Sigmund Freud's Psychodynamic Dream Theory Explained

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), who is regarded as the father of psychoanalysis, is credited for revolutionizing the field of dream interpretation with his book The Interpretation of Dreams. Freud starts analyzing dreams in order to understand aspects of personality and how they relate to pathology. He does this so he can better treat his patients. He is of the opinion that nothing you do is due to random occurrence; rather, every action and idea is, to some degree, motivated by your unconsciousness. You have a tendency to repress our impulses and hold back our urges in order to live in a civilized society. This is necessary in order for us to function properly. However, these urges and impulses have to be released in some way; otherwise, they will surface in a disguised form. This can be accomplished in a number of different ways.

Dreaming is one way that you can release these urges and impulses that are building up inside of you. Freud believed that the unconscious could only communicate with us through symbols due to the potentially damaging or upsetting information that it contained.

Freud divides different characteristics of the mind into the following three categories:

Id is the aspect of a person that is preoccupied with base impulses, pleasures, cravings, unrestrained urges, and the fulfillment of wishes.

Ego refers to the part of the mind that is concerned with the conscious, logical, moral, and self-aware aspects of the mind.

The superego acts as a gatekeeper for the id and is also in charge of ensuring that the ego adheres to its own set of moral guidelines.

The impulses and inclinations of the id, which are controlled by the superego, are repressed when one is awake. You are able to gain insight into your unconscious self, also known as your id, through the medium of your dreams. When you are in the dream state, your defenses are down, and as a result, your unconscious has the ability to play out and express the desires that are buried deep within the id. However, there are occasions when the wants of the id can be so upsetting and even destructive to one’s psychological health that a “censor” must step in and transform the upsetting content of the id into a symbolic form that is more socially acceptable. This enables you to keep sleeping and prevents you from waking up startled by the visions that you saw while you were asleep. As a direct consequence of this, the dream visuals tend to be obscure and puzzling.

If you have trouble recalling your dreams, Freud suggests that this may be due to the activity of the superego in your mind. Protecting the conscious mind from the unsettling visions and urges generated up by the unconscious mind is how it fulfills its function.

The Freudian dream theory can be difficult to comprehend in its entirety, yet its fundamental principles are not difficult to grasp. It is also possible that it will provide you with ideas for the interpretation of your own dreams.

Freud theorized that the unconscious, also known as the id, uses the medium of dreaming to work out and resolve feelings, experiences, and violent impulses that have been repressed or are unpleasant.

Sigmund Freud’s theory of dreams was constructed based on a variety of presumptions, which are listed below. The most important ones are as follows:

• Dreams don’t last very long. Freud thought that dreams were fleeting, like to fireworks. He also believed that the time shortly before awakening was the most likely to witness their appearance.
• The events of the previous day are depicted in one’s dreams. Freud was certain that events that took place during the day would inevitably manifest in one’s dreams the following night.
• Dreams are the manifestation of our deepest desires. The most well-known of Freud’s theories is the concept that wishes are carried out in dreams when they cannot or will not be fulfilled in our waking lives. This is known as the wish fulfillment theory. According to Freud, even worrisome or punitive nightmares have their origins in the desire to have one’s wishes granted.
• Dreams come and go quickly. Freud was of the opinion that most people are unable to recall the majority of their dreams.
• Numerous sexual metaphors can be found in one’s dreams. Freud compiled a comprehensive list of the various sexual symbols that can appear in one’s dreams. He was of the opinion that some things, such as the number three and elongated objects such as umbrellas, branches, sticks, and tall monuments, are representations of the penis.
• Freud believed that everything that has the potential to inflict pain, like as a pistol, a sword, or a knife, could also be interpreted as a phallic symbol. According to Freud’s interpretation of dreams, any object, including animals and reptiles like snakes, might act as a substitute for male genitalia in a dream. On the other hand, female genitalia are shown as items that have empty space inside of them that must be occupied.
• A few examples of this would be the mouth, the trunks, the shoes, the pits, and the caves. Freud believed that particular fruits, such as apples and pears, symbolically represented breasts, but things made of paper or wood were assumed to represent women in their whole.
• A therapist ought to be consulted in order to interpret one’s dreams. Freud was of the opinion that therapy is an effective method for assisting people in overcoming a wide variety of challenges, one of which is having disturbing nightmares. In addition to this, he was of the opinion that the analyst, and not the patient, possessed the knowledge necessary to accurately interpret the contents of a dream.