Freud's Dream Interpretation

Freud's Dream Interpretation

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung are well-known names when it comes to the study of dreams. Freud is widely regarded as the founder of psychoanalysis. Most works on dream analysis are based on their theories, which share commonalities but also have distinct differences.

Freud believed that the human psyche or mind is divided into three basic parts: the id, ego, and superego. The id represents various mental impulses, which are essentially animal instincts. Freud categorized these impulses as hunger, thirst, sleep, and primarily, sexual desires. However, due to societal and moral constraints, these instincts are often repressed and find expression through dreams.

According to Freud, "Dreams are the fulfillment of repressed wishes that cannot be realized in reality." However, later in his career, Freud leaned more towards free association, ensuring that his dream theory did not become a dogmatic doctrine.

Carl Gustav Jung, another prominent figure in dream analysis, was a Swiss psychiatrist and a disciple of Freud. While Jung agreed with Freud that dreams reflect repressed desires in reality, he believed that these desires are not necessarily related to sexuality but rather manifestations of the subconscious wisdom. Jung viewed dreams not only as representations of past desires but also as expressions of future aspirations.

Jung believed that certain thoughts, emotions, and perceptions are innate to humans. For instance, most people share a fear of darkness and snakes, which Jung attributed to individuals having the same reactions as their ancestors. He believed that dreams are connected to religion and emphasized the existence of unexplainable elements in our spiritual world, derived from past experiences and memories.

Jung proposed that human psychological development is tied to both personal and collective past, as well as the extensive evolutionary process of the organic world. Based on this, Jung discovered the existence of a collective subconscious in the human psyche, which he believed to be a source of wisdom surpassing the insight of conscious awareness.

This aligns with the saying from the Sibylline Books: "Enlightenment comes during learning, but inspiration comes during sleep." Jung further asserted that dreams are linked to human behavior and the primary motivations that drive human actions, referring to these innate motivations shared by all humans as "archetypes." These archetypes are abstract entities invisible to the naked eye and are often only known through dreams.

If dreams are reflections of repressed desires, are these desires primarily related to sexuality, as Freud suggested? Or are dreams, as Jung proposed, expressions of our reason and wisdom, connected to our collective subconscious?

Psychoanalysis, led by Freud, and analytical psychology, initiated by Jung, offer distinct interpretations of dreams. I have read Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams," and in my view, reading it is both enjoyable and challenging.