FOUR DREAM THEORIES
Sigmund Freud
Considered the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
revolutionizes the study of dreams with his work The Interpretation Of Dreams.
Freud begins to analyze dreams in order to understand aspects of personality
as they relate to pathology. He believes that nothing you do occurs by chance;
every action and thought is motivated by your unconscious at some level.
In order to live in a civilized society, you have a tendency to hold back our urges
and repress our impulses. However, these urges and impulses must be
released in some way; they have a way of coming to the surface in disguised forms.
One way these urges and impulses are released is through your dreams. Because the content
of the unconscious may be extremely disturbing or harmful, Freud believes that the
unconscious expresses itself in a symbolic language.
Freud categorizes aspects of the mind into three parts:
Id – primal impulses, pleasures, desires, unchecked urges and wish fulfillment.
Ego –the conscious, the rational, the moral and the self-aware aspect of the mind.
Superego – the censor for the id, enforces the moral codes of the ego.
When you are awake, the impulses and desires of the id are suppressed by the superego.
Through dreams, you are able to get a glimpse into your unconscious or the id. Because your
guards are down during the dream state, your unconscious has the opportunity to act out and
express the hidden desires of the id. However, the desires of the id can, at times, be so
disturbing and even psychologically harmful that a "censor" comes into play and translates the
id's disturbing content into a more acceptable symbolic form. This helps to preserve sleep and
prevent you from waking up shocked at the images. As a result, confusing and cryptic dream
images occur.
According to Freud, the reason you struggle to remember your dreams, is because the
superego is at work. It is doing its job by protecting the conscious mind from the disturbing
images and desires conjured by the unconscious.
Freudian Dream Tools:
According to Freud, dreams always have a manifest and latent content. The manifest content
is what the dream seems to be saying. It is often bizarre and nonsensical. The latent content
is what the dream is really trying to say. Dreams give us a look into our unconscious. Freud
believes that we can chip through the dream's manifest content to reveal the underlying
significance and its latent by utilizing the technique of "free association". Using this technique,
you start with one dream symbol and then follow with what automatically comes to your mind
first. You continue in this manner and see where it leads.
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To further help in interpreting the cryptic images of our dreams, Freud classified the images
into the following five processes:
1. Displacement
This occurs when the desire for one thing or person is symbolized by something or someone
else.
2. Projection
This happens when the dreamer propels their own desires and wants onto another person.
3. Symbolization
This is characterized when the dreamer's repressed urges or suppressed desires are acted
out metaphorically.
4. Condensation
This is the process in which the dreamer hides their feelings or urges by contracting it or
underplaying it into a brief dream image or event. Thus the meaning of this dream imagery
may not be apparent or obvious.
5. Rationalization
This is regarded as the final stage of dreamwork. The dreaming mind organizes an
incoherent dream into one that is more comprehensible and logical. This is also known as
secondary revision.
Freud is particularly preoccupied with sexual content in dreams. He believes that sex is the
root cause of what occurs in your dreams. According to Freud, every long slender or
elongated object (i.e. knife, cigar, gun, etc.) represents the phallus, while any cavity or
receptacle (bowl, cave, tunnel, etc.) denotes the female genitalia.
Freud's 5 Stages Of Personality Development:
Freud believes that there are 5 stages in the formation of your personality:
1. Oral/Dependency
This stage takes place from birth to age 2, where the child explores the world using their
mouth. If needs are not satisfied during this stage, one goes through life trying to meet them.
Smoking, eating and drinking are seen as oral fixations. Recurring dreams, the feeling
of incompleteness or unmet needs are common themes.
2. Anal/ Potty Training
In this second stage, the child learns to control their bodily functions. If not handled properly or
if the child is traumatized at this stage, then he or she might become anal retentive,
controlling, or rigid. The child can also develop obsessive compulsive behaviors. Dreams of
being out of control or trying to keep things in order are common.
3. Phallic Stage
Between the ages of 3 to 5, the child becomes aware of male and female. Personality is fully
developed by this stage. This stage is also classified by the Oedipus and Electra Complexes.
The Oedipus represents a male child's love for his mother and the fear/jealousy towards his
father. The Electra is the female version where the female child has anger toward her mother
and exhibits "penis envy".
4. Latency Period
Little new development is observable during this stage.
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5. Genital
Starting from age 12 to the peak of puberty, this stage is classified by the reawakening of
sexual interest.
As previously mentioned, Freud believes that the motivating force of a dream is wish
fulfillment. Issues of power, lack of control, or unsatisfactory love may manifest in dreams as
a way of satisfying these needs. Thoughts that are repressed during the day may also find a
way into your dream as a way to getting fulfillment.
Freud believes that every imagery and symbol that appears in a dream have a sexual
connotation. For example, anxiety dreams are seen as a sign of repressed sexual impulses.
Critique: There are many critics on Freud's theory of dreams. Freud lived in a sexually
repressed Victorian era. His preoccupation with sexual imagery may therefore have been a
product of the times, the culture or his own relationship/conflict with sex.
Carl Jung
Like his mentor Sigmund Freud, Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1960) also believes in
the existence of the unconscious. However, he does not see the unconscious
as animalistic, instinctual, or sexual; he sees it as more spiritual. Eventually,
Jung split with Freud due to their differing views on dreams.
According to Jung, dreams are a way of communicating and acquainting
yourself with the unconscious. Dreams are not attempts to conceal your true feelings from the
waking mind, but rather they are a window to your unconscious. They serve to guide the
waking self to achieve wholeness and offer a solution to a problem you are facing in your
waking life.
Jung views the ego as your sense of self and how you portray yourself to the world. Part of
Jung's theory is that all things can be viewed as paired opposites: good/evil, male/female, or
love/hate. So working in opposition to the ego, is the "counterego" or what he refers to as the
shadow. The shadow represents the rejected aspects of yourself that you do not wish to
acknowledge. The shadow is more primitive, somewhat uncultured, and a little awkward.
Jungian Dream Interpretation
Since dreams are a way of communicating with the unconscious, Jung believed that dream
images reveal something about yourself, your relationships with others, and situations in your
waking life. Dreams guide your personal growth and help in achieving your full potential. Jung
also believes that the dream's manifest content is just as significant and revealing as the latent
content. By simply discussing what is currently going on in your life, it can help you interpret
and unlock the cryptic images of your dreams. Jung's method of dream interpretation is placed
more confidently on the dreamer. He believes that you all possess the necessary tools to
interpret your own dreams. There is no one correct way to interpret a dream. The meaning of
your dreams is a personal judgment and is up to you on how to interpret them. Whatever
interpretation feels right to you is most significant and more important than what someone else
thinks or believes.
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Carl Jung's Archetypes
To further help you in uncovering the meaning of your dreams, Jung noted certain dream
symbols that possess the same universal meaning for all men and women. He terms this
phenomenon the "collective unconscious". While dreams are personal, your personal
experiences often touch on universal themes and symbols. These symbols are believed to
occur in every culture throughout history. Jung identifies seven such symbols in what is referred
to as the major archetypal characters:
1. The Persona is the image you present to the world in your waking life. It is your public
mask. In the dream world, the persona is represented by the Self. The Self may or may not
resemble you physically or may or may not behave as you would. For example, the persona
can appear as a scarecrow or a beggar in your dream. However, you still know that this
"person" in your dream is you.
2. The Shadow is the rejected and repressed aspects of yourself. It is the part of yourself that
you do not want the world to see because it is ugly or unappealing. It symbolizes weakness,
fear, or anger. In dreams, this figure is represented by a stalker, murderer, a bully, or pursuer.
It can be a frightening figure or even a close friend or relative. Their appearance often makes
you angry or leaves you scared. They force you to confront things that you don't want to see
or hear. You must learn to accept the shadow aspect of yourself for its messages are often
for your own good, even though it may not be immediately apparent.
3. The Anima / Animus is the female and male aspects of yourself. Everyone possess both
feminine and masculine qualities. In dreams, the anima appears as a highly feminized figure,
while the animus appears as a hyper masculine form. Or you may dream that you are
dressed in women's clothing, if you are male or that you grow a beard, if you are female.
These dream imageries appear depending on how well you are able to integrate the feminine
and masculine qualities within yourself. They serve as a reminder that you must learn to
acknowledge or express your masculine (be more assertive) or feminine side (be more
emotional).
4. The Divine Child is your true self in its purest form. It not only symbolizes your innocence,
your sense of vulnerability, and your helplessness, but it represents your aspirations and full
potential. You are open to all possibilities. In the dreamscape, this figure is represented by a
baby or young child.
5. The Wise Old Man /Woman is the helper in your dreams. Represented by a teacher,
father, doctor, priest or some other unknown authority figure, they serve to offer guidance and
words of wisdom. They appear in your dream to steer and guide you into the right direction.
6. The Great Mother is the nurturer. The Great Mother appears in your dreams as your own
mother, grandmother, or other nurturing figure. She provides you with positive reassurance.
Negatively, they may be depicted as a witch or old bag lady in which case they can be
associated with seduction, dominance and death. This juxtaposition is rooted in the belief by
some experts that the real mother who is the giver of life is also at the same time jealous of
our growth away from her.
7. The Trickster, as the name implies, plays jokes to keep you from taking yourself too
seriously. The trickster may appear in your dream when you have overreach or misjudge a
situation. Or he could find himself in your dream when you are uncertain about a decision or
about where you want to go in life. The trickster often makes you feel uncomfortable or
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embarrassed, sometimes mocking you or exposing you to your vulnerabilities. He may take
on subtle forms, sometimes even changing its shape.
Archetypal dreams, also refer to as "mythic dreams", "great dreams" or "grand dreams",
usually occur at significant times or transitional periods in your life. They often leave you with
a sense of awe or that you have learned something important about yourself. Such dreams
have a cosmic quality or an element of impossibility if occurred in reality. They are often
extremely vivid and stay in your mind long after you had the dream.
Alfred Adler
Alfred Adler (1870 -1937) believes that dreams are an important tool to
mastering control over your waking lives. They are problem-solving
devices. Dreams need to be brought to the conscious and interpreted so that
better understanding can be shed on your problems. It is important to learn
from your dreams and incorporate them into your waking life. Adler believes
that there is a correlation between your dreams and the problems in your
daily life. The more dreams you have, the more problems you are likely to
have. Conversely, the less dreams you have, the less problems you have
and the more psychologically healthy you are.
While Freud believes that sexual impulses are the driving forces behind behavior, Adler
believes that it is control, power and motivation that drives your behavior. Furthermore, Adler
does not think that an individual's actions and behavior are ruled by the unconscious. He
believes that the strive for perfection and need for control are what causes you to do the
things you do. In fact, Adler does not believe that the conscious and unconscious function
against each other. Instead, they act the same way whether you are awake or sleeping.
Frederick Perls
Frederick Perls (1893-1970) is the founder of Gestalt therapy. Gestalt
therapy seeks to fill your emotional voids so that you can then become a
unified whole. Perls believes that dreams contain the rejected, disowned parts
of the Self. Every character and every object in a dream represents an aspect
of the Self. You are the hurricane, you are the attacker, you are the broken
down car, you are the bridge, and you are the dusty book. Perls rejects the
notion that dreams are part of a universal symbolic language. He believes
that each dream is unique to the individual who dreams it.
In order to discover what aspect of yourself is being disowned, Perls believes that it is
important to retell your dream in the present tense and act it out accordingly. It is important to
verbalize how each and every component in your dream felt, even inanimate objects. Reenact
the dream and take on the role of the different characters and objects. Start a dialogue with
the dream object and express how you felt toward each other. By taking on a different role
within your dream and reenact it, you may then be able to acknowledge and realize feelings
that you may have overlooked or buried. Your dream literally comes alive.
Source: Dreammoods.com > Dream Information > Dream Theorists
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