The process in which latent content (hidden wish) is transformed into the manifest content (story of the dream).
4 processes involved…
Condensation
Dream thoughts are rich in content and detail but these are condensed – we combine features of two or more people/objects into one.
Displacement
The emotional significance of a dream object is separated from it’s real object – one person/object is changed into another.
Symbolisation
A symbol replaces an action, person or idea.
Secondary elaboration
The unconscious mind collects all different images to form a logical storyline further disguising the latent content. The actual dream may be supplied from recent events in a person’s waking life.
