Sigmund Freud: The Psychological Interpretation Of Dreams

Wondering about what a dream means is something every human being has done at least once. Also, we have wondered about the content of our dreams, and why they are always related to the things we have around us. There are several theories that could help us to answer these questions. These questions have been around for many years, so there are biological and psychological theories that could explain them. People had been wondering about what a dream means for ages. In fact, in 3000-3500 B.C. dream interpretations were documented on clay tables. They attributed the meanings of their dreams to messages from their gods sent at night as a warning for a disaster or a fortune, so they used to document them. Experts agreed that there is an immaterial element called “soul”, and it stays awake during sleep. Therefore, while people sleep they are susceptible to the divine such as their gods or the afterworld. So, they believed that they communicated with them in their sleep. It means that people have searched for the meaning of dreams for ages. Putting an end to the idea that dreams are messages from God, the psychological character of dreams was inducted to people by Aristotle. He …show more content…
The first person to study this side of dreams was the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. In his book “The Interpretation of Dreams” he explained that people have unconscious wishes and while they are awake, there is something called “censor” that restrains those wishes from entering into the conscious. On the other hand, while they are sleeping, this “censor” is not as active so, these repressed wishes are shown as dreams. Another person who studied their meaning was Rosalind Cartwright, PhD. She believes that dreaming is the mechanism of the brain to incorporate memories, solve problems and deal with emotions. According to these theories, dreaming is the healthiest way for our brains to process