Our dreams can be the strangest things; we may dream of winning an award, an upside-down cat driving a car or a cup coming to life. Do these dreams have meanings, and do they reflect how we feel? What could we possibly understand about ourselves when we dream about an upside-down cat driving a car?
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenOur dreams can be the strangest things; we may dream of winning an award, an upside-down cat driving a car or a cup coming to life. Do these dreams have meanings, and do they reflect how we feel? What could we possibly understand about ourselves when we dream about an upside-down cat driving a car?
Dream analysis is a psychodynamic technique invented to identify and understand our dreams' meaning and what they say about our current psychological state.
Dream analysis psychology is a technique rooted in psychoanalysis but is also used in other forms of psychotherapy. It aims to uncover and interpret the content of dreams (the manifest content), i.e. the hidden and unconscious symbolic meaning and motivations (latent content) of the dreams.
Freud, one of the most widely talked about psychoanalysts, came up with the idea of dream analysis after making observations from his clients.
Freud's theory proposed that dreams represent people's desires, drives and thoughts. Society considers these desires unacceptable, so people repress them, which are later manifested in their dreams. And these dreams subconsciously guide our behaviour.
An ex-soldier who has been having violent dreams, such as dreaming about fighting, is more likely to have violent tendencies.
Freud proposed that dreams consist of manifest content and latent content. Let's take a look at what both of these mean:
The manifest content of a dream is what we actually see, and the latent content is the hidden meaning/ messages behind what we see in a dream.
The dream analysis therapist's role is to take the manifest content described by the client and help guide them to understand the latent content of the dreams. This allows the client to understand the root cause of their behaviour and find a way to combat and resolve the issue.
According to Freud's dream analysis approach, therapists should refrain from telling clients what dreams mean. Instead, he asked clients to say whatever came to their minds when discussing their dreams; this is still used in dream analysis interventions today and is known as free association.
Free association is used when a therapist identifies a theme in a dream and tries to uncover the cause of it. The technique works by the therapist saying a random word relevant to the theme, e.g. anger, and asking the client to say whatever the first word comes to their mind.
Dream analysis is an intervention that is used as part of an intervention for some mental illnesses and other issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or people with frequent and chronic nightmares.
The intervention applies psychoanalytic theories to treat dysfunctional behaviour. Dream analysis tries to uncover repressed memories in dreams that may contribute to mental illnesses.
The emphasis on repressed memories causing internal conflict is a crucial principle in the psychoanalytic approach to explaining behaviour.
Freud is the founding father of dream analysis. However, since his time, the theory surrounding dream analysis has evolved. Jung, an important neo-Freudian figure in the psychodynamic approach, argued that dreams are caused by thoughts and conflicts that were not expressed when the individual was awake. He proposed humans waking internal thoughts, desires and conflicts are expressed whilst dreaming, showing the 'true' state of mind during sleep.
Adler, another critical figure in psychodynamic psychology, believed dreams are guided by personality and can be interpreted in a way that allows you to regain control of your life whilst awake. The dream materialises a conflict for you to deal with it.
Freud was criticised by neo-Freudians and others for over-emphasising sexual desires and the libido's role in dreams.
The dream analysis definition and intervention have changed since Freud's original thoughts.
The theory agrees with Freud that factors such as emotion and how individuals react to stimuli such as anger can manifest into dreams.
According to the traditional Freud dream analysis theory, the technique has three components.
The first is dreams have a wish fulfilment purpose. Dreams are our unconscious mind's way of hiding the id's desires. It allows the individual to have their desires in their dreams because, in real life, these may be unattainable or unacceptable.
If a bully is mean to someone, they might not do something about it because they may fear the bully retaliating. Instead, the individual may dream about having influential power where others can't bully them.
The second component is dreams have a symbolic nature. According to Freud, dreams aren't ransom. They have meaning behind them, the latent meaning. The therapist's role is to uncover these hidden meanings and help guide the client to deal with the issues that may be causing the internal conflict.
The psychodynamic approach suggests that internal struggles in our minds cause mental illnesses.
And the final component of dream analysis is dreamwork.
Dreamwork is the process of a therapist helping a client become consciously aware of the latent meaning of dreams safely, allowing the client-therapist to work together to try and combat issues that may be causing dysfunctional behaviour or symptoms of mental illnesses.
Some of the steps that may be used when using dream analysis are:
Let's take a look at an example now:
During the intervention, the client may be asked to keep a detailed record, such as a diary, to record information about dreams.
Free association is typically used to uncover repressed dreams and their meaning.
The therapist and client work collaboratively to experience and understand feelings and conflicts experienced in dreams, such as using metaphors that compare dreams to clients' real-life experiences.
An ex-soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder may have repetitive dreams of being angry at someone who had not harmed them due to repressed anger due to time and feelings experienced in combat.
Let's discuss the benefits and drawbacks of dream analysis as an intervention.
The components of dream analysis have been applied to other psychological treatments (cognitive behavioural therapy; CBT); this intervention is called image rehearsal therapy (IRT). Its purpose is to change the content of nightmares to positive. It has been found to have a positive effect on reducing nightmares. CBT is readily available and is one of the most common interventions.
Matt and Navarro (1997) reviewed 63 meta-analyses of psychotherapy and its effectiveness when dream analysis is utilised. They found that around 75% of the clients who received dream analysis showed some improvement.
Dream analysis attempts to get to the root of an individual's problems that may be causing dysfunctional behaviour or mental illnesses. The intervention does this by identifying potential causes of the behaviour, and with the therapist, the client can then try to figure out how to combat this. Other interventions, such as drug therapy, do not take this approach. Instead, they try to get rid of the problem solely.
There is no standardised method to carry out dream analysis. It takes an individualistic approach. The direction of the intervention depends on how each client responds; this means the therapist needs to be extensively trained and prepare a tailed intervention for every client. This can be time-consuming and expensive.
It is not usually used as an independent intervention to combat mental health issues; it is often applied in conjunction with other methods. This may be the case because the intervention is reductionist as it does not consider biological or environmental factors contributing to mental health. Suggesting the intervention over-simplifies complex behaviour or fails to acknowledge it to a sufficient level.
It has limited application and is not a method commonly used.
Dream analysis cannot be used to treat autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or sensory or memory deficits.
There are also controversies about whether dreams play a significant role in mental health and how this can be scientifically tested.
Hobson and McCarley (1977) argue that dreams are a product of specific brain areas. They suggest a pre-programmed neural basis for dreams and the imagery, thoughts, and emotions they create during sleep.
And they argue dreams are a product of sporadic activation of brain circuits, which produce different thoughts and images depending on which brain is active. For example, we may dream of running if there is high activity in the motor cortex.
Dream analysis psychology is a technique rooted in psychoanalysis but is also used in other forms of psychotherapy. It aims to uncover and interpret the content of dreams (the manifest content), i.e. the hidden and unconscious symbolic meaning and motivations (latent content) of the dreams.
The importance of dream analysis is it attempts to get to the root of an individual's problems rather than masking potential causes of dysfunctional behaviour or mental illnesses.
According to Freud's dream analysis approach, dream analysis is a technique therapists use to help clients uncover the latent (hidden messages) of dreams that may contribute to dysfunctional behaviour or mental illnesses.
A dream analysis example is a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder. They may have repetitive dreams of being angry at someone who has not harmed them. This may be repressed anger due to time and feelings experienced when they were in combat.
The main components of dream analysis are:
What is dream analysis?
Dream analysis is a tool for gaining insight into our repressed memories, conflicts, and desires.
Does dream analysis propose that dreams cause mental illnesses or dysfunctional behaviour?
No.
Who proposed the theory behind dream analysis?
Freud proposed his theory of dream analysis after observing his clients.
The literal perceptions we experience when we dream are called
Manifest content.
Implicit meaning of our dreams which represents our unconscious is called
Latent content.
What is the role of therapists in dream analysis, according to Freud?
The dream analysis therapist's role is to take the manifest content that has been described by the client and help guide them to understand the latent content of the dreams.
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