Sigmund Freud Will Answer All Your Questions - Research

Imagine that you have a difficult personal problem and that you could use the advice of a wise person. How about the most famous psychotherapist? What would he tell you if you asked for help? Sigmund Freud will answer questions

It has long been noticed that we give good advice to other people who find themselves in a difficult situation, but as a rule, not very good advice for ourselves.

Solomon's paradox

This phenomenon has received the name "Solomon's paradox". By the name of the biblical king, who could justly and wisely judge anyone, but not himself

The paradox has been confirmed in psychological research. It really turned out to be like that. A practical result was also obtained. In order to find out the best solution for yourself, you need to look at the situation from the outside.

Testing the technology in virtual reality

A is a real person. B is a virtual image. C - “Silence! An experiment is in progress"

But what if this statement is backed up by technology? Spanish psychologists decided to test how it would work in virtual reality. They scanned each participant in the experiment and created a virtual body that was as similar to him as possible. A person, simply wearing a helmet, could end up in a psychologist's office. He even saw himself in the reflection of the mirror, could touch and make sure that it was "really" he was sitting at the table, on the other side of which was Dr. Sigmund Freud himself!

In one case, people talked about their situation, answered questions from Freud, and listened to his wise remarks, which were previously recorded by the experimenters.

How to "jump" into Freud's body?

In another case, the participants had to “leave” their body after the problem was identified and find themselves in Freud's body, seeing themselves in front of them. "Implanting into the body" today is already a completely worked out procedure that takes half a minute: you are asked to touch yourself, raise your hands alternately and do other movements, while simultaneously observing yourself in the mirror. The participants in this group had to "jump" from body to body five times, conducting a real dialogue with Freud. As you can imagine, in fact, they only communicated with themselves.

Each participant could have a long enough conversation with Freud. Immediately after the experiment and one week later, scientists measured various characteristics of the participants. It turned out that the method of dialogue with oneself, albeit with the help of Freud, is more effective than other methods of solving problems in many ways.

The method of dialogue with Freud helps to get out of a difficult situation

How it works?

What results did the participants in such an unusual experiment achieve? Were they able to better understand the situation in which they find themselves and cope with the problems?

The main results of the experiment

• People began to understand their problem more.
• Began to be more productive in dealing with a difficult situation.
• Less stress.
• Figured out what changes are taking place.
• We were able to predict what changes should occur.

Distance yourself, or looking from the outside, helps in a wide variety of situations.

Spanish scientists believe that it is this method that enables a person to open up and achieve a more objective and rational analysis of the problem

What else is important? With this method, one does not need to imagine - the person is forced to immerse himself in the situation, and the brain begins to perceive it as real. At the same time, he receives recommendations from someone, and not from a copy of himself, and he is addressed in the second person as "you or you." This turns out to be much more effective for perception than when the address comes from the first person ("I" or "me").

Choose your guru

Getting used to another image has long shown amazing results in numerous experiments. For example, during the 2019 Adam & Galinsky study, participants were asked to solve attention problems in a "scientific" lab coat. And what do you think? They were much better at coping with complex tasks than in a painter's coat.

And when students in another experiment donned police uniforms, they immediately began to pay attention to passers-by in sweatshirts with a hood on.

In another case, the uniform was flying, which led to a temporary improvement in vision. People's behavior changed towards dominance when they put on an expensive business suit. Their testosterone levels rose, and their negotiating ability improved. The desire to understand and help others grew significantly when female students donned a nurse's uniform.

It is not surprising that a person, "living" in the image of Freud, discovered something in himself that is stereotypical for a good psychotherapist

Perhaps it was observation, or empathy, or the soothing confidence of a master of his craft.

If this method becomes widespread, psychologists will be able to suggest other figures to communicate with the client. Not everyone idealizes Sigmund Freud. Solomon, Buddha, and any other authority can be at the table opposite you.

Who would you like to receive advice from in a difficult situation?

• Slater M., Neyret S., Johnston T., Iruretagoyena G., Crespo M., Alabèrnia-Segura M., Spanlang B., Feixas G. An experimental study of a virtual reality counseling paradigm using embodied self-dialogue // Scientific reports. 2019.9 (1): 10903.doi: 10.1038 / s41598-019-46877-3
• Adam H., Galinsky AD Reflections on enclothed cognition: Commentary on Burns et al. // Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2019.83.157-159. doi: 10.1016 / j.jesp.2018.12.002