Theories and Functions of Dreams and the Nightmare From the beginnings of human communication, dreams have made a significant impact in human life. Dreams, as we perceive them, are a sequence of images, notions, sentiments, feelings, thoughts, and impressions that occur spontaneously and unintentionally throughout sleep. In spite of the culture, society, sexual orientation, or other aspects a person can be defined from or classified into, everyone dreams regardless of physical or mental ailments or disorders. It has even been suggested - based on conducted tests similar to those applied on humans - that animals are also able to dream. But despite the experiments and analyses performed on the unconscious sleeper, it is unknown why dreaming
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This theory attributes the relationship between the cerebral cortex and the lower part of the brain for spawning dreams. As the lower part of the brain is active, it produces neural signals which are then synthesized by the cerebral cortex. The brain assays to create reason from the activity during sleep and the byproduct of this is a dream playing out in the mind. Other areas of the brain also are activated through other neural networks. If a specific sensory area in the forebrain is alerted, it will be reflected in the dream. Also, external stimuli may be represented in the dream. In example of this would be sounds from the outside world entering the dream realm and having a …show more content…
This thesis considers dreaming to have been a product of an evolutionary process for survival. “Dreaming evolved as a mental simulation for the rehearsal of the neurocognitive mechanisms essential for threat recognition and avoidance” (Valli 2007). In this theory, the dream acts as a warning for the dreamer, and when they are awoken, they will be more alert to possible threats to survival. This would explain why so many people experience terrifying dreams. Those that did not experience the terrifying dreams eventually died off due to not recognizing threats they would have seen in their dreams. Like the Continuity Hypothesis, the content has also evolved as the dreamer matures. When a person is younger, dream themes tend to be about pain or death, as our ancestors would have dreamed when struggling for survival. As life progresses, the constant strive for survival is realized to not be as difficult in these modern times. The content of dreams introduces the new theme of failure and embarrassment – more common problems of
This theory attributes the relationship between the cerebral cortex and the lower part of the brain for spawning dreams. As the lower part of the brain is active, it produces neural signals which are then synthesized by the cerebral cortex. The brain assays to create reason from the activity during sleep and the byproduct of this is a dream playing out in the mind. Other areas of the brain also are activated through other neural networks. If a specific sensory area in the forebrain is alerted, it will be reflected in the dream. Also, external stimuli may be represented in the dream. In example of this would be sounds from the outside world entering the dream realm and having a …show more content…
This thesis considers dreaming to have been a product of an evolutionary process for survival. “Dreaming evolved as a mental simulation for the rehearsal of the neurocognitive mechanisms essential for threat recognition and avoidance” (Valli 2007). In this theory, the dream acts as a warning for the dreamer, and when they are awoken, they will be more alert to possible threats to survival. This would explain why so many people experience terrifying dreams. Those that did not experience the terrifying dreams eventually died off due to not recognizing threats they would have seen in their dreams. Like the Continuity Hypothesis, the content has also evolved as the dreamer matures. When a person is younger, dream themes tend to be about pain or death, as our ancestors would have dreamed when struggling for survival. As life progresses, the constant strive for survival is realized to not be as difficult in these modern times. The content of dreams introduces the new theme of failure and embarrassment – more common problems of