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The History of Dream Theory

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The History of Dream Theory
The History of Dream Theory 1
DREAM THEORY

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The History of Dream Theory 2

Abstract

Dreams are the language of a person's subconscious mind. Therefore, taking the opportunity to understand them can lead to great enrichment. This paper demonstrates the similarities and differences between Freud and Jung's idea on dream theory. It illustrates Freud's belief that analyzing dreams could give the interpreter substantial information on that person's psyche. His concept of free association and wish-fulfillment are also explored. Jung's theories are also discussed. Although Jung began as a follower of Freud, he did end up disagreeing on some of Freud's theories. Jung's approach and beliefs are also explored. Interpreting dreams can be a challenge and no matter what approach is taken, there are several ways to complete the analysis.

The History of Dream Theory 3

DREAM THEORY

Dream analysis has been evaluated in several different directions over the last thousands of years. This alternate universe has intrigued individuals and made them want to understand their dreams. Researchers hypothesize anything from repressed thoughts to a process of elimination. Through these very different theories the meaning of an individual dream is brought to the surface. This paper will illustrate the evolution of dream theory, how it began and where is today. Although there are others, the theories of the ancients, Freud and Jung will be discussed as each of them contributed to this area in Psychology. Dream research goes back to 1786 BC when the Egyptians began to explore these nocturnal activities. Dream incubation was then founded or identified. This is the process by which a person that wanted their dreams analyzed and interpreted would go to a temple and have a priest observe them in their sleep. It was believed that dreams were a message from their god (Holroyd, 1976). The Greeks started



References: Cohen, D.B. (1969). Frequency of dream recall estimated by three methods and related to defense preference and anxiety. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 33, 661-667. Freud, S. (1920). Beyond the Pleasure Principal. New York: Liveright. Freud, S. (1900). The Interpretation of Dreams. New York: Random House. Garfield, P. (1981). The Healing Power of Dreams. Simon & Schuster: New York, 1981 Globus, M.D., Gordon, G. (1991). Sleep Deprivation and Memory. Journal of the Association for the study of Dream. 2(1), 27-40. Holroyd, Stuart. (1976). Dream Worlds. Doubleday and Company, Inc., New York. Palombo, Stanley (1996). Day Residue and Screen Memory in Freud 's Dream of the Botanical Monograph, Journal of the American psychoanalytic Association, 881-903. Schredl, M. (2003). Factors influencing the gender difference in dream recall frequency, Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 22, 33-39.

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