Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious

"Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious" is Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic examination of what makes something funny. From the father of psychoanalysis we get an interesting argument that at the heart of humor is the need to satisfy ones unconscious desires. Freud explains through numerous examples how jokes allow us a release from our inhibitions and provide significant satisfaction of the desire for pleasure. Building upon his earlier work, «The Interpretation of Dreams», Freud draws parallels to dreaming, neuroses, and psychopathology. A captivating work of psychoanalysis, «Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious» gives great insight into Freud's theories and the nature of humor in the human mind.