Negation

The term negation (Verneinung) denotes a mental process in which the subject formulates the content of an unconscious wish in a negative form. The content of the wish finds expression in consciousness, yet the subject continues to disown it. This concept first appeared in Freud's work in connection with the analysis of the "Rat Man" when the patient produced an association having to do with the death of his father but immediately "rejects the idea with energy" (1909d, p. 178). Yet Freud's main discussion of the topic appears...