Alfred Adler's Dream Theory Explained

(1870-1937) holds the belief that gaining mastery over one’s waking life requires first gaining control over one’s dream life. They are tools that are used to solve problems. It is necessary to bring one’s dreams to waking awareness and have them interpreted in order to have a deeper comprehension of one’s predicaments. It is essential to draw lessons from your sleep-time fantasies and implement them in your waking life. Adler is of the opinion that there is a connection between the challenges you face in your waking life and the dreams you have. The more goals you set for yourself, the more probable it is that you will run into obstacles along the way. On the other hand, the less dreams you have, the fewer issues you face in your daily life, and the healthier your mind will be overall.

While Freud believed that sexual impulses were what drove behavior, Adler believed that control, power, and motivation were what drove behavior. Freud believed that sexual impulses were what drove behavior, while Adler believed that control, power, and motivation drove behavior. Adler is also of the opinion that an individual’s behavior is not dictated by their unconscious mind. He is of the opinion that the demand for control and the pursuit of perfection are the driving forces behind the actions that people take. In point of fact, Adler does not subscribe to the theory that the conscious and the unconscious operate in opposition to one another. Instead, their behavior is consistent regardless of whether you are awake or asleep.

According to Adler, dreams are an open doorway leading to one’s authentic ideas, feelings, and actions in the waking world. You have a crystal clear vision of your violent urges and desires whenever you dream. In addition to this, you can use your dreams to make up for the things that are lacking in your waking life. For instance, if you are unable to confront your boss in your waking life, you may find it easier to lash out at the boss while you are in the ease and safety of your dream. This is because your dream self does not have to worry about the consequences of your actions. Dreams provide a form of satisfaction that is more socially acceptable than other forms of gratification. Adler came to the conclusion that an individual’s dreams, daydreams, and fantasies are intertwined with the entirety of their personality. As a result, he came to the conclusion that “an adequate interpretation of dreams can only be found by considering dreams as one of the expressions of the style of life”

Dreams perform the function of problem solving by guiding an individual in the direction of potential solutions. Specifically, dreams act as “a bridge that connects the problem which confronts the dreamer [the exogenous factor] with his goal of attainment” (p. 359). Adler, who stated that he did not dream, was of the opinion that people who have a strong sense of community do not dream very often because they tend to find solutions to their issues in their waking lives. (The findings of this research support Adler’s theory that the purpose of dreaming is to solve problems; but, they contradict his hypothesis regarding the frequency of dreaming by demonstrating that everyone who sleeps has dreams every single night [Cartwright, 1997]).

Adler is quoted in Dreikurs (1973) as suggesting that dreams are “the factory of the emotions” and as emotions are what serve as preparation for action, we may say that Adler was correct. “The golden rule of individual psychology is, ‘Everything can be different.’ We must modify each dream interpretation to fit the individual concerned…. The only valid dream interpretation is that which can be integrated with an individual’s general behavior.” [Transduction] “The only valid dream interpretation is that which can be integrated with an individual’s general behavior” (p. 363).