Introduction
to Dreams
Dreams have been a part of
the human psyche since before
recorded time.
Some divined messages from
supernatural beings in dreams.
others later saw them as a
window to the unconscious.
Some say nothing they are a
biochemical reaction as the
brain rests, recovers, and
resets itself from day to day.
Introduction to Dreams
What do you think they mean?
Should psychologists study
dreams to see if they tell us
something about human
behavior?
Do you take the behaviorists
standpoint that since we can not
directly study the contents of
dreams, then they are not
something that the science of
psychology should be concerned
with?
Introduction to Dreams
Psychology is theoretically diverse.
Psychology evolved (and still evolves) in a
sociohistoric context, meaning how dreams
have been used in human history.
We will look at "types" of dreams according
to "pop" culture and look at the major
theoreticians in the field of psychology,
mainly, Freud and his followers.
Freud
Sigmund Freud is considered
by many to be the reason for
studying dreams and the
unconscious in psychology.
His work provided paved the
way for others with similar
ideas to express their beliefs.
There have always been
dreams, and "analysts" for
those dreams.
Freud
Freud was classically
educated.
He aware of the Dream Lore,
and Freud's own theories of
"borrowed" from these early
civilizations.
His use of the Greek
civilization is very apparent,
as in his Oedipal and Edipus
complexes.
Culture and Dreams
Babylonians -saw dreams as messages from the
supernatural beings (good dreams came from the gods,
bad dreams came from demons)
Assyrians -saw dreams as omens. Bad dreams demanded
action, i.e. exorcisms. Other dreams were seen as "advice"
Egyptians -believed that the gods revealed themselves in
dreams, demanding pious acts, or warning of impending
doom
Greeks -dreams were good or bad. Sometimes, a
treatment, or sleep ritual would be worked up to help
incubate good dreams. This "treatment" would include
abstaining from sex, meat, and drink. Dreams often told a
prophecy. Aristotle postulated that dreams may be
premonitions of an illness coming from within the body,
where some "unconscious" mind recognized early
symptoms, but the absolute sensation threshold had not
been crossed to alert the "waking self". (Sounds like he
was way ahead of his time) The Romans had similar
beliefs.
Hebrews -dreams were a vision or prophecy from a god
(keep in mind that we see monotheism emerging here)
Culture and Dreams
Hindus -dreams are prophetic, and the timing
of the dream will indicate how soon the
prophecy will come to pass
Japanese -dreams are sought as visions to
help answer questions that are plaguing the
waking self. Usually the answers come from
ancestral spirits.
Muslims -dreams and astrology are closely
related in this culture. True dreams come from
god, false ones from the devil.
Australian Aborigines -the spirits from
underground rise and wander in the land of
the living, and when they pass through a
mortal being, a "greater vision" is momentarily
acquired.. this would be what we call a dream
North American Indians -hidden wished of
the soul are addressed and fulfilled in dreams.
Visions can also be sought after in the hopes
of answering a question or resolving a conflict.
Psychoanalytic (Freud's) Theory of Dreams
Dreams and Meanings
Dream interpretation
requires that you ask the
dreamer what he/she thinks
the dream means.
The first words out of their
mouths are usually the most
telling
There is no "quick reference"
book to identify what objects
in dreams symbolize.
The objects undergo changes
that only the individual can
gain an understanding of,
and the psychoanalyst can
learn of through the
"talking" cure.
Psychoanalytic (Freud's) Theory of Dreams
Interpretation
There are obstacles that the
patient's own unconscious throws
up to keep the meanings of
dreams hidden (remember, this is
the function of dreams according
to Freud).
These obstacles can be in the
form of forgetting the content of a
dream, being uncooperative in
analysis, censorship in what they
do say about the dream, and other
forms of resistance.
Psychoanalytic (Freud's) Theory of Dreams
Interpretation
It is also important to realize that there
are two levels to every dream. The
MANIFEST and the LATENT content.
MANIFEST content is easier to
determine, and is generated by things
like "day residue" (the left over
remnants of the day that the mind uses
as a stage to hide the deeper issues of a
dream).
LATENT content is the one that is
important for understanding the
unconscious conflicts that the dreamer
is experiencing. The latent or hidden
part is where the greatest
understanding can be uncovered.
Psychoanalytic (Freud's) Theory of Dreams
RULES for Interpretations:
do not trouble yourself over the
manifest's meaning.
free associate, allow the dreamer
to say what ever comes to mind
when they think about different
parts of the dream
the hidden thoughts will appear
on their own, we can not rush
them along
Psychoanalytic (Freud's) Theory of Dreams
Types of Dreams
1) Manifest content makes sense
and has a coherent "plot"; its
connection to psychic life is clear.
2) Manifest content seems clear and
connected (has plot), but meaning
of dream remains obscure.
3) Manifest content confused and
chaotic, and there seems to be no
discernible meaning; interpretation
apparently impossible. For Freud,
most dreams fall into this category.
Terminology
Dream censorship
Symbolism
Dream Work
Condensation-\
Displacement
Freud “Dreamers” Dictionary
Freud found that many times, certain "items" of the
real world, were represented the same way between
different people. Some of these "generalities" are
listed here:
a house = the human form
if the house is flat (no balconies or things coming off the
house)- it is a man
if the house has balconies, awnings, etc., then it is usually a
woman
emperors and empresses = parents
Kings/Queens = parents
little animals/vermin = siblings
water = birth
Freud “Dreamers” Dictionary
journeys/travel = dying
the #3, umbrellas, sticks, poles, trees, (things that
penetrate) knives, daggers, lances, sabers, guns, pistols,
revolvers, (things form which water flow) taps, watercans,
springs (objects that get longer) balloons, slide rulers,
(things that defy gravity) airplanes, and (animals) snakes,
etc. = the male sex organs
pits, hallows, caves (things that hold things) jars, bottles,
boxes, chests, coffers, pockets, cupboards, stoves, rooms,
(things that hold other things) mouths, doors, gates,
(things that represent breasts) apples, peaches fruits, and
(others) woods, shrubs, bushes, etc. = female sex organs
Intercourse (the act) was often found to be represented as
dancing, riding, climbing, or experiencing some violent
act
Common Dreams
Nightmares
Dream Journal Project
For this quarter’s
project you will
complete a dream
journal and write a
short report analyzing
your dreams.
Dream Journal
Dream Journal
Project
Before falling asleep, DECIDE you
are going to remember your dreams.
Be patient; it may take a night or 2
for your unconscious to get the
message. The most important thing
to remember is that EVERYONE
dreams and that once you believe
you will remember them, you will!
Keep the journal and a pen close to
your bed and write down dreams
you recall immediately, without
interpretation. You may have more
than one entry per night (everyone
dreams between 4 and 6 times) of
varying lengths (REM sleep gets
longer, therefore, your dreams get
longer later on in night).
Dream Journal
What should you record? Basically everything, uncensored,
as you remember them... do not worry about proper
English for this part. To be more specific write down:
dialogue or any words
the number and types of people (friends, strangers,
relatives)
objects
the mood of the dream (happy, sad, scary, etc.)
settings
themes
events
timing in the dream
relations to the dream and you (are you an observer,
participant, seeing yourself as player?)
If it's too difficult to record a part of the dream in writing,
sketch a picture.
Dream Journal
The journal may be handwritten. If there are
any dream entries that you do not want read,
please mark these "Personal" across the top
of the pages.
Tips to help you remember your dreams:
relax and keep telling yourself that
you WILL remember your dreams
create a comfortable sleeping
environment (you probably already
have one, so don't do anything
different because of this assignment
these dreams do not have to occur
at night, dreams that occur during
naps can be just as revealing
if you can't remember a dream,
when you wake up, just write the
first words that come to your mind,
as you look at them; a dream may
come back to you.
if you really get stuck, you can
think about dreams you have had
before, especially those that are
Written Report
Once you have about 4-5 dreams in
your journal, try to analyze them
using the following questions as
guides (but feel to create your own
"questions" also).
Were there any common threads,
common ideas, running through the
journal?
Are your dreams bizarre? Mundane?
Which dreams are most disturbing?
Why? What do they mean to you?
What common symbols or objects did
you record? What do you think these
Written Report
Were you able to control your dreams as you
remembered more and more of them?
How are your dreams relevant to your waking life?
Was the content of both journals identical on any days?
What does this tell you?
What seems to be the main function of your dreams?
In other words, what did you learn about yourself by
writing in the journal?
Write a thesis statement, and support it with
references directly from your dreams (you may even
refer to a particular date of a dream and tell the reader
to go to certain lines.) Summarize the dreams you
discuss in your report. Consider comparing settings,
plots, characters, emotions, and colors.
Written Report
The report should be in
essay form. Do not just
write sentences
answering each
question; rather have a
thesis in mind that
connects all the
individual ideas. The
written report is to be
typed, around 1 ½ to 2
pages, double spaced.
Tips for dream analysis:
Ask yourself the following Questions:
Were there any common threads,
common ideas, running through the
journal?
Are your dreams bizarre? Mundane?
Which dreams are most disturbing? Why?
What do they mean to you?
What common symbols or objects did you
record? What do you think these symbols
mean?
Were you able to control your dreams as
you remembered more and more of
them?
How are your dreams relevant to your
waking life?
Was the content of both journals identical
on any days? What does this tell you?
What seems to be the main function of
your dreams?
Project Due
Wednesday, May
25th
Turn in journal and
written report on May
25th
