Calvin Hall (1966) agrees that dreams have symbols within them however he believes these symbols are not hidden and are unique to the individual and the meaning they apply to it.
Kohler and Borchers (1996) conducted a study that supports Freud’s theory of our dreams being our subconscious.
In contrast with Freud, another explanation of dreaming is Hobson and McCarley’s activation synthesis (1977). The introduction of this theory changed the perspectives people had about dreams. From conducting experiments on animals it has been shown that during REM sleep (Aserinsky and Kleitman (1953)) the cortex is highly active despite receiving little external stimulation however it is isolated due to the spinal cord blocking the signals which effectively leaves us paralysed. As well as the cortex being cut off, there is an inhibition to signals produced by the sensory system. Due to all this activity happening in the brain during REM sleep, we try to interpret the signals and they translate into images. This may explain why we sometimes encounter bizarre features in our dreams. “The fact that the narrative of a dream, though some bizarre, is at least coherent must surely reflect interpretive processes, at higher levels of the brain trying to impose order or plausibility on the chaos of activity in the sensory area of the cortex” (Blakemore 1988).
A reason for why we try to interpret these signals could be illusory pattern perception. This means the identification of a structured and meaningful relationship between a set of random or unrelated stimulus. (Shermer, M. (2010) Scientific American Mind Magazine). This could explain why we try to interpret the random signals given off by parts of the brain. Since we aren’t in control of these signals we try to regain control by looking for patterns to explain them.
Although the activation synthesis theory has more scientific background than Freud’s, it focuses more on where dreams come from rather than why we have them.
Crick and Mitchison (1983) expanded on Hobson and McCarley’s theory by explaining that dreams clear up our mind to stop an overload of information. They believe that the cortex is made up of connected networks, like a spider’s web, and information is recalled from these networks when required. However it malfunctions when there is too much information. To stop this overload the brain needs a system that it can clear out unnecessary information and keep important information such as how to complete a maths problem. Therefore dreams are merely just the process of our brains clearing up the mind. Crick and Mitchison (1983) explain that we shouldn’t try to recall dreams as these are what our brains are trying to remove and by recalling them they are remaining in our brains. Contrastingly psychoanalysts like Freud explain that it is important to remember our dreams as they could help us understand our subconscious.
Alternatively Dierdre Barret (1970) believes that our dreams aid us with problem solving. In 1865 Friedrich August Kekulé dreamed a snake forming a circle and biting its own tail. From this dream he realised the chemical structure of Benzene which earned him a title of nobility in Germany.
In 1993 Barret conducted a study expanding on a previous study by Dement (1970). It involved asking college students to select a problem to try and solve in a dream. It was found that half of students had dreamt about their problem and one quarter had even solved it through dreaming.
There are many different theories regarding why we dream. Despite Freud’s theory being dated back to the 1900’s it is still considered one of the most dominant theories of explaining why we dream.
The major criticism with dream theories is that they are unfalsifiable as there is no one way yet discovered on how we can explain or interpret dreaming. Hobson and McCarley’s activation synthesis (1977) theory and Crick and Mitchison (1983) theory of dreaming to forget are based on scientific research, unlike Freud’s work. In today’s society we are more accepting of theories or ideas which have scientific backing to them.
In conclusion, all the theories that are presented in this essay have some grounds for truth, however due to the nature of the topic it is difficult to distinguish the theories which give the best explanation of dreaming since no theory can be proven or disproven.
by
piglet00 (student)
