According to Freud, the analysis of
dreams is the key to unlocking the secrets of the unconscious
mind.
The starting point on Freud’s journey is the assertion that dreams are not random but that dreams do possess a meaning; and that the meaning of the dream will be revealed on analysis or intepretation. He states that the dream represents the fulfillment of a
wish. And this, according to him, is a general characteristic of dreams.
He states that a peculiar aspect of dreams is the phenomena of distortion. In other words, the wish fulfillment is “masked” or “censored” as people often have desires they do not care to admit to. He asserts that the dream is in fact the disguised fulfilment of a wish that has been suppressed. In the language used by Freud, there is a “latent”
content and a “manifest” content to the dream. He states that the anxiety that we sometimes feel in dreams is related to the content of the dream.
It is Freud’s opinion that in every dream we find some reference to recent
events or experiences (on which one has not yet slept). Freud states that events that have claimed our attention during the day continue to dominate our dream thoughts as well.
Freud states that impressions from our
childhood (which we do not remember) also appear in dreams. Even dreams of recent events / experiences may be reinforced by our childhood memories. It is Freud’s view that the more thoroughly we analyze the
Dream, the greater the likelihood of childhood memories being unearthed as the source of the dream.
Freud states that the theory that somatic stimuli (relating to the body, as distinct from the mind) are the source of dreams is largely inadequate. The nature of the dream does not alter when somatic material is added to it.
There are some typical dreams that almost everyone has dreamed - such as the embarassment dream of nakedness, the death of a beloved person and the examination dream. Freud likens such dreams to fairy-tales. He admits that the interpretation of such dreams may not be consistent with his theory of dreams.
Freud affirms that to fully understand the dream, we must understand something of the psychology of dreams.
- Upon waking we tend to forget our dreams.
- During the process of dream formation, the dream material is condensed, represented in the form of visual images and given a rational structure.
- During the dream the dreamer “regresses” (goes back) to his childhood days.
- Wishes unfulfilled or suppressed during the day assert themselves as dreams.
- The dream has a waking effect.
- Dreaming is a normal process of healthy individuals. The dream acts as a safety valve, relieving the mind of all kinds of harmful material.
- Dreams are the means by which the unconscious expresses itself.
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