Representation and Interpretation in Psychoanalysis: A Semiotic Perspective

Psychoanalytic understanding depends on interpretations of evidence from speech and behaviors within clinical encounters. A clinician's particular theoretical perspective orients them to favor one interpretation over another. Yet, this continuous processing of evidence often proceeds without a careful examination of the underlying basic concept: the representation being interpreted. This essay is an application of Charles Sanders Peirce's theory of semiosis, which articulates types of representation and their implications for interpretation. A more nuanced understanding of aspects of representation and their use for specific purposes could generate greater consensus in psychoanalytic interpretations and their uses for clinical diagnosis or treatment-as Freud originally envisioned but lacked a semiotic theory to describe.