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Psychology of Dreams

The document discusses the significance of dreams and their analysis, highlighting the historical contributions of Freud and Jung. It explains the role of REM sleep in processing memories and learning, as well as cultural interpretations of dreams across different societies. Freud viewed dreams as manifestations of repressed desires, while Jung believed they symbolically express the unconscious mind's communication with the conscious mind.

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Carleigh Morrier
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18 views2 pages

Psychology of Dreams

The document discusses the significance of dreams and their analysis, highlighting the historical contributions of Freud and Jung. It explains the role of REM sleep in processing memories and learning, as well as cultural interpretations of dreams across different societies. Freud viewed dreams as manifestations of repressed desires, while Jung believed they symbolically express the unconscious mind's communication with the conscious mind.

Uploaded by

Carleigh Morrier
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Psychology of Dreams

Dreams
-​ Sleep takes up 1/3 of our life and was the focus of Freud’s early work
-​ Without sleep we risk suffering from stress and other health risks

The Focus on Dreams


-​ Originally: dream analysis used by Freud & Jung to make patient diagnoses.
-​ Second half of 20th Century: Discovery of a relationship between rapid eye movement
(REM), sleep, and dreams peaked a renewed interest in dream analysis.
What is REM Sleep?
-​ A kind of sleep that occurs at intervals during the night and is characterized by rapid eye
movements, more dreaming and bodily movement, and faster pulse and breathing.
-​ REM Sleep has been shown to help us consolidate and sort the day’s important events.

-​ Cognitive psychologists feel that dreams are a way to sift through the events of the day
or recent memory
-​ REM sleep tends to increase after stressful experiences or intense learning
-​ We are learning while we sleep- the brain is processing information to find solutions. The
imagery and scenarios presented in dreams are a way for the brain to communicate
these lessons to memory

Cultural Interpretations of Dreams


Examples:
-​ The Iroquois: dreams hold a spiritual dimensions and serve as messages from the
Creator.
-​ The Odawa: Dreams guide one towards wisdom.
-​ Australian Aboriginal cultures: “Dreamtime” – dreams fuse past, present, and future
experiences.

Freud and Jung Dream Analysis


-​ Both believed in analyzing dreams as a means by which to understand the unconscious
mind.
-​ However, beliefs on what dreams represented or symbolized were quite different.

Freud:
-​ People, situations, images in dreams are manifestations of repressed sexual desire.
-​ Dreams were the royal road to the unconscious
-​ Nightmares= terrible, unresolved experiences that need resolution and must be dealt
with in therapy
-​ His interpretations of dreams have been widely criticized.
Jung:
-​ Images in dreams were symbolic expressions of the instinctive unconscious mind
communicating with the conscience mind.
-​ Dream interpretation can thus uncover the unconscious mind.

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