Freud maintained the notion that the dream fundamentally acts as the guardian of sleep. When we go to bed, the curtains are drawn, the lights are turned off and in effect we are attempting to disconnect from our reality by extinguishing all external stimuli. During the night, the mind protects the sleeper from being disturbed by reacting to further external stimuli (noise, temperature, light, the need to urinate, numb arm/leg, pain, etc) as well as all internal stimuli (emotions, fears, dissatisfaction, desires, previous day’s activity) by manufacturing dreams.
Freud’s work was solely concerned with internal stimuli. Essentially, for a person to continue to sleep undisturbed strong negative emotions, forbidden thoughts and unconscious desires have to be disguised or censored in some form or another. Otherwise, confronted by these, the dreamer would become distressed and they would eventually wake up. Therefore the dream, if understood correctly, could lead to a greater understanding of the dreamer’s subconscious.
Freud believed the dream to be composed of two parts. The manifest and the latent content. The manifest content can be thought of as what a person would remember as soon as they wake – what they would consciously describe to someone else when recalling the dream. Freud suggested that the manifest content possessed no meaning whatsoever because it was a disguised representation of the true thought underlying the dream.
On the other hand, the latent content holds the true meaning of the dream – the forbidden thoughts and the unconscious desires. These appear in the manifest content but will be disguised and unrecognisable. Although in rare cases the manifest and latent content can be indistinguishable (Freud referred to these as ‘Infantile dreams’).
The process by which the latent content is transformed into the manifest content is known as the “dream work”. The dream work can disguise and distort the latent thoughts in the following four ways:
1: Condensation: Two or more latent thoughts are combined to make up one manifest dream image or situation.
2: Displacement: Instead of directing the emotion or desire toward the intended person or object it is transferred onto a meaningless / unrelated object in the manifest dream.
3: Symbolism: Where complex or vague concepts are converted into a dream image. For this, the mind may use the image of a similar sounding (more recognisable) word instead or use a similar looking less intrusive object. According to Freud, dream symbols are for the most part sexual in meaning thus many dreams (but not all) have a sexual correlation.
For example, Freud suggested that objects such as tree-trunks, ties, all weapons, sticks, balloons, rockets and other elongated objects were all symbols for the male organ/an erection. Where boxes, cases, chests, cupboards, ovens, suitcases and other hollow objects represented the female genitalia. A room usually signified a woman but so could the whole house, a door or the whole dream landscape. The simple act of walking up a staircase, steps or ladders could also signify a sexual act.
Freud also had a fascination with symbols of castration, which he believed were represented in a dream by baldness, teeth falling out and the cutting of hair. In addition, the genitals could also be represented by another part of the body. For example, the male organ could be represented by a hand, the female organ represented by a mouth or an eye.
This could therefore explain the reason why the causes of ‘wet dreams’ are usually never the result of a normal sexual act within a dream.
The following is an extract from a dream I had on 16th January 2003:
I am walking through a building where I reach two large doors. I push them with all my force and they open onto playing fields. On the grass is an extremely large bookcase full of encyclopaedias. I stand still and watch two women, both of which are bare breasted. They are standing on top of the bookcase attempting to thread a balloon over some telephone wires. One of them calls out to me: “Thread the balloon for me while I put some clothes on.” I agree although it was more difficult than I envisaged. Therefore when she returns she orders me to start again. Instead of attempting it again I run around a running track, although I become tired extremely quickly. I hear the woman call out: “You need to speed it up!” I reply: “This is the pace I always run at.” Which was a blatant lie. Instead of completing a second lap of the running track, I decide to run in a straight line toward my house. The reason for which appears to be due to the size of the women’s breasts, which were overwhelmingly threatening. I am now in my house…
4: Secondary Revision: This is the final stage of the dream work. According to Freud, this is where the dream loses ‘the appearance of absurdity and incoherence.’ In essence, secondary revision can be thought of as the ways in which the dream work covers up the contradiction and attempts to reorganise the dream into a pattern in sync with the dreamer’s experience of everyday life.
Freud used the method of ‘free association’ to discover the underlying meaning behind the dream (latent content). A patient would describe a dream as accurately as possible (manifest content). The patient would then be told to focus on a specific element of the dream and form as many associations as they could. Essentially, allowing the patient to let their mind wander. This would continue until all manifest content associations (which had previously been unknown to the interpreter) had been discovered. This essentially means that the interpreter is moving in the opposite direction unravelling the ‘dream work’ until the latent content is revealed.
Freud insisted that dreams are a form of fulfilling suppressed wishes. If a wish (likely to be sexual in origin) goes unsatisfied during the dreamer’s normal day, the mind reacts to this ‘internal stimuli’ by transforming it into a visual fantasy – allowing the dreamer to satisfy his or her desire. The result of which is a peaceful night’s sleep.
References:
Freud, S (1953). The Interpretation of Dreams and On Dreams. In the standard edition of The complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud. J Strachey (ed). Hogarth Press.
57 Comments
Very good site for “dreaming”
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I have to write a 300 page term paper on this. I’m going to call it A NOVEL!
I am writing a 4000 word essay on this topic and this site has been the most useful site yet, very informative. Thanks.
this was very interesting. i believe i’ll do my theory research paper on his theory of dreams
this was very helpful!!!
This site has been the most useful and informative and thanks for your help.
I have an essay ta write and im doin it on his dream theory. Thanx
i want to know more and more about Sigmund Freud’s theories
yea, it is very helpful and understandable, now ive got an idea about dreams, and more over iam going to write an essay about it
thanks
Extremely useful for my psychology homework!! Thank you!
I’m writing a paper on sleep/ dreams and this page is great . I understood every point and until I read this page I did not know where to start. THANK YOU
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i got to write just a small project about this:)
i wish u luck though with your papers and all that stuff
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gr8 theory…njoyed reading it…
i want to write on transactional theory please help me out
He is amazingly intelligent. I can understand exactly where he's coming from
Wow, amazing man. Great information
he is just awesome man
I find it interesting but, on the other hand, rather strange. The reason for this is simple. Freud was obsessed with sexuality and this may have been the threshold of “sexual” dreams. However, he does prove his point quite excellently!
What an amazing theory Sir.Keep on thinking '.Great work|
what are the meaning of half of the words used in this essay?
i am so lost
dictionary?
all of this and everything ive read of freuds so far is stuff ive known for years, just in more simple terms O.o and im 16.
why do dreams are important?
His theories are just theories and prove nothing more than an individual with an obsession with sex and sexual issues. Despite his great thinking mind, many of his theories have been debunked as pure nonsense.
wow this is very interesting1 thank you =)
Freud has an odd way of thinking of things, I don't really agree that almost all dreams relate to sex or unfufilled desires. Some dreams may hint to premonitions or intuitive warnings that we may subconsciously know are there, but that we cannot recognize conciously. I do not think that Freud had been able to fathom that aspect of dreaming.
I am actually havin to do an oral history report on the significance of Sigmund Freud but all i ever read about him is how everything has to do with a sexual interpretation and how he himself was a little ify with his male friend im startin to think if i would’ve known about all this i wouldn’t of picked him
this is avery good thing to dream about in the day time when i am awake and walking about thinkdreaming .and its daylight outside ,and the dream tells me that its not the abnormal ,but o so normal?…………,…mjog
DREAMING YEA ITS GOOD ALL YOUR BEST THOUGHTS ARE IN YOU HEAD WHEN YOU ARE ASLEEP DO DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that paragraph in this article makes freud seem like a.horny perve who only thinks of dreams as sexual thoughts in disguise
frued ‘s theory is acceptable, but not all the dearms have sexaul meanings ,though most of them really do.
In his book… Freud never, ever… said that all the drams have a sexual meaning… he says some of them had… he put a lot of examples of dreams that aren’t sexual at all. Even in his time a lot of critics attack him beacouse they think that he said that everything is sexual…. the thing is that people don’t read his books and then they write whatever they want abouth his theories.
Sorry bout my english… i’m… from mexico ha….
He is amazingly intelligent.
this was informative but why does he think that almost everything in our dreams has sexual meaning????
I wish he talked about dreams in dreams in dreams!
No way, Inception sucked.
I’m writing a paper on Freud’s works and basic theories, and this helped a lot on the dream section. I’ve always loved Freud, and I love learning more and more about what he thought.
can someone please help me here, to understand these theories, this is my first time ever hearing about this person, and im taking this psy class and im so interested no
I read all the things regarding with this book. If you start reading this book, dont stop in mid. Keep reading to the end, I am damm sure that it will take you in dreaming.
gracias gracias best site ever modafocka i NEED this for a 10,000 word essay for my enlgish IB class senior year.
very helpfull, especially when i have an assignment on this. thanks
Very informative. Thanks 4 the info. Mfana wepaFio
I have to write a 1200 word research paper and I’m definitely going to use this, cited of course. Thanks so much!
I enjoyed reading dis theory
Sigmund Freud’s Theory on Dreams is a scientific fraud.
I had to do a report on this in my class the other day & I found this information verry very useful. Thank you! and goodnight!
i have a craze about those aspect which are hidden in our personality now this information is so helpful for me thanks
Interesting. Freud really had some strange ideas.
i wrote a 25 page on this and got a 100 onit
It may sound crazy, many times what happens to us in the present has a lot to do with our past and especially our childhood experiences. I respect Freud’s Theory on growth.
I have to include this in my 10 page term paper…. EEK!!
i believed in dreams,and it is the time when we are sleeping,its either bad or good dreams.and when we are sleeping our souls are out of our body,we can say we are dead on that time:)thank you…
There are three main types of nightmares(death dreams or being chased dreams ,flying or falling dreams and Incubus), that are caused by three main scary symptom {the scary sensations of palpitation make you feel as if you’re going to die at any moment[1], the scary sinking feeling in heart of palpitation and scary fainting (syncope) }. They are all different in certain ways. All three types of nightmares can lead to a scary heart palpitations-sensations. Scary Incubus or scary fainting (syncope) can lead to scary lightheaded and dizzy , a loss of strength and a loss of consciousness, perspiration, vision problems, difficulty hearing, ringing in your ears, pressure in your chest[2] and death dreams or being chased dreams and flying or falling dreams do not. [1] http://www.anxietyguru.net/how-to-stop-heart-palpitations/ [2] http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Fainting/Pages/Symptoms.aspx