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Psychoanalytic theories essays
Sigmund freud the method of interpreting dreams: an analysis of a specimen dream
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis theory
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This theory is from Sigmund Freud, an interesting psychologist with a different aspect of the human psyche. Part of Freud 's theory I find most intriguing is the dream analysis portion. I believe that dreams are the link to the unconscious. Which makes it easier to understand where Freud is coming from with his logic in using this technique to analyze what a person is feeling. The psychoanalytic theory looks closely into the unconscious portion of a person 's mind, which I agree can reveal multiple troubles that would not be found if you didn 't look deep into the patients thoughts and memories. The theory had some downfalls as well as these great aspects. In the psychoanalytic theory I found the fact that Freud believes a child is attracted
A New Kind of Dreaming is a novel written by Anthony Eaton, about a teenage boy, Jamie Riley, being referred to rural Western Australia where, he meets new friends, enemies and also discovers a shocking secret about the towns head police officer. The pressure to find out the secret puts Jamie in a great deal of trouble, from being frightened by the police, blamed for a fire and vandalism offences and even going missing in the desert. The characters have authority or are defenceless.
The aim of this essay is to clarify the basic principles of Freud’s theories and to raise the main issues.
The relationship between dreaming and repression is complex and requires thorough understanding of Freud’s theory thus it is better to get to know some of the terms and concepts Freud raises in study of dreams. As all the information is gathered, it is believed that the wish as fulfilled is shown only in a state of repression during sleep.
Based on On Dreams, written by Sigmund Freud, and Spellbound, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, provide the most psychological significant aspect of dreams through the theory of dreams made by Freud. I partially agree with Freud’s theory on dreams and the dreaming process. Dreams have the ability to form a bridge from reality to transfer over to the unconscious mindset. Throughout his article, On Dreams, he gives explanations behind his theory. The human psyche has a vital role in psychology, including the way humans interpret dreams and their sequence.
During prescientific days, dreams were interpreted as ‘manifestations’ of a ‘higher power’. Since the introduction of psychology, dreams have had 4 distinct interpretations. The first interprets dreams as a “liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature”. The second interprets dreams as “accidental disturbances from ‘internal organs’. The third interprets dreams as a foretelling of the future. The last interpretation is Freud’s. He interprets dream as an expression of subconscious desires.
Freud’s theory however, is only one of many such as Francis Crick’s. He believed that dreams were a way of mental “house cleaning” or getting rid of unneeded memories. He thought them useful because you don’t have to remember every small minute detail of your life.
“Such are the familiar dreams of falling from a height, of teeth falling out, of flying and of embarrassment of being naked” (Freud 69). These dreams that we experience, are believed to be representations of our desires or fears, according to Freudian ideology. Sigmund Freud also believed that there existed a structural model for our personalities that consisted of the id, ego, and superego. He held the idea that the id was an instinctual drive that relied upon the pleasure principle. Conversely, however outrageous the desire was, it was repressed by the superego. This superego functioned as a censor, which assisted us in undertaking socially acceptable behaviors, by repressing urges from the id. The ego acted upon the reality principle and is responsible for a major part of our consciousness. You might be wondering how this ties in with our dreams. Well, Freud believed the super ego repressed the deep essence of our dreams, and without it censoring our dreams, we would be left with an anxiety dream. However, he preached that dreams could be analyzed. “I shall bring forward proof that there is a psychological technique which makes it possible to interpret dreams, and that, if that procedure is employed, every dream reveals itself as a psychical structure which has a meaning and which can be inserted at an assignable point in the mental activities of waking life.” (Freud 35). A dream analysis may help people become conscious of what waking life issue or desire of theirs may be causing them to experience anxiety dreams. Once consciously aware of the issues or desires that hassle them, they can plan ways to rid themselves of their anxiety dreams.
During the transition from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, a psychologist named Sigmund Freud welcomed the new age with his socially unacceptable yet undoubtedly intriguing ideologies; one of many was his Psychoanalytic Theory of Dreams. Freud believed that dreams are the gateway into a person’s unconscious mind and repressed desires. He was also determined to prove his theory and the structure, mechanism, and symbolism behind it through a study of his patients’ as well as his own dreams. He contended that all dreams had meaning and were the representation of a person’s repressed wish. While the weaknesses of his theory allowed many people to deem it as merely wishful thinking, he was a brilliant man, and his theory on dreams also had many strengths. Freud’s theories of the unconscious mind enabled him to go down in history as the prominent creator of Psychoanalysis.
Dreams have been thought to contain significant messages throughout many cultures. A dream is an unfolding sequence of perceptions, thoughts, and emotions that is experienced as a series of real-life events during sleep. The definitions of dreams are different among studies, which can also lead to quite different results. Perhaps, the dream interpretation has becoming increasingly popular. In this paper, I will talk about what I have learned about three different views of dream interpretations. One theory made by Sigmund Freud who believed that dreams are triggered by unacceptable repressed wishes, often of a sexual nature. He argued that because dreams we experience are merely disguised versions of people real dreams. The other theory called activation–synthesis theory, made by Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, based on the observation that during REM sleep, many brain-stem circuits become active and bombard the cerebral cortex with neural signals. The last theory, proposed by William Domhoff, is called the neurocognitive theory of dreaming, which demonstrates that dream content in general is continuous with waking conceptions and emotional preoccupations. Thus, dreaming is best understood as a developmental cognitive achievement that depends upon the maintenance of a specific network of forebrain structures. While each theory has different belief system and approach method, it is a great opportunity to know how former psychologists contributed to the field of dream interpretation.
Where do dreams come from? What actually are dreams? Do they mean something that is related in our real lives? All these questions can be answered by learning about the history of dreams in various cultures throughout time.
Freud uses an objective perspective as he explains the validity of his belief that all dreams are significant and has a specific place in an individual's psychic activities. Through the use of his interpretation technique the meaning of dreams can be disclosed. The significance of each dream may be studied. Freud states that every dream is consequential and that the meanings of these dreams will be brought to light, lending information into the understanding of an individual's make up. Freud's work with free association has helped him to make a link between the symbols of the wake mind and the subconscious mind to give credence to his belief of successful dream interpretation.
As Sigmund Freud’s nightmare was able to retain “it’s imperishable value…by becoming a driving force in the making of a genius,” and as Carl Jung was initiated into the secrets of the earth by a nightmare and later brought light into this realm of darkness, so too have the nightmares of others heralded some meaningful change in their lives. For those with frequent nightmares, the use of the Lucid dream state could offer a unique opportunity to begin such a change.
Psychology, neuroscience try to explain them, 2012). He studied dreams to better understand aspects of personality as they relate to pathology. Freud believed that every action is motivated by the unconscious at a certain level. In order to be successful in a civilized society, the urges and desires of the unconscious mind must be repressed. Freud believed that dreams are manifestations of urges and desires that are suppressed in the unconscious. Freud categorized the mind into three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. When one is awake, the impulses if the id are suppressed by the superego, but during dreams, one may get a glimpse into the unconscious mind, or the id. The unconscious has the opportunity to express hidden desires of the id during dreaming. Freud believed that the id can be so disturbing at times that the id’s content can be translated into a more acceptable form. This censor leads to a sometimes confusing and strange dream image. According to Freud, the reason one may struggle to remember a dream is because the superego protects the conscious mind from the disturbance of the unconscious mind (Dream Theories,
The Psychodynamic view of dreaming suggests that the content in our dream is symbolic of something. Also, that the content in our dreams are based on unconscious desires as well as internal conflict.
The study being done is attempting to analyze dreams and determine their undistinguished meaning and symbolic versus self-evident meaning. The method used for this study is referred to as self-evident dream theory that claims that a person's dreams are self-evident and have a personalized meaning depending on an individual's personality and experiences. During the recollection of the dream, the person is to be in an "altered state of awake dreaming that most closely recreates the original dream experience" (Jennings 2007:257). First, the client will need to describe the dream in great detail and examine each image of the dream on a deeper level. The therapist will repeat back the details, refrain from too much input that can deter the client