The Concept of Truth in Psychoanalysis

In this paper we shall discuss the concepts of construction and historical truth. A new reading of Freud's 'Constructions in Analysis' (1937) shows it centred upon the question of where the truth lies and the manner in which the analyst produces in the patient the conviction of the truth of a construction. Freud begins by quoting a well-known scientist whose opinion was that an analyst treats his patient on the principle of 'Heads I win, tails you lose.' Freud rejects this view and goes on to describe the way in which analysts arrive at an assessment of the 'Yes' or 'No' of their patients. To this purpose, he makes a comparison with the reconstruction of truth in archaeology. The first sections of Freud's paper deal with this problem and the final ones with historical truth in connexion with delusions. In contrast to the attempt—even amongst analysts—to disprove delusions, to ignore the element of truth contained in them, Freud considers the possibility of recovering that fragment of truth. Finally, Freud discusses the problem of historical truth in relation to mankind as a whole. Thus, Freud begins with the assessment of the patients' 'Yes' and 'No', of their genuine expression of agreement or of denial; he then makes a comparison with the task of reconstruction in archaeology; he wonders in what way conviction is produced in the patient, refers to ultra-clear recollections, groups together neurotics and psychotics and then discusses historical truth in connexion with mankind, with the origin of myths.

There is much to be said about all these points. To begin with, the scientist quoted by Freud seems to have been partly right when he referred to the principle 'Heads I win, tails you lose, ' if we think of the tendency of some analysts to make repressive interpretations or, at least, of the many occasions when the psychoanalyst has 'his own' truth and unconsciously tries to impose it upon his patient. In this respect, perhaps because he was much more open-m