Dreams: What are they?
• We don’t know!
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They occur all night
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EVERYONE DREAMS
• many different theories as to why we dream

• subjective experience of remembered and imaginary images, sounds/voices, words, thoughts or sensations during sleep.

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(REM) sleep, lighter sleep that occurs more during latter portion of sleep cycle:
• rapid eye movements, stimulation of the pons, increased respiratory/heart rate, temporary paralysis of body.

Dreams:Why do we do it?
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1. Unconscious wish fulfillment Theory- Sigmund
Freud
• id / ego / superego
• your ego lets down its guard
• your desires come through

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The id becomes more powerful, showing you unconscious wishes and desires (pleasure)
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Superego – moral conscience/ ego ideal (idealistic)
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The ego disguises these wishes with symbols (reality)

Why do we dream?
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Latent content- the REAL meaning of a dream
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Manifest Content- the reported story line of the dream
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DREAM ANALYSIS

Universal Symbols
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Mean the same thing across humankind
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receptacles- women
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phallic symbols- men/power
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houses- security

Universal Symbols
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Windows- receptive to help?
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Clear or cloudy?
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Doors- source of a problem
• a threshold
• open in, out, or revolving

Universal Symbols
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Water- rebirth, cleansing
• cars/vehicles- sex drive, aggression, and power
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disfigurement- loss of self esteem through performance
• males: performance failure!

Universal Symbols
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Loss of teeth- loss of self esteem by getting caught/unprepared
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chasing- the “unknown specter” never know what’s chasing you.

Universal Symbols
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Usually in slow motion or you are paralyzed
• closer the unknown thing is, the longer the problem goes on.

Conventional Symbolseveryday things. No real meaning.
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Accidental Symbols- have a special meaning for only you

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Displacement- replacing one person, object, or location with another
• painful situations
• condensation- combining multiple things into one symbol

Why do we dream?
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2. Reverse Learning Theory-
NO MEANING whatsoever
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Dream is a side effect of purging memories
• mental housecleaning
• remember the sleep theories?

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3. Dreams for Survivalinherited through our ancestors
• reprocess key concerns to be stored for quicker reactions
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Perform better in future

Why do we dream?
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4. Activation Synthesis theory- random pulses of energy take place in REM sleep, starting in the pons
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Dreamer puts these random thoughts into logical storyline

Why do we dream?
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5. Eclectic Theorycombination of other theories.
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Pons DOES have random impulses
• the story line is affected by your concerns/desires

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Combines Activation-synthesis and
Dreams for Survival theories.
• Dreams originate with random electrical impulses
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Brain uses key concerns to weave impulses into logical story.

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1. Wish-fulfilling- an unresolved desire
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Freud- sexual in nature
• others: it’s much more straightforward

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2. Problem Solving- find solutions to problems you’ve experienced
• unconscious puts things together
• doors/ windows

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3. Recurrent- “over and over”
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Activation Synthesis- placed in the similar order by the brain
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Freud- a BIG problem or desire.

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4. Prophetic- foretells the future
• subconsciously place things together?
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Pot luck?
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Divine spirits?

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Epic – grand, vivid dreams that are hard to forget
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Daydreams – NREM dreaming during waking hours -- let our imagination carry us away
• Lucid dreams – take control