a-general-introduction-to-psychoanalysis-sigmund-freud

other, more gentle "Da sind dinge zum vorschein gekommen."[23] I explained
to you at the time that this inquiry was typical of every psychoanalytical
investigation, and now you understand that psychoanalysis follows the
technique, as far as possible, of having the subjects themselves discover the
solutions of their riddles. The dreamer himself, then, is to tell us the meaning
of his dream.
It is common knowledge, however, that this is not such an easy matter with
dreams. In the case of slips, our method worked in a number of cases, but we
encountered some where the subject did not wish to say anything—in fact,
indignantly rejected the answer that we suggested. Instances of the first
method are entirely lacking in the case of dreams; the dreamer always says
he knows nothing. He cannot deny our interpretation, for we have none. Shall
we then give up the attempt? Since he knows nothing and we know nothing
and a third person surely knows nothing, it looks as though there were no
possibility of discovering anything. If you wish, discontinue the investigation.
But if you are of another mind, you can accompany me on the way. For I
assure you, it is very possible, in fact, probable, that the dreamer does know
what his dream means, but does not know that he knows, and therefore
believes he does not know.
You will point out to me that I am again making an assumption, the second in
this short discourse, and that I am greatly reducing the credibility of my claim.
On the assumption that the dream is a psychic phenomenon, on the further
assumption that there are unconscious things in man which he knows without
knowing that he knows, etc.—we need only realize clearly the intrinsic
improbability of each of these two assumptions, and we shall calmly turn our
attention from the conclusions to be derived from such premises.
Yet, ladies and gentlemen, I have not invited you here to delude you or to
conceal anything from you. I did, indeed, announce a General Introduction to
Psychoanalysis, but I did not intend the title to convey that I was an oracle,
who would show you a finished product with all the difficulties carefully
concealed, all the gaps filled in and all the doubts glossed over, so that you
might peacefully believe you had learned something new. No, precisely
because you are beginners, I wanted to show you our science as it is, with all
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