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Thought as trial action is one of the most important ego functions (Freud, 1933, p. 75). It combines many other ego functions such as the perception and judgment of situations in external reality as well as evaluation and judgment of one's subjective response to that external situation. It also involves the memory of previous relevant experiences and what was learned from them.
There are several phrases that are synonymous with “thought as trial action”: Freud mostly used the phrase “experimental action”; others have used the phrase “thinking ahead,” “planning ahead,” and “planning.”
I shall begin this discussion of thought as trial action with examples that are familiar and readily lend themselves to both clinical and theoretical scrutiny. Upon awakening from sleep in the morning and before getting out of bed, many people turn their attention to and become consciously aware of the problems and tasks of the forthcoming day. Simultaneously, they may be more or less in touch with a dream, an element of a dream or associations; they may be aware of an