Why do we dream?
There have been several different theories put forward as to the reasons why we dream. One of the most famous was put forward by ‘Freud’ [1901]. Freud argued that a dream is a psychic safety valve, that harmlessly discharges otherwise unacceptable feelings. According to Freud, a dreams manifest content is a censored symbolic version of its deeper x-rated, latent content, which consists of drives and wishes that would be threatening if expressed directly. Although most dreams do not have overt sexual imagery, Freud believed that most dreams of adults are traced back by analysis to ‘erotic wishes’. In Freud’s view, a gun for example might actually be a disguised representation of the penis, and a dream in which a person is being robbed at gunpoint, might be seen as expressing a wish for sexual surrender. Although Freud considered dreams the key to understanding the individual’s inner conflicts. Many of his critics believe that dream interpretation leads down a blind alley. Some say that even if dreams are symbolic, they can be interpreted almost any way a person wishes. Others say that there is nothing hidden in dreams.
