Is There Such a Thing as an Accident?

This paper examines Sigmund Freud’s claim that “there is no such thing as an accident,” situating it within the framework of psychoanalytic theory and the principle of psychic determinism. By analyzing slips of the tongue, motivated forgetting, bungled actions, and chance behaviors, Freud argued that seemingly random mistakes are meaningful expressions of unconscious desires and conflicts. While critics challenge the theory as unfalsifiable and subjective, it remains influential in modern psychology, highlighting the interplay between unconscious processes and conscious choice. Ultimately, the discussion underscores how Freud’s perspective reshaped understandings of human behavior by revealing the hidden psychological forces behind everyday “accidents.”