Freud began to analyze dreams inorder to understand aspects of personality as they relate to pathology (illnesses). Freud did understand the symbolic nature of dreams as well as the literal value of the translations. However, he believed dreams could only be interpreted by a trained therapist.

        Manifest content - actual dream scenario which is reported by the dreamer. The content of the dream which one is able to consciously remember.
        Latent content - Underlying meaning of dream. Consist of unconscious wishes and fantasies which have been denied gratification.

        The latent content is motivated by Eros (pleasure) and Thantos (death). These 2 forces are energized by the libido.

        Theories of Personality

        ID

        The Id represents the biological born with self. This is where the libido energy is contained. The Id always seeks pleasure and immediate gratification.

        EGO

        The Ego represents social awareness at 2 years of age. The ego is also responsible for distorting our reality thru defense mechanisms. (ie, repression or denial).

        SUPER EGO

        The Superego represents our conscience. It maintains a sense of morality, and distinguishes between right and wrong.

        Defense Mechanisms

        Help us from experiencing traumatic feelings to their fullest. When situations are overwhelming and one can not accept reality. Repression or unconscious forgetting as a defense becomes subject matter for dreams. Feelings of guilt incorporated from childhood

        Personality Formation

        • Oral- Dependency- If needs are not satisfied one goes thru life trying to meet them. Smoking, Eating and Drinking can become oral fixtions. Recurring themes of things being incomplete or needs not being met will appear in dreams.

        • Anal- Potty Training, if not handled properly or if child is traumatized. Anal Rententive or controlling, rigid or obsessive compulsive behaviours. Dreams of lossing control, out of control or trying to keep things in order are common.

        • Phallic- Personality is fully developed by this stage. The phallic stage consists of the Oedipus and Electra Complexes. The Oedipus represents a male childs love for his mother and fear or jealousy of his father (Which Freud discribed as fear of castration. The Electra is the female version of this complex in which the female child is angry with her mother and exhibits penis envy.

        • Latency-

        • Genital-

          Freud's dream interpretations are concerned with the first 3 stages due to the fact that he believed the personality was finished forming by the phallic stage.

          Wish Fulfillment

          The motivating force for a dream, Freud believed was wish fullfillment.
          1. consciously remembered wishes that are left unfullfilled during the day.
          2. wishes that are unacceptable and repressed during the day.
          3. wishes arising at night by bodily needs like hunger.
          4. wishes originating in the unconscious that are incapable of coming into conscious awareness.

            When interpreting a dream using Freuds Theories, one looks for gratification of a wish thru oral fixations, control issues, and triangles involving female and male struggles. As well as any dream symbol that could even remotely be associated with sex. Most psychologist find Freuds emphasis on dream images as having sexual representations to be overstated.

            Dream Research