Sigmund Freud\'s Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious

Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious

Although the general theme of Sigmund Freud's Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious (first published in 1905) is the characteristics and composition of jokes, and their relationship with the unconscious mind, the content of Chapter VI is rather narrower and more specific. Entitled The Relation of Jokes to Dreams and to The Unconscious, Chapter VI deals almost exclusively with Freud's theoretical arguments.

A large section, at the beginning of the chapter, digresses from book's overall theme as Freud provides a summary of the ideas and theories proposed in his previous work, Interpretation of Dreams (1900). This is relevant because of the similarities that are subsequently drawn between jokes (through the joke-work) and dreams (through the dream-work). Freud details the processes that he considers to be involved with both jokes and dreams, namely displacement, condensation (with or without the formation of substitutes), representation by nonsense and by opposite, and indirect representation. He describes these processes and explains their relevance in joke-work and dream-work, and draws several comparisons. However, in addition to these comparisons, the chapter also highlights several important differences, both in the formation and function of jokes and dreams. The most important of these, according to Freud, is their social behavior. Whereas dreams are termed as asocial, due to their unintelligibility to the subject and their lack of interest to other people, he considers the joke to be the most social of all mental functions: its very completion requiring the participation of someone else. Additionally, he draws the distinction that dreams and jokes have grown in different regions of mental life. A dream remains a 'wish-fulfillment', permitted to occur for the sake of the need to sleep, while a joke is a 'developed play' that aims to produce pleasure. Freud summarizes their differences as, "Dreams serve predominantly for the avoidance of unpleasure, jokes for the attainment of pleasure" (180)

Arguably, the central issue within Chapter VI of Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious is the "common element in jokes and dreams." Displacement, condensation, and indirect representation, according to the author, are processes that occur in the formation of both jokes and dreams. This comparison is based upon Freud's assertion that the hidden psychological processes that occur, "during the formation of a joke in the first person" (165) are almost identical to the characteristics of the dream-work. By this he means that during joke formation, as in the dream-work, a preconscious thought - of which the individual is unaware - momentarily sinks into the unconscious, before reappearing and being instantly perceived by the conscious. He further supports this theory with his explanation of the process of condensation, and the resultant 'brevity' of both jokes and dreams. Another source of similarity, cited by Freud, is the use of indirect representation and displacement. By adopting symbolism, and by using analogies and allusions, jokes and dreams are able to overcome 'internal' censorship while, in the case of jokes, they allow the individual to release hostile or obscene tensions (tendentious jokes) in a socially acceptable manner. As Billig explains, "sexual and aggressive thoughts, which are forbidden in polite society, can be shared as if they are not serious" (2002). However, Freud emphasizes that the symbolism and displacement is far greater within dream-work than it is in joke-work; in order to bypass the exaggerated unconscious censorship that is applied to dreams.

Another prominent issue within the chapter examined is that of criticism. In several instances, although primarily within the earlier paragraphs, Freud takes the opportunity to address critics of his previous works, and of his theories in general. His response is, at times, surprisingly severe, especially towards those who "dispute the unconscious as being somewhat absurd and impossible," and he explains their unwillingness to accept such concepts as the result of "emotional resistances" and therefore their "most convenient plan is to deny its possibility altogether" (162). It is not only academics and fellow specialists who are the subject of Freud's almost arrogant response but also his readership, as evidenced by his suggestion that, "I can therefore wait quietly till my readers' understanding catches up with me" (159).