introduction
‘“Error is associated with an unavoidable ignorance, ― when one gropes, so to speak, in the dark.”’2
Ruch states that a Freudian slip, is different to an error in the sense that, dissimilarly to an error, a slip ‘allows the transfer of extra, relevant information.’ It permits the listener to interpret, ‘extra information that the speaker did not consciously intend to transmit but is nonetheless relevant to the message.’3 The Freudian slip gives “context” to the error that has been made, which could arguably, change the listener’s interpretation on the said mistake.
The example Ruch gives, is the “Nixon slip”. ‘While campaigning, for the governorship of the state of California, Richard Nixon is reported to have said that he was honored to be running for “governor of the United States”’.4 Here, the listener, obviously, would have expected Mr. Nixon to say, ‘“governor of California”’, not the United States, which would alert them that he still has the White House on his mind after losing a presidential race previously.5 There is nothing Nixon could say in this situation that would make the listener “unhear” what he had “intended” to say. ‘The listener “processes” the received utterance by comparing three things:
- expected versus received particulars of the utterance;
- context of the utterance; and
- knowledge of the speaker in relation to the utterance.’6
Once, all three things have been checked off, the listener is stuck believing what they have heard, which in this case, is Nixon’s speech. Mr. Nixon [in this instance], ‘experienced tension between his Unconscious Desire (to reveal his desire for the Presidency) and his Conscious Intentions (to express a feeling of honor at being a candidate for the governorship of California).’7 If we draw on the idea of the partnership between the id and the ego, in this example, it is clear that the ego has been unable to repress the id drive.
1 Jacques Derrida, The Postcard, p.155.
2 Marc Porée and Isabelle Alfandary, eds, Literature and Error: A Literary take on Mistakes and Errors, New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc, 2018) ProQuest Ebook Central, p.142.
3 Richard S. Ruch, ‘An Analysis of The Freudian Slip and Errors in Speech Communication’, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 2:4 (1972), pp. 343-352 <An Analysis of the Freudian Slip and Errors in Speech Communication (sagepub.com> [accessed 2 September 2023], p.350.
Ruch, p.347.
4 Ruch, p.347.
Ruch, p.343.
5 Ruch, p.348.
6 Ruch, p.347.
7 Ruch, pp.349-350.
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Lucie Staniek
Lucie Staniek is a Creative Writing PhD student, studying at the University of Lancaster. She received a 1st Class Hons in her BA (English Literature & History), a Distinction in her MA (English Literary
Studies) in which she received 85% for her dissertation, The Rat Man, and her creative-critical play of voices, She is Not, was published in Futch Journal (2024). Her doctorate takes the form of a historical
novel about her Polish great-grandfather, Franciszek Sochacz, who perished at Auschwitz. Her supervisors for this project are Professor John Schad and Professor Jenn Ashworth.
OSMOSIS PRESS 