The Psychological Interpretation of Dreams

Dreams are the embodiment of thoughts and desires. They fulfill our wishes. One prominent figure in modern dream interpretation is the renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud. He emphasized the significance of dreams because he discovered that analyzing dreams is a powerful tool for understanding the depths of the human subconscious. According to Freud, the id seeks only pleasure, while the ego follows the principles of reality, assessing whether a desire is feasible and considering methods to fulfill it.

Dreams reveal natural truths. Another influential figure in dream research is Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Jung interpreted thousands of dreams and had a profound understanding of their nature. However, his perspective differs from Freud's. Jung does not believe that dreams solely exist to fulfill wishes or that they involve disguises. He sees dreams as "the spontaneous and unfiltered product of the unconscious mind, revealing the unadorned truths of nature."

Dreams are symbolic language. American psychologist Erich Fromm views dreams as a symbolic language. He states, "All myths and all dreams have something in common: they are written in the same language – the language of symbols." Fromm categorizes symbols into three types: conventional symbols, accidental symbols, and universal symbols.

Dreams are self-hypnosis. Alfred Adler, a disciple of Freud, later developed his own psychological system. He believed that dreams are self-deception and self-hypnosis. According to Adler, rational and scientific individuals rarely dream. Those who do dream use dreams to incite certain emotions in themselves and engage in irrational behavior.