Activation-Synthesis Theory

The manifest content of the dream, the physical images of the dream, are highly overdetermined from an original source: "multiple determination must be of importance in choosing what particular elements shall enter a dream" (Freud 820). Each image seen in the dream can be traced

Dreams have long fascinated the human race. This alternate reality, separate from the conscious world we see around us, has captured the interest of many people throughout history. In fact, mankind has been studying dreams since the invention of the written word. Perhaps the lure of dreams is that there seems to be some significance behind them. Most reject the idea that dreams are just random meaningless fragments of data. The vivid sensations that dreams create are just too powerful to ignore. The world of dreams is filled with peculiar phenomenon and unexpected events that beg our attention. Consider the following example of a dream:

There are numerous theories regarding the function of our dreams, they are mainly based on speculation more than research. This enchanted place of consciousness is what got me interested about dreams. Dreams are based on the individual in that we usually dream of ourselves. I feel that greater understanding of our dreams will have a major influence for individuals to understand themselves better.

When looking into the meanings of dreams, a variation of things can be found. Most people believe that dreams are a reflection of people’s inner thoughts and feelings. Most of these feelings are too private to be expressed in the real world and that is why they are expressed in a fantasy type way through 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

TRANSITION: Now that we saw what functions in the brain during a dream we can better understand the significance

The first piece from the dream dictionary that stated that the dream might be in from inner conflict which would fall under the psychoanalysis theory being that the theory states that dream provide insight to desires, motives, and conflicts of which we're unaware. Secondly, by the dream dictionaries later definition, that dream could be indication of careless driving,

After a friend told me about some weird dreams he had been having I decided to research the meaning of dreams. I will focus on Sigmund Freud’s idea that understanding our dreams can help us to understand ourselves, and live a much happier and fulfilled life. Freud was known as “the father of psychoanalysis” and in 1899 he wrote his most famous work, The Interpretation of Dreams, and

Dreams are incredible when you learn what they are mean and why we dream at all. They come in many categories and our for granted by many, but as known are for our benefit and should not be taken as anything

The meanings and interpretations behind dreams have widely varied, over time and across cultures. They have been known to be a topic of physiological and scientific speculation for decades. Within recent studies and theoretical advancements, we can see the many different

To conclude, there are plenty of dream theories today, Freudian theory is one of the prominent one. I agree with Sigmund Freud that dreams have a latent content that can reflect our personality. Freud believes dreams have manifest (actual dream) and latent content (hidden, symbolic meaning). Freud also mentions that no one can interpret your dream without knowing your personal circumstances. Since I know my circumstances I will interpret my dream differently than someone else who doesn’t know my circumstances or desires. Freud is considered to be a major contributor of psychology and neuroscience

In lecture, we learned that the psychodynamic view of dreaming is the way our thoughts and emotions in our unconscious mind process in sleep (K.W. Brown, personal communication, September 8, 2015). Overtime there have been a variety of theories about interpreting our dreams. One theory is known as the “activation synthesis hypothesis,” this explains dreams as memories (Linden, 2011). Whereas the “threat simulation theory” is a way to counteract threats or things that someone sees as bad (Linden, 2011). Not only are there different types of theories but, there are also different types of dreams. Two types of dreams we covered in lecture are garden variety and lucid. Dr. K. W. Brown explained to us that garden variety dreaming describes an

It may seem unnecessary to define something as common to us as dreams. Each and every person, in one degree of lucidity or another, has experienced dreams and does so on a recurring basis. In defining and understanding what exactly dreams and visions are, along with their similarities and differences, we continue to turn to Morton T. Kelsey. Kelsey notes that, while we cannot certainly understand what sleep is, we can understand that it is a specific type of consciousness, a transient interruption of the waking state. During this interruption of the waking state, there are two states that appear to take effect in the human brain, known by psychologists as the “primary-process activity” and the “secondary-process mentation.” The primary-process activity is the time during sleep in which the sleeper experiences a single picture or figure, or even a vivid and elaborate story. It is not uncommon for the sleeper to experience this phase of

Dreams are “hallucinations of the sleeping mind” (Loftus & Ketcham). Dreams can be very vivid, loud, and even emotional. This is why it is easy to confuse them with reality. Dreams are kind of like taking all of a person’s wishes and emotions and putting them all in a little “shadow world” (Bynum) when they go to sleep at night. “What is common in all these dreams is obvious. They completely satisfy wishes excited during the day which remain unrealized. They are simply and undisguisedly realizations of wishes.” (Freud). A person may be experiencing an emotion or wishing for something without even realizing it at all. Dreams can sometimes show a person how they are truly feeling without even their own awareness of these feelings or wishes. A lot of a person’s reality and emotions are used in their dreams, however, this is not always the case. Dreams can also be extremely bizarre, confusing, and even repetitive. This is where the interpretation of dreams comes into action. Many people find it hard to believe that when they have a dream over and over again that it does not mean anything. These types of dreams are called recurring dreams. Recurring dreams happen

Throughout the past few nights and mornings, I made an extra effort to remember and record my dreams from the previous evening. After re-reading the notes taken on my dreams I have come to the conclusion that my dreams are peculiar, hopefully I can make sense of them after looking at the different theories of why we dream.