On Dreams

Freud suggests that humans’ relationships with dreams were different before science redefined their relevance. Dreams were viewed as mystical or religious and were never associated with psychology or unconscious thought. However, this deviation from the mythology of dreams also meant that science ignored the elusive topic of how dreams interplayed with a person’s day-to-day experiences. Freud proposes that scientists must look at dreams from two angles. The first is the psychical angle, meaning the scientist must probe into how dreams are both affected by and affect the human mind. The second is the angle of meaning; the scientist must inquire into the connotation, context, and symbolism of the dream.

This idea correlates with the theme Making Meaning Through Analysis. Dreams are evasive. Those having them are often unaware of their meanings or believe them to be meaningless. Freud argues that meaning can be gleaned from dreams through a process of psychoanalysis. The first angle—the psychical angle—makes a case for the importance of studying dreams. Freud believes that by understanding dreams, the analyst can also understand the psychical relationship between the dreamer and his unconscious mind. Dreams provide insight into the unconscious, and Freud maintains that the unconscious rules behavior and conscious thoughts in significant ways.

Freud then analyzes three tendencies that psychologists and scientists have when examining dreams. The first is to attribute dreams to the spiritual realm. In this tendency, dreams serve as lessons and prophecy. They are manifestations of the spiritual world, a form of communication from the heavens. The second tendency is to attribute dreams only to the physical world and its stimuli. This approach rejects the idea that dreams can influence or be influenced by the mind. In the first tendency, dreams are all meaning and symbolism. In the second, they lack any meaning. The third tendency, the most popular, does both: The psychologist or scientist looks at both the physical context of the dream and its meaning.

Freud suggests the popular tendency provides a basis on which psychoanalysis can function. Dreams serve as a gateway to the unconscious mind, making them fertile ground for psychoanalysis. By calling his work psychoanalysis or “psychological investigation,” Freud finds that other scientists are more willing to accept his claims. Through psychoanalysis, Freud explores obsessions and phobias, which find a place through symbolism in dreams. Often these workings of the mind operate below the reach of consciousness. The cure for psychological ailments rests in making the unknown known. By laying bare unconscious thoughts, obsessions, and desires, the psychologist and the patient can dismantle the involuntary systems that control the mind.

Freud’s work has received frequent criticism for its failure to apply scientific methodology. The fluidity of his work through individual interpretation by the psychoanalyst means that two different professionals might achieve different conclusions about the same dream. However, Freud’s exploration of the unconscious has profoundly affected the field. As revealed in the theme Repression and the Unconscious, Freud makes a case for the impact of the unconscious mind on behavior.

To examine dreams, Freud employs a method found in psychotherapy. The patient revisits the dream and shares every thought and impression with the psychologist. The analyst encourages the patient to share and rejects the idea that any detail is unimportant. Freud shares his own dream as an example of how to relate the minute and meaningless details to interpretation. First, by presenting all the facts of the dream without judgment or translation, the analyst can then examine the dream’s various parts. For example, Freud’s dream takes place at a hotel dinner among friends. He examines this part of the dream through the context of his experiences the day before. He demonstrates how a patient might share connections and experiences for each individual component of the dream. He soon discovers that his own dream closely resembles an interaction he had with his wife early in their relationship. His dream is a conglomeration of various memories.

Each association presents a trail the analyst can follow to find meaning. Analysis of a dream leads to a form of enlightenment; the dream stands as a substitute until true analysis can occur. Freud argues that if one were to follow multiple dreams of an individual and trace all their components, the same conclusions could be made about the unconscious desires and experiences driving them. The literal content of the dream is called the manifest content, and the interpreted meaning of the symbols presented in the dream is called latent context. The act of moving from the literal understanding of the dream through its manifest content and connecting with its latent content is called “dream-work” (31). This aligns with Freud’s suggestion that deep analysis can lead to meaning.