So I'm going to, I should put on the table right now that I'm not going to engage in a detailed comparison of Aquinas and Freud.

I'm not a Freud scholar, so I'm not going to be saying anything about how one should or should not interpret Freud tonight.

What I want to do is think about a particular idea that Freud brings, a particular human phenomenon that Freud brings to our attention and see if Aquinas has the resources to deal with that phenomenon in his theory of psychology.

So let's consider the following case of Victor. Victor works 80 hours a week in a senior position at an American bank.

Although he frequently complains about how overworked he is and talks longingly about having

a vacation, even planning out getaways with his wife, somehow the plans never materialize.

Every time a trip must be put off, there's a concrete reason. He'd

hoped to take his wife to Paris in April, but now a new employee needs to be trained,

and later this summer it will be impossible to get away with the roof being redone.

Eventually Victor's wife has had enough and furiously accuses him of not wanting to go on vacation.

Victor is surprised and angry. Of course he wants

a vacation. Hasn't he said so a thousand times? It's not his fault that his plans always keep getting

derailed. Later, however, he is haunted by his wife's accusation. Could he really be unconsciously

avoiding time away from work rather than being the victim of unfortunate

coincidences. But if that's what he's doing, why is he doing it? He runs through some

possibilities. Am I trying to impress my boss? Am I afraid of my subordinate taking my job? Am I afraid

of repeating that one terrible childhood vacation just before my parents

broke up? Still trying to prove to my father that I'm not always the failure that he said I was.

Am I afraid to let myself enjoy anything? He's a conversation that many academics can have with

themselves when they find themselves in their office on yet another Saturday evening.

Now notice that Victor does not derive this list of hidden motives from themselves in their office on yet another Saturday evening.

Now notice that Victor does not derive this list of hidden motives from any first person

...