The meaning of free association for the development of psychoanalysis: ‘Einfall’ as a part of Freudian epistemology and the ambiguity of the golden rule

Abstract

Although free association represents the core of psychoanalysis little is known about the ambiguity that accompanies this golden rule. The focus of this article is on its meaning for psychoanalysis, its development from the first writings during the period of formation of the fundamental concepts of psychoanalysis, and on the presentation of examples of the rule in various of Freud’s works. Through the explication of coinciden­tal and symptomatic acts, and slips in oral and written contexts, we examine their con­nection to free association as a method of making the unconscious conscious, and as a method in the analysis of the suppressed content, where the mechanisms of suppression, denial, and the unconscious are also mentioned.

Due to the inconsistent conceptualization and perception of the German phrase 'freier Einfall', there is an ambiguity in the conception and treatment of free association in psychoanalysis, which led to blurring the difference between the two expressions. Thro­ugh analysis of the difference between free association and 'Einfall', we want to show that the latter is one of the key elements of the Freudian epistemology and that 'Einfall' is, as opposed to 'Assoziation', the fundamental part of psychoanalysis.