Dreams And Beliefs About Dreams

The three types of dream theories are the psychodynamic, activation-synthesis, and neurocognitive dream theories. Each are a little different and interpret dreams in a separate way. The psychodynamic dream theory was made by Sigmund Freud and states that dreams are all about fulfilling wishes and come from internal forces and conflicts. He believed that dreams contain symbols that represent what someone may be aware of or may subconsciously want. On the other hand, he also thought that dreams could also just be over everyday experiences. The activation-synthesis hypothesis was made by Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley and this hypothesis is much more based on biological body functions. These two psychiatrists believed that during REM sleep brain centers are initiated but the messages made by these centers are stopped and the body makes no movements. The brain still receives these messages and tries to make sense of the random material by looking

Dream content reflects aspects of waking-life experiences. After memories are made, they are often fragmentally merged with other information to construct larger, holistic dreams. Autobiographical memories are predominantly represented in dreams in comparison to episodic and semantic memories. Among various characteristics from waking-life experiences such as places, people, and events, emotions are highly incorporated into dream content. There is also a decreasing relationship between the cognitive demand of an activity and the frequency in which that activity occurs in dreams. Dreams tend to include material from experiential memories and events from the preceding day as well as experiences from 5-7 days prior. The recurrence of memory content in dreams seems to support the hypothesis that dreaming helps with memory consolidation, or particularly the content which is reflected in dreams.

The humankind throughout history has tried to learn and figure out the meaning of dreaming. The interpretations and true meanings of dreams has expanded and has varied over centuries and cultures. Many of the earlier studies were based on culture’s and the interpretation of dreams, but also used as a form of prophecy, inspiration, and guidance. Many people still believe this such, people today beliefs and theories have opened up to a more vast interpretation, they are made up of; dreams are rare brain activity, dreams allow people to reflect on themselves, or that dreams are too massive to be correctly interpret. Although, not a single theory has been proven to this day, science as of why dreams occur is still a mystery.

To many people, dreams are the thoughts that occur while sleeping, having almost mystic qualities. For millennia the significance of dreams has escaped even the brightest of philosophers and intellectuals. Many people have speculated about why people dream and what meanings the dreams have but in recent times two theories have gained credibility in answering those questions. The first theory is Sigmund Freuds and the other is known as the cognitive theory of dreams also known as biological determinism.

Both Freud and Jung provided important and interesting theories on dreams; encompassing their functions, their roots, and their meanings. Freud looked at dreams as a result of repressed memories, particularly repressed sexual memories from our childhood. Jung however, believed that dreams delved beyond sexual repression during younger years, to other problems, be it trauma, anxiety etc. Jung also believed dreams changed predominately through middle adult years, while Freud believed the opposite. There is little empirical evidence to reinforce either Freud or Jung’s theories, however, their contributions to the study of dreams in psychology cannot be lessened or denied.

Thesis Statement: Dreams are successions of images, emotions, and sensations that occur subconsciously during sleep.

It makes our relationships more intimate and introspective. For this reason, the expression of dreams and attentiveness to details by the listener is crucial, considering the cultural, spiritual, and mystic significance to the particulars, in what might present themselves to the dreamers. For instance, dreaming about going to a ceremony or gathering for a wedding takes on a superstitious meaning, signifying a person or family member in your life will be dying soon, if the bride has appeared in her white bridal dress and is present at the wedding party or gathering. The dreams seem to come alive with all sorts of colorful and vivid descriptions that can influence the way you are feeling. I have also observed during our recounting of dreams, a person seldom dreams with a positive or beautiful ending. Instead, the dream begins with an optimistic beginning of the dream and ends with an ominous and superstitious message, object, individual, or weather. However, I wanted to gain more understanding and ability to re-discover much more than what mysterious and illusory meaning my dreams may have brought

Dreams, one of the many dimensions in our mind, gives a lot of different information then we are use to having in the day. The subconscious mind that takes control when we sleep, takes care of our passive memories and holds the key to our lives. Dreams are what lead us to this key which unlocks the door to another type of wisdom. The farther we get

Many studies have been conducted on dreams; as a matter of fact, there are various examples that look at how gender and psychology contribute to this subject. Although there have been numerous studies conducted, there are still questions about whether gender has a strong contributing factor on how dreams are interpreted. Schredl, Götz and Wittmann (2004) suggested that typical dream themes are reliable and valid; however, the meaning of the themes and their relationship between real life experiences are still under investigation. The problem with the conflicting interpretations is that they can carry both negative and positive meanings. It is important that more individuals study this subject; mainly, to assure clarity within the interpretations.

“Dreams are a series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.” This is the true definition of what dreams are according to Free Dictionary.com. Although many people are unaware of how dreams actually work there are two psychologists that have been able to pinpoint the true meaning of dreams. These two men are Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. There are many different perceptions on how people dream, what dreams mean, and why people dream.

The third and final article, Morewedge, and Norton (2009) “When Dreaming Is Believing”, a study done to study amateur’s beliefs about the importance of dreams, the way the person interprets their dreams, and the consequences of the interpretations they make on their behavior. The authors stressed that dreams vary widely across psychology, such as Freud’s “Royal Road” to that of a simple byproduct of an increase in brain activity. Morewedge and Norton (2009) suggest that amateurs take up the “Royal Road” look on dreams, that dreams hold information about oneself and their world, and that their interpretation of their dreams impact their waking lives.

Dreams have been around as long as the first civilization came to be and have been a normal part of human existence. One third of your life is spent sleeping, and of that third, on average you will have spent a total of about six years of it dreaming. Most people dream on average two hours every night, but you can have anywhere from four to seven dreams in one night. According to research, the most common setting for a dream is in your own house. In our dreams we can do anything we want and be whoever we want to be. Our dreams are an escape from reality. While we dream we are unable to control our actions and choose our surroundings. We let our minds take over. Sometimes dreams can be understood in the context of repressed thoughts. Dreaming serves as an outlet for those thoughts and impulses we repress during the day. When we go to sleep at night and slip into our dream state, we feel liberated and behave in a manner that we do not allow ourselves to in our everyday life. Visions and ides can come from your dreams. Often, authors, screenwriters, and even poets turn to their dreams for inspiration. The think quest oracle library goes on to tell about the most well-known of the modern dream

In the novel, Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M Coetzee, the magistrate’s progressive, non-linear dreams are a parallel to his growing involvement with the barbarians and his growing distaste for the empire. The great psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud said, “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious.” In every dream there is a hidden meaning and when the reader starts analyzing the magistrate’s dreams he reveals that he is oddly attracted to the barbarians and knows he should not get involved and it will be a trial to get close to them.

Dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep. Everyone dreams, whether they remember it or not. The real question is why some people remember their dreams and others do not? The art of remembering dreams is influenced by the first few minutes after waking, the health of a person, environmental, and biological factors. A person has a large impact on their ability to recall dreams along with what they dream about, even though many people do not know about this.

     In my research I found that there are six different types of dreams. The first type is insight. It provides a solution or clarification to an issue in your life. The second type of dreaming is lucid dreaming. These dreams we have and know we are just dreaming and that it is not really happening. The next type is precognitive dreams. They predict the outcome of events in your life. They are like a fortune teller or palm reader telling us our future. Then there are review dreams, these dreams let us look at ourselves to show us how our lives have become like they are. They let us look at ourselves from an outsider’s point of view. The next type of dream is the gratification dreams. These dreams fulfill our wants and satisfy our desires. They give us “what we want when we want it” (Home1.gte.net). The last type of dream is the physical dream. They are dreams that linger with us even after the dream is over and we are awake. They use imagery that is “physical or emotional” (Home1.gte.net). These six categories