hears his partner ask "Were you with your lover?" instead of "Were you with your mother?".

4. Symbolic forgetfulness (lapsus memoriae).

Symbolic or motivated forgetting is a type of failed act that has attracted particular attention in psychology.. It is not uncommon for people to forget to attend medical or professional appointments that they particularly dislike, as well as to carry out tasks that do not interest them.

In many cases lapsus memoriae manifest themselves in spoken language; thus, not being able to remember the name of a person we do not want to think of during a conversation would be an example of symbolic forgetfulness.