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Recommended: Introduction on dreams
The Comprehension of Dreams
Julia Humphrey
University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire
Abstract
Dreams are conventionally known as mental experiences during REM sleep and are very realistic for individuals while dreaming, making up an “imaginary world” subconsciously. Theorists such as Sigmund Freud, Rosalind Cartwright, J. Allan Hobson, and Michelle Carr all study different aspects of dreams and even create theories regarding them. As said before, dreams most commonly take place in the REM stage of sleep, but are also capable of occurring in other stages too. Results from these studies show that dreams are not always retained, making it hard to understand them fully. Dreams vary on cultures and societies, but people generally
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Potentially negative or traumatic events, being chased or pursued, sexual experiences, falling, studying, being late, dying, and insects are some of the common topics that people experience through dreams. Dreams typically focus on internal conflicts, so this list makes sense.
Overall, dreams are complex in all aspects of study. People tend to have similar types of dreams, but they revolve around current issues hidden under the surface of each unique individual, along with culture playing an impact with the types of dreams that occur. Through the studies: principal purpose of dreams, the cognitive problem-solving view, and the activation-synthesis model, extensive research has been created to give us a better understanding of what our brains experience while asleep.
References
WEITEN, W. (2013). PSYCHOLOGY: THEMES AND VARIATIONS, NINTH EDITION. BELMONT, CA: WADSWORTH
FREUD, S. (2010). THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS, THIRD EDITION. (A.A. BRILL, TRANS.). NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY (ORIGINAL PUBLISHED 1913)
CARR, M. (2017). IT WAS JUST A DREAM… NEW SCIENTIST, 124-127 RETRIEVED FROM
One of the most credited theories in dream analysis, Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory of Dreams, credits dreams to humans’ deepest subconscious desires and primitive instincts due to the repression of the superegos. A major deduction that Freud used in the formulation of his theory is the concept that there are three parts to the human psyche: the superego, ID, and ego. (Freud) According to Freudian theories, each part of the psyche is dependent on one another, similar to the checks and balances system in the American government. The superego serves as a filter and limits the ID which presents t...
The average person spends over one-third of their life sleeping, and over this period of time he or she can have over 1,825 dreams (Wicklinski). By definition, dreams are mental images, thoughts, or emotions that are experienced while sleeping. In the beginning, dreams were thought to be messages sent from the gods or spirit world. Researchers now have many theories explaining why people dream. Many of these theories explain that dreams can resemble an individual’s sensory experiences or even secret wishes. All people dream, but only 42% of people can recall their dreams from the night before (“Dreams”). The study of dreams is a topic that is constantly being debated by researchers for many reasons. Dreaming is important because it can impact people’s health, provide insight into what they are feeling, and reveal information about their behavior.
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.
In this paper I hope to open a window to the vast and mysterious world of dreaming. To most people, information about dreams isn’t common knowledge. In researching this subject though, I found that everybody has and reacts to dreams, which are vital to your mental health. You will also find how you can affect your dreams and how they affect you.
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.
One of Freud's major contributions was his appreciation of unconscious processes in people’s lives. According to Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, the dream images and their symbolic messages can be observed as one's fulfilled wis...
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, dream is defined by a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring involuntarily in a person’s mind during certain stages of sleep. Dreams have fascinated humans since the beginning of time. The recorded history of dream interpretation dates back to 3000-4000 B.C. with the Sumerians in Mesopotamia. They documented their dreams on clay tablets. People back then saw the dream world as an extension of reality, but that it was a more powerful realm. Furthermore, they believed that when they dream, their souls would leave their body during sleep and travel to the dream world.
Freud is presenting a case study and explains his belief that there is a psychological technique that makes interpreting dreams possible. Freud's work with free association helped him to analyze his patient's dreams and come to the conclusion that many elements lie below the level of the conscious mind. Freud has done extensive research on individuals to find the meaning behind their dreams and the impact it has in regard to their psychological makeup.
Porter, Laurence M. The Interpretation of Dreams: Freud's Theories Revisited. Boston, Mass.: Twayne, 1987. Print.
Despite the large amount of time we spend asleep, surprisingly little is actually known about sleeping and dreaming. Much has been imagined, however. Over history, sleep has been conceived as the space of the soul, as a state of absence akin to death, as a virtual or alternate reality, and more recently, as a form of (sub)consciousness in which memories are built and erased. The significance attributed to dreams has varied widely as well. The Ancient Greeks had surprise dream encounters with their gods. Native Americans turned to their dreams for guidance in life. Shamans dreamed in order to gather information from the spirits.
Dreams are series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep. Dreams occur during a certain stage of sleep known as REM. Several different psychologists, including Freud and Hobson, have studied dreams. Psychologists have provided many theories as to what dreams are and the meanings behind them.
Sigmund Freud was, in his time, a world-renowned psychologist and a pioneer in the field of the unconscious and the inner workings of the mind. In 1896, Freud had a drastic turn of events in his life. Freud, being profoundly close to his father, was highly impacted by his death. This huge loss caused Freud to enter a deep state of self-analysis in which he interpreted dreams and their latent meanings. In 1900 Freud published “The Interpretation of Dreams”, the fruit of his analytic labor.
There are many perceptions of what a dream actually is. Some view dreams as the subconscious trying to speak to people, and others see it as religious visions of the future. Over the years, physicians and psychologists have collected countless amounts of research and evidence to support their viewpoints on dreams. I have always believed that dreaming is a time when the brain develops and analyzes important information (Bernstein 149). Dreams do not mean anything specific, and everyone has their own cultural perspectives of dreams. In reality, no one has the power to analyze and tell people the meanings of their dreams. According to Bernstein’s psychology book, dreaming is a time when the brain experiences story-like perceptions and sensations.
For thousands of years humans have experienced a phenomenon which we describe today as dreaming. It has puzzled and sparked interest to all whom experience it. For as long as people have been dreaming, there have been people trying to understand and interpret them. This research paper examines the causation and deeper meaning of dreams. It will compare and contrast the differentiating ideas on the subject by famous psychologists and also examine first-hand accounts from real individuals. The objective of paper is to shed some light on this complex and bizarre behavior.