Theories of Dreaming
Freud’s Wish-Fulfillment Theory
Dreams are an attempt to satisfy sexual and
aggressive impulses that we cannot satisfy
when we are awake.
Manifest Content: the surface level of a
dream (images, action).
Latent Content: the unconscious meaning of
a dream.
A Freudian dream...
A Freudian dream...
A Freudian dream...
A Freudian dream...
A Freudian dream...
A Freudian dream...
A Freudian dream...
A Freudian dream...
Theories of Dreaming
Activation-Synthesis Theory
Dreams result from random activation of brain
cells responsible for eye movement, muscle
movement, balance, and vision.
The brain then synthesizes (combines) this
activity with existing knowledge and
memories as if the signals came from the
environment.
How we interpret the random images and
sensations is the dream’s meaning.
Theories of Dreaming
Dreams as Problem-Solving
Dreams reflect emotional preoccupations of
waking life—relationships, sex, work, health.
Images in a dream are sometimes symbols
for things in everyday life.
This theory agrees with Freud that dreams
contain symbols, but there is no “latent”
(unconscious) meaning. The meaning is at
the surface level—”manifest” content.
Theories of Dreaming
Mental Housekeeping Theory
During sleep, the brain shuts out sensory
input so it can process what was stored in
memory during the day.
Dreams are brief glimpses of the brain’s
sorting, scanning and searching through
memories. Dreams have no meaning.
Supporting the theory is research showing
that REM sleep is important for remembering
things that were learned during the preceding
day.