The Interpretation of Dreams By Amanda Schuepfer Modernism Art and Literature 375
Origins of Freud s Interpreta(on of Dreams (1899) Hysterical or neurotic patients Free Association Hallucinations similar to dreams Dreams are significant and have deeper meaning
Overview of Interpreta(on of Dreams(1899) 1. Dreams are the fulfillment of a wish. 2. Dreams are the disguised fulfillment of a wish. 3. Dreams are the disguised fulfillment of a repressed wish. 4. Dreams are the disguised fulfillment of a repressed, infantile wish.
Part One - "Dreams are the fulfillment of a wish." Merriam- Webster definition: Wish (verb) - to have a desire for something unattainable; to want something to be true or to happen; to want or ask to do something; to want something to be true or to happen; to want someone to be in a particular state. To wish is to desire or want something, usually unattainable or prohibited.
Part One - "Dreams are the fulfillment of a wish." Wishes involve both a want and prohibition. Over time wishes become internalized. Forbidden wishes become unconscious. Desires and impulses are controlled by censorship. Dreams serve the purpose of wish fulfillment. Problem: punishment dreams.
Part One - "Dreams are the fulfillment of a wish." Are dreams the actual fulfillment of wishes, or just a representation of wish fulfillment? Two answers: Early infancy. Sleep.
Part Two - Dreams are the disguised fulfillment of a wish. Two levels of structure: The manifest content (apparent subject matter of the dream). The latent content (deeper subject of a dream). Dreams serve purpose of wish fulfillment but undergo transformations. Connection between the two levels of dream structure is called dream work.
Part Two Con@nued Types of Transforma@on Condensation is when a number of dream- elements are combined into one manifest element; more compact or condensed. One image overlaid to another Groups formed from disparate individuals Language (neologisms)
Part Two Con@nued Types of Transforma@on Displacement is when a person s latent thoughts are represented through insignificant objects, people, places, and events. The dream has a deeper meaning than its manifest content.
Part Two Con@nued Types of Transforma@on Secondary revision is when a dream is similar to a more logical daydream or portrayal of reality. Secondary revision turns dreams into stories with a logical sequence of events; basic retellings.
Part Three - Dreams are the disguised fulfillment of a repressed wish. The wish or motive behind the dream is disguised. Motive of the dream (wish) and the motive for disguising the dream. Repression is when transformations disguise the wish and prevent conscious appreciation of the dream.
Part Three - Dreams are the disguised fulfillment of a repressed wish. Repression continued: Hidden from consciousness and forbidden by conscious mind. Compromise structure created because of psychic conflict.
Part Four - Dreams are the disguised fulfillment of a repressed, infan@le wish. Repressed wishes originate in childhood (infantile). Repressed wishes are generally egoistic dreams or aggressive wishes.
Part Four - Dreams are the disguised fulfillment of a repressed, infan@le wish. Two sources of dream construction: Happenings in the present (events that occurred the previous day). Happenings from the distant past (unfulfilled, repressed wishes from childhood).
The Three M s Behind the Theory Meaning (Part One) Dreams serve as a form of wish fulfillment. Mechanism (Part Two) Dreams are disguised via different mechanisms, or transformations, of wish fulfillment. Motive (Parts Three and Four) Dreams are motivated by repressed urges and infantile desires.
Difficulty in Interpre@ng Dreams Don't worry, it s no more difficult than interpreting hieroglyphic scripts! Sigmund Freud Tendency to search for a single meaning. Core complex to many dreams (due to common neuroses). Typical dreams are dreams common to many people. Symbolism in dreams - is when the meaning of a dream- element is more fixed.
Later Work on Dreams Dream interpretation had to be fit into the entire requirements of the psychoanalysis. Importance of a compulsion to repeat in his 1920s work, Beyond the Pleasure Principle (Re- enact trauma). Changes of dream interpretation due to the structural theory of ego, id, and superego in his 1923 work, The Ego and the Id.
References The Freud Museum - Education - Interpretation of Dreams. (n.d.). In The Freud Museum. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from http://www.freud.org.uk/education/topic/10576/ subtopic/40022/ Grünbaum, A. (1994). A brief appraisal of Freud s dream theory. Dreaming, 4(1), 80-82. doi:10.1037/h0094401. VerWys, C. (n.d.). Sigmund Freud. In Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from http://homepages.rpi.edu/~verwyc/freudoh.html Wish - Definition and More (n.d.). In Merriam- Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/wish