ABSTRACT

The mechanism Sigmund Freud described appears distinct and clear on the surface. Freud's ideas about the function of judgement make sense, and their refinement in L. Rangell's discussion of the "decision-making function of the ego" lends them further credence. Negation involves unconscious sequestering of the emotional validity of the psychic truth; even the intellectual awareness of that truth is limited to its inverted form. Thus, Freud's digression might actually have anticipated matters of considerable theoretical and technical importance. Two statements in Freud's paper stand out when it comes to the consideration of psychoanalytic technique vis-a-vis negation. The first is to be found in the paper's opening paragraph, and the second constitutes its last sentence. His two technical recommendations for dealing with negation boil down to an interesting paradox. Both statements hint at an oracle-like, declarative stance on the analyst's part.