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 Project
 Dream Journal
 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.
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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
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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 reoccurring
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 symbols
mean?
Written Report
 Were you able to control your dreams as you remembered
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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