| Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious | |
| Title Orig: | German: Der Witz und seine Beziehung zum Unbewußten |
| Translator: | J. Strachey |
| Author: | Sigmund Freud |
| Country: | Germany and Austria (1905) United States (1960) |
| Language: | German (1905) English (1960) |
| Subjects: | Psychoanalysis Jokes Humor |
| Publisher: | F. Deuticke |
| Pub Date: | 1905 |
| English Pub Date: | 1960 |
| Media Type: | |
Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious (German: Der Witz und seine Beziehung zum Unbewußten)[1] is a 1905 book on the psychoanalysis of jokes and humour by Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis.[2] In the work, Freud describes the psychological processes and techniques of jokes, which he compares to the processes and techniques of dreamwork and the unconscious.
Freud claims that "our enjoyment of the joke" indicates what is being repressed in more serious talk.[3] Freud argues that the success of the joke depends upon a psychic economy, whereby the joke allows one to overcome inhibitions.[4]
According to Freud, understanding of joke technique is essential for understanding jokes and their relation to the unconscious; however, these techniques are what make a joke a joke.[5] Freud also noted that the listener laughing really heartily at the joke will typically not be in the mood for investigating its technique.[6]
The book is divided into three sections: "analytic," "synthetic" and "theoretical."
The book's first section includes a discussion on the techniques and tendencies of jokes.
The second section includes a discussion on the psychological origins and motives of the joke and the joke as a social process.
The book's final section discusses the joke's relation to dreams and the Unconscious.
The book is mentioned in Adventure Time episode "Blenanas", season 10, episode 9. Princess Bubblegum gives Finn a copy of the book and says she does not have time to explain the psychology of humor to him. The title shown in the episode is "Der Witz Und Seine Beziehung Zum Unter Bewussten."