Summary of Key Points
This article takes the Dreyfus Affair in France in 1894 as a starting point and combines Freud's psychological research from the same period (such as the analysis of dreams and jokes in "Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious") to explore how "socialization" forces individuals to suppress their true selves (for example, Jews hiding their identity, women being constrained by stereotypes). This leads to the core of Freud's psychoanalytic theory: modern people are trapped in a "mental dilemma" due to repression. Psychoanalysis is not about achieving a complete "cure," but rather about helping people understand themselves, learn to live with their inner selves, and find meaning through communication.
I. The Dreyfus Affair: A "spy case" that divided France, reflecting the collective anxiety of Jews
In 1894, Dreyfus, a high-ranking French military officer who was Jewish, was accused of being a German spy and exiled to the island of Devil's Island (a place where French convicts were sent). This event immediately split France into two camps: one wanted to use this incident to reorganize the army and make France "great again," while the other believed he was innocent, accusing the reformists of betraying the spirit of liberty, equality, and fraternity of the French Revolution.
However, the most affected were Jews throughout Europe. With Dreyfus' ordeal, all Jews were labeled as suspicious. They had to suppress their identities—daring not to pray publicly, not wearing traditional clothing, and even hating their Jewish heritage, for fear of being implicated. This collective suppression of identity became a living example for Freud to observe the costs of socialization.
II. Freud's "Cliff Dream": Not just sympathy for Dreyfus, but an insight into the "traps of socialization"
While writing "Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious," Freud had a dream in which a person stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea (similar to a painting by Böcklin). Later, when he learned that Dreyfus had been exiled to Devil's Island, he connected the dream with the event. But rather than sympathizing with Dreyfus directly, Freud saw a deeper issue: socialization forces individuals to accuse themselves.
For instance, Jews had to hide their identities to prove their innocence, which was essentially an admission in their own minds that they were "guilty." As a Jew from Vienna, Freud himself experienced this fear—he feared that psychoanalysis would be associated with "Jewishness" and that he would be labeled as part of some "mysterious conspiracy" (similar to how some Chinese view traditional Chinese medicine practices as superstitious). This fear became the starting point for his research on repression and mental illness.
III. The "innocence" in jokes: Anti-Semitism and misogyny are manifestations of the same biased logic
In "Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious," Freud mentions a joke: "This girl reminds me of Dreyfus—the army doesn't believe she's innocent." Here, "innocence" has two meanings: Dreyfus' innocence means he did not betray his country, while the girl's innocence refers to her lack of sexual experience.
This joke reveals the dual prejudices of society at the time: identity labels are seen as a form of original sin. Jews were suspected of being spies simply because they were Jewish and could not prove their innocence; women were stereotyped as irrational and conspiratorial and could not prove their "pudicity." This logic continues to this day—during extreme movements like #MeToo, all men are assumed to be guilty by default, just as all Jews were implicated in the Dreyfus Affair.
IV. Psychoanalysis: Not about "healing," but about helping you see your repressed self
Freud created psychoanalysis not to cure neuroses, but to help people realize that many of modern problems stem from suppressing their true selves. For example, people may change their accents, hide their beliefs, or suppress their thoughts in order to fit in society. These suppressed aspects do not disappear but instead control them, leading to anxiety, insomnia, and other issues.
The method of psychoanalysis is simple: you lie on a sofa and let your thoughts wander freely (recalling dreams, speaking your mind), releasing the repressed emotions. It does not aim for a complete cure but rather helps you understand why you behave in certain ways. As psychoanalyst Adam Phillips said, "There is no such thing as a cure; we just need different ways of living with ourselves."
V. The "false sense of security" of modern people: The more you suppress, the less innocent you feel
Modern people fear being rejected, so they try to suppress their uniqueness—changing their accents or hiding their beliefs. However, this suppression is a form of false security: you think by hiding your differences that you will be accepted, but in reality, you are acknowledging that there is something wrong with you.
Dreyfus was eventually acquitted, but people still considered him "not innocent" (just as the Chinese saying goes, "Flies don't land on unbroken eggs"). This shows that once you enter society, it is difficult to remain completely innocent—because you are always hiding something. Freud wants to convey that instead of striving for universal acceptance, it is better to learn to live with your imperfections. The true freedom lies in accepting and embracing our own uniqueness.
The article ultimately argues that both the Dreyfus Affair and Freud's research point to one thing: the mental dilemmas of modern people stem from excessive compromise to social norms. The solution is not to eliminate our differences but to bravely confront and accept them, and to find ways to connect with the world through genuine communication.