UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ ©V. Tonay
Freud's dream theory:
1) Dreams are a symptom of neurosis which
disguise unconscious wishes and fears of a primarily sexual nature.
They disguise through the "dreamwork": mechanisms of
the dream ego which help to keep threatening material from consciousness.
2) Dreams are attempts at wish-fulfillment. Our unconscious
wishes are partially satisfied through the fantasy gratification
we experience in dreams.
3) The biological function of dreaming is to preserve sleep.
We can remain asleep while dreaming we are awake.
4) Dreams contain a manifest (the storyline of the dream)
and a latent (the hidden, "true" meaning) content.
Freud's method of dream interpretation:
1) Analyze the hidden wish/fear through free association:
have the individual tell whatever comes into his or her mind when
thinking of each dream element. The associations form a chain.
For example, if a patient dreamed of a white dog, the analyst
might ask her to free associate to "white dog." She
might say, "Hm. My grandfather had a white dog. My grandfather
died last year. At his wake, the white dog ran into the room and
terrified me." The analyst might conclude that the white
dog represented the death of her grandfather (or the fear of death).
2) Identify mechanisms of the "dreamwork": condensation and displacement, primarily. Condensation occurs when two or more latent (unconscious) thoughts are combined into one object. A common example of this is when you dream of your partner transforming into your ex, which might indicate you fear the "return" of some aspect of your ex's personality in your present partner, or an observation the two are actually similar. Displacement occurs when a major, affect-laden thought lands on a minor dream image. An example might be of a dream in which you become furious at a sidewalk for no apparent reason. Your fury has been displaced from its original object onto an innocuous one, so that your conscious mind is shielded from the "truth."
3) Symbolic analysis: If the dream is bizarre and the individual cannot free associate to it, Freud would symbolically interpret dream elements. Basically, everything that goes inward or opens (caves, holes, purses) was interpreted by Freud to be a vaginal symbol. Anything cylindrical, tall, or powerful was believed to be a phallic symbol (gun, tree, skyscraper, red Porsche, missile).
Jung's dream theory:
1) Dreams are compensatory to waking consciousness. They balance
the psyche.
2) Dreams express unconscious contents, they do not disguise.
3) There are two types of dreams: personal unconscious dreams
(interpreted by Freud) and dreams which originate in the collective
unconscious, called archetypal dreams. Dreams which are highly
emotional, memorable, vivid, and have a mythological parallel
are said to be archetypal. Jung concentrated upon these.
4) Dreams help us to become individuated (separate from the masses
and undivided within the Self).
Jung's method of dream interpretation:
1) Active imagination. Jung would have his patients draw or write about their dream images, asking those images about themselves, in order to identify archetypal motifs and elements, and help the patient integrate them. Good resource book: Inner Work, by Robert Johnson.
2) Amplification. Similar to free association, amplification involves asking the patient for an association to the image, but then always returning to the image afterward, for more associations, e.g.: "White dog, grandfather's death. White dog, cuddly. White dog, gets dirty easily."
3) Identify archetypal elements from dream
images: persona (clothing, masks, objects associated with persona/work/social
role), shadow (usually threatening, frightening characters, violent
characters, 'shadowy' characters, first emerges as animal/creature),
anima/animus (compelling opposite-gendered character--romantic
interest or guide, wise old man/woman), self (mandala, tree).
Remember that water is a universal symbol for unconscious emotion
and the life force.