According to Freud, it is important and meaningful to understand our dreams. Hence, Freud identified two types of content in our dreams, that is the manifest and the latent content. The manifest content is the actual subject of the dream that one remembers, while the latent content appears to be hidden and often discovered by a dream analysis to find out the underlying meaning of these symbols. In order to protect the individual from thoughts and feeling that are hard to deal with in real life, Freud believed that drea... ... middle of paper ... ... Freud associated certain dreams with childhood experiences and also gave a greater view on why some people are fixated at certain stages in their development. ‘The Interpretation of Dreams’ by Sigmund Freud can be concluded that the unconscious mind can be expressed through dreams.
Freud believed that dreams are manifestations of urges and desires that are suppressed in the unconscious. Freud categorized the mind into three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. When one is awake, the impulses if the id are suppressed by the superego, but during dreams, one may get a glimpse into the unconscious mind, or the id. The unconscious has the opportunity to express hidden desires of the id during dreaming. Freud believed that the id can be so disturbing at times that the id’s content can be translated into a more acceptable form.
The new psychological research by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung gave rise to new dream theories that helped gain a greater understanding on dream interpretations. The study of dreams by Sigmund Freud focuses on the hidden and symbolic messages that appear in dreams. In his work the Interpretation of dreams Sigmund Freud analyzes the meaning of dreams to grasp a better understanding on personality. Freud believes that nothing occurs by chance therefore an individual’s action is driven by the person’s unconsciousness. His theory states that dreams allow us reach and connect into our unconsciousness.
Most dreams are in the form of interrupted stories, made up partly of memories, with frequent shifts of scene. Our ancestors believed that dreams were messages from the gods. Descartes idea that we are not aware that we could be dreaming is found in the answer of lucid dreaming. This is the idea that you know that you are dreaming. Lucid dreams usually begin in the midst of a dream when they realize that they are not experiencing a physical reality but it is a dream.
The relationship between dreaming and repression is complex and requires thorough understanding of Freud’s theory thus it is better to get to know some of the terms and concepts Freud raises in study of dreams. As all the information is gathered, it is believed that the wish as fulfilled is shown only in a state of repression during sleep. It is universally known that dreams are full of meanings and emotions. In Freud’s theory, all dreams are wish fulfillments or at least attempts at wish fulfillment. The dreams are usually presented in an unrecognizable form because the wishes are repressed.
While we sleep, our brains are able to play out scenes in our mind through our dreams. However, dreaming does not fully expose our cognitive potential. We are only able to watch those scenes while dreaming rather than fully participate. Lucid dreaming gives us not only the ability to participate in our dreams, but allows us to determine what will happen in them and manipulate the entire plot. Lucid dreaming is defined as “the experience of dreaming with consciousness and awareness that one is dreaming (Melton 940).” For a dream to be lucid, the dreamer must realize that they are not in reality or the physical world, but that they are in a dream.
In one of his dialogues, Plato stated that dreams were used as a method to achieve a particular kind of knowledge. Plato also stated that dreams originate from the organs in your belly. (Lewis 191) He said “When the belly organs are frustrated while sleeping, it censors the dreams”. Plato said that the kinds of dreams you have are based on your character and education. He said that if someone had been angry or happy then that also strikes the actions in the dreams.
« The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind ».1 While Freud already used hypnosis and free association with his patients, he soon felt the need to include the interpretation of dreams in psychoanalysis as well. Freud decided he would developped his 'theory of dreams' to go further in his analysis. According to Freud, dreams allow unconscious desires, fears or emotions to express themselves in a disguised way. Dreams are an expression of wish fulfilment communicating through symbols. Throughout this essay, we will ask ourselves how dreams and their interpretation can be useful to psychoanalysis.
The last theory, proposed by William Domhoff, is called the neurocognitive theory of dreaming, which demonstrates that dream content in general is continuous with waking conceptions and emotional preoccupations. Thus, dreaming is best understood as a developmental cognitive achievement that depends upon the maintenance of a specific network of forebrain structures. While each theory has different belief system and approach method, it is a great opportunity to know how former psychologists contributed to the field of dream interpretation. One of Freud's major contributions was his appreciation of unconscious processes in people’s lives. According to Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, the dream images and their symbolic messages can be observed as one's fulfilled wis... ... middle of paper ... ...n and development throughout history.
An important procedure for gaining data on the unconscious and subconscious mind is through the analysis of dreams (Butcher, 2013). While sleeping, a person’s mental defensive filters are lowered. Therefore, forbidden desires such as sex and emotional feelings of repression may find themselves into a clients dream. The mind interprets this unconscious cognition and disguises these feelings into symbolism. (2013) This is why dream interpretation is a valid form of information gathering on an individual’s subconscious and emotional stressors.