Dream Theories

#1 The Unconscious Wish Fulfillment Theory (Freud 1900) Dreams = unconscious wishes; Freud believed road to your unconscious was through your dreams Sometimes dream not mean what you think it means

2 levels of dreams Manifest Content – Actual storyline of dream – The content; what is on the surface Latent Content – Real meaning = underneath surface – So latent = disguised meaning – Freud believed underneath everything = sex & aggression Sometimes surface is not real meaning

2 more thoughts from Freud Day residue – Something happened that day, week or b4 might be incorporated in dream i.e. scary movie b4 bed, child could have nightmare Stimulus incorporation – Something from real environment taken directly into dream i.e. dreaming about phone ringing, keep trying to answer it – reality = it is alarm clock going off

#2 Dreams for Survival Theory Dreams give info that is critical for our daily survival to be reconsidered & reprocessed during sleep – Areas of brain activated during REM are related to attention, visual processing, arousal & survival – Triggered during dreams – When sleep/dream – reprocessing things from day to try & figure out – Something “on your mind”

#3 Activation Synthesis Theory Dreams mean nothing; they are random! Brain produces random electrical impulses during REM sleep These impulses stimulate memories in various parts of brain & put them together in some story line More fascinating & interesting  more likely to keep you asleep