Surprise and the Psycho-Analyst:

On the Conjecture and Comprehension of Unconscious Processes

Theodor Reik

• Publisher: Patavium Publishing
• Year: 2023
• Topic: Psychology
• eBook ISBN:
  9781805232995
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Written in 1936, this book seeks to describe what is required of an investigator into the unconscious mental processes of another person, and what he achieves. By describing the psychological process of cognition from within, the author intends at the same time to trace the way from conjecturing to comprehending the unconscious processes.-Print ed.
"The author describes his book as an attempt to set forth "What is required of an investigator into the unconscious mental processes of another person, and what he achieves." In fact the scope of the book is wider than this might suggest, for it makes a good many incursions into the fields of general psychological method and principle both normal and abnormal. Some of the topics dealt with are wit; tact, time and rhythm; memory and reminiscence; conjecture and comprehension; the ego mechanism; anticipation. The general thesis of the book is that when the true route of analysis and interpretation is followed there must be somewhere near the beginning always an experience of shock or surprise. This and its significance are fully discussed and illustrated by a mass of original observations."-American Psychological Association.

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• DEDICATION
• CHAPTER I — INTRODUCTORY
• CHAPTER II — CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS OBSERVATION
• CHAPTER III — NOTICING, ATTENTION, AND TAKING NOTE
• CHAPTER IV — FROM THE TRULY STARTLING TO THE STARTLINGLY TRUE
• CHAPTER V — THE PSYCHOGENESIS OF ANALYTICAL INTERPRETATION AND OF WIT
• CHAPTER VI — KNOWLEDGE EXPERIENCED AND KNOWLEDGE LEARNT BY ROTE
• CHAPTER VII — THERE IS NO ROYAL ROAD THROUGH THE UNCONSCIOUS
• CHAPTER VIII — POINT OF DEPARTURE, PAUSE, RESUMPTION
• CHAPTER IX — CONCERNING TACT, TIME, AND RHYTHM
• CHAPTER X — THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN MEMORY AND REMINISCENCE
• CHAPTER XI — AN UNCOMPREHENDED CASE
• CHAPTER XII — THE QUESTION OF EVIDENCE—CONJECTURE AND COMPREHENSION
• CHAPTER XIII — THE PSYCHICAL PROCESS OF CONJECTURE
• CHAPTER XIV — THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF COMPREHENSION
• CHAPTER XV — THE INSTINCTIVE BASIS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CONJECTURE
• CHAPTER XVI — CONCERNING RECIPROCAL ILLUMINATION
• CHAPTER XVII — THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RECURRENT REFLECTION
• CHAPTER XVIII — THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS IN THE EGO
• CHAPTER XIX — THE PSYCHICAL MECHANISM OF ANTICIPATION
• CHAPTER XX — THE SHOCK OF THOUGHT
• CHAPTER XXI — PSYCHOLOGICAL COGNITION AND SUFFERING THE COURAGE NOT TO COMPREHEND