By Dr. Constance Long Dr. Lloyd Tuckey has kindly invited me to contribute a chapter to his book on Freud's method of psycho-analysis. Although, for reasons stated farther on, psycho-analysts rarely make use of hypnotism, it is fitting that methods which evolved out of the use of hypnotism, and the observation based upon unconscious states therein exemplified, should be reviewed in a work on the subject.

It is no easy task to give a true picture of Freud's psychology and psycho-therapy in a short essay, and this partly because much is still in a fluid state. What follows is intended to serve merely as an introduction to the subject to the uninitiated reader, who, it is hoped, may be stimulated to peruse at least those few works of Freud's which are already translated into English. * At the outset, for the purpose of this chapter, it is necessary to accept Freud's definition of the 'unconscious' as it refers to psycho-analysis, and to understand something of his views on ' infantile sexuality.'

In a paper published by the Society for Psychical Research, Freud says: 'Let us call "conscious" the conception which is present to our consciousness, and of which we are aware, and let this be the only meaning of the term "conscious"; as for latent conceptions, if we have any reason to suppose they exist in the mind - as we have in the case of memory - let them be denoted by the term "unconscious." '

* Selected papers on Hysteria and Other Psychoneuroses; ' Three Contributions to the Sexual Theory' and 'The Interpretations of Dreams.' Authorized translations by A. A. Brill, M.D., Ph.B.

In illustration of this point, an account of a case of posthypnotic suggestion is found on p. 78 of this book. Dr. Liebeault made a suggestion to a patient in a state of hypnotic somnambulism which was carried out in a precise manner at the appointed time two months later. Here we see an act consciously carried out at the bidding of a latent impression. The act is impulsively executed; a portion of the psychical process only has become conscious, the rest remaining unconscious. In such case, Freud writes, ' the idea of the action ordered in hypnosis not only became an object of consciousness at a certain moment, but the more striking aspect of the fact is that this idea grew active, and was translated into action as soon as consciousness became aware of its presence. The physician's order, the real stimulus, though it did not reveal itself in consciousness, was active and unconscious at the same time.'

In the study of the unconscious, Freud makes abundant use of the interpretation of dreams,* and in his book on the subject gives a resume of the scientific literature on dreams and dream problems through the centuries. His own observations are made by the analysis of his own dreams and those of neurotics; the latter he has found of utmost importance in interpreting hysterical and neurotic states.

We can easily accept the foregoing definition of conscious and unconscious, but Freud describes a third psychic state - viz., the ' foreconscious.' ' Every psychical act begins as an unconscious one, and may remain so or go on developing into consciousness according as it meets with resistance or not.' Foreconscious activity can be recalled into consciousness, albeit with a certain amount of difficulty. These ideas have formerly been conscious, and can become so again and again, whereas the unconscious cannot spontaneously become so, and can only be tapped by the use of such special methods as psycho-analysis and hypnosis. Thus, he insists that immensely complex processes are at the back of all activity, and that every conscious act is determined by seemingly endless chains of associations of unconscious psychical processes; and that nothing arises by chance.

* Ernest Jones says: 'The repressed wishes that the neurotic finds necessary to express in external symptoms is expressed in the healthy by dreams. The two are merely different ways of obtaining an imaginary gratification of the same buried wishes.'

It is claimed the dream arises out of the psychical processes in the mind of the dreamer, and is based upon many determinants, all drawn from the waking life, conscious and unconscious, one being the events of the day, another infantile experiences or fantasies. Whatever range the dream may take, these two determinants at least are to be found therein, while somatic stimuli play only a small part in fitting into the dream, which they do not cause, but around which the pre-existing psychic dream ideas crystallize. Freud dismisses the popular idea that dreams are prophetic, or that they are symbolic in the sense of having a definite set of symbols like a ' language of flowers '; and yet it is found that there is a symbolization in dreams, but built up on well-determined processes, similar to the origin of folk-lore or heathen mythology.

A dream has a manifest content and a latent content, and this fact must be well understood. The manifest content is often bizarre and wild, and can only be interpreted by an analysis of the latent content, and by free association of ideas connected with it. Every dream, Freud claims, is the fulfilment of a suppressed wish or a number of suppressed wishes. Conscious life is full of suppressions - not necessarily morbid. The greatest amount of suppression takes place during the first five years of infancy, and is not, under ordinary conditions, interpreted in terms of consciousness. This idea is expressed by Freud in his ' infantile sexual theory.' The infant enters the world full of wants, primarily physical, without which it would not survive; the first and most obvious craving being that in relation to sustenance. It is early trained in habits through this want, and a certain physical control is imposed upon it until such time as self-control or habit comes into play. But the infant has other wants which Freud has been the first to describe as 'sexual.' The term 'sexual' must here again be accepted in his own sense, just as in the former instance 'unconscious' was accepted; it is useless otherwise to try and understand his theory.

Infantile sexuality includes not only certain erotic tendencies which may be grossly manifested in such acts as masturbation; but immodest exhibitions of the person, or vanity; curiosity and interest in the bodily functions and sensations; pleasure in the infliction of pain on others (sadism), or on oneself (masochism), and exaggerated dependence upon parents or nurses. It is obvious such infantile instincts require subjugation because they are egoistic and antisocial. They are converted by education and culture into shame, modesty, morality, sympathy, filial love, and the desire to win esteem. Thus they may be sublimated; * or, less fortunately, they may be ' repressed' into the unconscious, whence they exert a lasting influence for good. In certain instances the suppressed tendency, especially when acting in a neurotic soil, forms a foreign body in the unconscious, upon which base a perversion or psycho-neurotic symptom may supervene. †