Dream analysis

• Wish fulfilment


  Dreams are the unconscious fulfilment of wishes that could not be satisfied in the conscious mind

  Dreams only occur when the unconscious mind desires are repressed by the ego or superego and governed by the id

  Dreams protect the sleeper(primary-process thought) and allow expression to buried urges
• Symbolic nature of dreams

  Dreams content is expressed symbolically

  Real meaning of the dream(latent content) transformed into a more harmless form(manifest content)

  Eg- Penis into snake Vagina into a cave

  Not everything is symbolic sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
• Dreamwork

  process of latent content transforming into manifest content
• Dreamwork Condensation


  detailed images are condensed to brief images,one image stands fir several associations
• Dreamwork Displacement


  emotional significance of a dream object is separated from its real object and connected to a different one,dream content isnt censored
• Dreamwork Reprensentation


  thought is translated into a visual image
• Dream work Symbolism


  symbol replaces a person,idea or action
• Dream work Secondary elaboration

  unconscious mind collects all the different images and ties them together to form a logic story,disguising latent content
• Role of the therapist

  reverse the dreamwork process

  Decode the manifest content back into latent content

  consider the context of clients life when offering interpretations

  More than 1 interpretation,client picks the one that makes most sense to them
• Evaluation effectiveness


  Research support

  link between dreaming and primary process thinking

  Solms - PET scans to highlight regions of the brain that are active during dreaming.

  Rational part of the brain is inactive during REM centres involved in memory and motivation are active

  Ego is suspended,id is given free rein

  Hopfield et al -neural networks-computer stimulations that aim to mimic the action of the brain

  Neural networks deal with overload by condensing
• Evaluation Effectiveness


  Methodological issues

  Research on dreaming is conducted in a lab,questions the authenticity of sleep

  Low ecological validity

  pps with deprived sleep or particular stages

  disruption will impair biological functions

  Confounding variable
• Evaluation Effectiveness


  Subjective interpretation

  interpreting manifest content and its underlying meanings relies on the subjective interpretation of the therapist,not reliable

  Goes against the objective aims of psychology
• Evaluation Ethical issue


  therapist-client relationship

  Power imbalance between therapist and client

  Therapist=expert role,offering patient insight into unconscious

  Client=relies on the therapist to make progress

  over dependence on the therapist
• Evaluation Ethical issue


  False memory syndrome(FMS)

  perons identity and relationships are affected by strongly believed but false memories of traumatic experiences

  False memories can appear when therapist claims to have uncovered past,traumatic events

  Patient is likely to believe the therapist,seen as authoritive figure