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Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Language01:16

Language

Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...
Freudian Psychology01:26

Freudian Psychology

Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist born in 1856, significantly influenced psychology through his exploration of the unconscious mind. His interest in patients suffering from hysteria and neurosis — conditions without apparent physical causes — led him to theorize the existence of an unconscious mind, a repository for feelings and urges beyond our awareness. Freud's innovative approach included techniques such as dream analysis, free association, and attention to slips of the tongue to...
Language Development01:22

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Things in words: Ferenczi and language.

Jô Gondar1

  • 1Department of Postgraduate Studies in Social Memory, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. jogondar@uol.com.br

American Journal of Psychoanalysis
|December 7, 2011
PubMed
Summary

This study explores the sensitive and magical use of language by psychoanalytic patients. It offers a constructive, non-pathologizing view of their symbolic and metaphorical capacities.

Area of Science:

  • Psychoanalysis
  • Linguistics
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Sandor Ferenczi's concept of mimesis between words and things.
  • Emphasis on the sensitive and magical dimensions of language in psychoanalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine contemporary patients' use of language constructively.
  • To avoid pathologizing patients' symbolic and metaphorical abilities.

Main Methods:

  • Qualitative analysis of patient language.
  • Psychoanalytic theoretical framework.

Main Results:

  • Identified non-pathologizing patterns in patient language use.
  • Highlighted the constructive potential in symbolic expression.

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Last Updated: May 26, 2026

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05:15

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Published on: February 19, 2018

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Conclusions:

  • Contemporary patients' language use can be understood beyond deficiency.
  • A constructive approach validates patients' unique symbolic and metaphorical expressions.