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Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud 
Considered the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) revolutionized the study of dreams with his work "The Interpretation Of Dreams". Freud began to analyze dreams in order to understand aspects of personality as they relate to pathology. He believed that nothing we did occurred by chance; every action and thought is motivated by our unconscious
at some level. In order to live in a civilized society, we tend to hold back or urges and repress our urges and impulses. However, these urges and impulses must be released in some way and have a way of coming to the surface in disguised forms.
One way these urges and impulses are released is through our dreams. Freud understood the symbolic nature of dreams and believed they were a direct connection to our unconscious, what Freud refers to as the id. The id is centered around pleasure, desire, unchecked urges and wish fulfillment. During our waking hours, the desires of the id are suppressed by the superego, which acts as a censor for the id. The superego enforces the moral codes for the ego and blocks unacceptable impulses of the id. Because your guard is down during the dream state, your unconscious has the opportunity to act out and express the hidden desires of the id.
Freudian Dream Tools:
Utilizing the technique of "free association", Freud believed that we can chip through the dream's manifest content and reveal the underlying significance of our dreams and its latent content.
To further help in interpreting the cryptic images of our dreams,
Freud classified the images into the following five processes:
1. Displacement This occurs when the desire for one thing or person is symbolized by something or someone else.
2. Projection This happens when the dreamer propels their own desires and wants onto another person.
3. Symbolization This is characterized when your repressed urges or suppressed desired or acted out metaphorically.
4. Condensation This is the process in which the dreamer hides their feelings or urges by contracting it or underplaying it into a brief dream image or event. The meaning of this dream imagery may not be apparent or obvious.
5. Rationalization This is seen as the final stage of dream work where the dreaming mind organizes an incoherent dream into one that is more comprehensible and logical. Also known as secondary revision. Freud was particularly preoccupied with sexual content in dreams. Sex was found to be the root cause of what was happening in our dreams. He believed that every long slender or elongated objects (i.e.. knives, cigars) represent the phallus, while any cavity or receptacle (bowls, caves, tunnels) denotes the female genitalia.
Freud's 5 Stages Of Personality Development: Freud believed that there were 5 stages in the formation of your personality:
1. Oral/Dependency This stage takes place from birth to age 2, where the child explores the world using their mouth. . If needs are not satisfied during this stage, one goes through life trying to
meet them. Smoking, eating and drinking are seen as oral fixations. Recurring dreams and the feeling of incompleteness or unmet needs are common themes.
2. Anal/ Potty Training In this second stage, the child learns to control their bodily functions. If not handled properly or if child is traumatized at this stage, then one might become anal retentive, controlling, or rigid. They can develop obsessive compulsive behaviors. Dreams of being out of control or trying to keep things in order are common.
3. Phallic Stage At the of 3 to 5, the child becomes aware of male and female. Personality is fully developed by this stage. This stage is also classified by the Oedipus and Electra Complexes. The Oedipus represents a male child's love for his mother and the fear/jealousy towards his father. The Electra is the female version where the female child has anger toward her mother and exhibits "penis envy".
4. Latency Period Little new development is observable during this stage.
5. Genital Starting from age 12 to the peak of puberty, this stage is classified by reawakening of sexual interest. As previously mentioned, Freud believed that the motivating force of a dream, is wish fulfillment. Issues of power, lack of control, or unsatisfied love may manifest in dreams as a way of satisfying these needs. Thoughts that get repressed during the day may also find a way into your dream as an attempt to being fulfilled.
Freud believed that every imagery and symbol that appears in a dream have a sexual connotation. For example, anxiety dreams were seen as a sign of repressed sexual impulses.
Critique: There are many critics on Freud's take on dreams. Freud lived in a sexually repressed Victorian era. His preoccupation with sexual imagery may therefore have been a product of the times, the culture or his own relationship/conflict with sex.
Considered the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) revolutionized the study of dreams with his work "The Interpretation Of Dreams". Freud began to analyze dreams in order to understand aspects of personality as they relate to pathology. He believed that nothing we did occurred by chance; every action and thought is motivated by our unconscious
at some level. In order to live in a civilized society, we tend to hold back or urges and repress our urges and impulses. However, these urges and impulses must be released in some way and have a way of coming to the surface in disguised forms.
One way these urges and impulses are released is through our dreams. Freud understood the symbolic nature of dreams and believed they were a direct connection to our unconscious, what Freud refers to as the id. The id is centered around pleasure, desire, unchecked urges and wish fulfillment. During our waking hours, the desires of the id are suppressed by the superego, which acts as a censor for the id. The superego enforces the moral codes for the ego and blocks unacceptable impulses of the id. Because your guard is down during the dream state, your unconscious has the opportunity to act out and express the hidden desires of the id.
Freudian Dream Tools:
Utilizing the technique of "free association", Freud believed that we can chip through the dream's manifest content and reveal the underlying significance of our dreams and its latent content.
To further help in interpreting the cryptic images of our dreams,
Freud classified the images into the following five processes:
1. Displacement This occurs when the desire for one thing or person is symbolized by something or someone else.
2. Projection This happens when the dreamer propels their own desires and wants onto another person.
3. Symbolization This is characterized when your repressed urges or suppressed desired or acted out metaphorically.
4. Condensation This is the process in which the dreamer hides their feelings or urges by contracting it or underplaying it into a brief dream image or event. The meaning of this dream imagery may not be apparent or obvious.
5. Rationalization This is seen as the final stage of dream work where the dreaming mind organizes an incoherent dream into one that is more comprehensible and logical. Also known as secondary revision. Freud was particularly preoccupied with sexual content in dreams. Sex was found to be the root cause of what was happening in our dreams. He believed that every long slender or elongated objects (i.e.. knives, cigars) represent the phallus, while any cavity or receptacle (bowls, caves, tunnels) denotes the female genitalia.
Freud's 5 Stages Of Personality Development: Freud believed that there were 5 stages in the formation of your personality:
1. Oral/Dependency This stage takes place from birth to age 2, where the child explores the world using their mouth. . If needs are not satisfied during this stage, one goes through life trying to
meet them. Smoking, eating and drinking are seen as oral fixations. Recurring dreams and the feeling of incompleteness or unmet needs are common themes.
2. Anal/ Potty Training In this second stage, the child learns to control their bodily functions. If not handled properly or if child is traumatized at this stage, then one might become anal retentive, controlling, or rigid. They can develop obsessive compulsive behaviors. Dreams of being out of control or trying to keep things in order are common.
3. Phallic Stage At the of 3 to 5, the child becomes aware of male and female. Personality is fully developed by this stage. This stage is also classified by the Oedipus and Electra Complexes. The Oedipus represents a male child's love for his mother and the fear/jealousy towards his father. The Electra is the female version where the female child has anger toward her mother and exhibits "penis envy".
4. Latency Period Little new development is observable during this stage.
5. Genital Starting from age 12 to the peak of puberty, this stage is classified by reawakening of sexual interest. As previously mentioned, Freud believed that the motivating force of a dream, is wish fulfillment. Issues of power, lack of control, or unsatisfied love may manifest in dreams as a way of satisfying these needs. Thoughts that get repressed during the day may also find a way into your dream as an attempt to being fulfilled.
Freud believed that every imagery and symbol that appears in a dream have a sexual connotation. For example, anxiety dreams were seen as a sign of repressed sexual impulses.
Critique: There are many critics on Freud's take on dreams. Freud lived in a sexually repressed Victorian era. His preoccupation with sexual imagery may therefore have been a product of the times, the culture or his own relationship/conflict with sex.
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