Book Report: Dream Psychology by Sigmund Freud
Yvette R. Gibbs
Grand Canyon University: Personality Psychology
June 27, 2014

Dream Psychology Chapter Summaries Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was a physiologist, medicinal physician, psychologist, and instrumental intellectual of the 1900’s. Freud said dreams are windows into our unconscious mind where the angsts, longings, and feelings exist that we stifle in some type or another to conceal from conscious thought. In other words, we do not want to realize them so they get constrained into the alcoves of the subconscious. Thus, with respect to the concept of wish- fulfilment and dreaming, we desire that the thing that concerns us in the subconscious, expressed by means of the dreams. Consequently, on this basis, both “undesirable” and “positive” (things we wish do happen) dreams are the result of wish-fulfilment.
Chapter I: Dreams Have a Meaning Freud was a true believer that all dreams had some meaning. Dreams are our unconscious feelings. Whether good or bad thoughts we have and do not act on manifest into our dreams; they are usually indirect clues. Freud (1920) states the basis on “a peculiar state of psychical activity”. Some spectators recognize the dream may be capable of exceptional successes in selected areas (e.g. Memory) (Freud, 1920). Some medical writers believe that dreams are merely stimuli from the body; contrary to their beliefs, dreams do have some meaning (Freud, 1920). Reading one’s dream the events of the dream will be replaced by other events, this can be done stage by stage or by one thing, it may represent (Freud, 1920). After having a seemingly unrelated dream, Freud had to analyze and found that the dream had deeper meaning than it represented. Freud (1920) concluded that dreams are a replacement of the emotional and intellectual trains of thought. His perception of where dreams came from was psychically significant. Latter contents become manifest contents, which become dreams contents (Freud, 1920). There are different types of dreams some have meanings, are understandable, self- comprehensible, and have a clear-cut meaning and incomprehensible, obscured, and inconsequential (Freud, 1920). Children’s dreams have signifying and are not peculiar. Their dreams usually come about from the day’s activities.
Chapter II: The Dream Mechanism Freud’s method of how to evaluate a dream would first to evaluate the separate components and how long the dreams were. One or more shared aspects are significant. Freud “the different elements are put one on top of the other; what is common to the composite picture stands out clearly, the opposing details cancel each other”. If there is, no mutual parts in the dream the dream work will make something up to help the dream make sense (Freud, 1920). Freud (1920) further states, “Next to the transformation of one thought in the scene (its “dramatization"), condensation is the most important and most characteristic feature of the dream work”. Dreams express what we would normally repress publicly our conduct or sexuality.
Chapter III: Why the Dream Disguises the Desires Freud (2010) asserts that displacement is the central dilemma and is the utmost effecting of the routines of the dream. Dreams are usually presented in an unrecognizable form because the wishes are repressed. Displacement and repression our dreams are away to disguises the desires. There are three categories of corresponding to the relationship between the understandings of desire (Freud, 1920): a) Non-repressed and non-concealed desire (children) b) In veiled (repressed desire) c) Repression without or with but slight concealment
These dreams represent dread and are now second to repression. Symbols could be used to interpret dreams. There are various types of symbols that are near universal and other symbols that are very personal to our individual life experiences and us. People that speak the same tongue can usually relate to the same symbols.
Chapter IV: Dream Analysis Freud would have his patient explain the dream and he would then examine all factors, elements, and pieces provided. These would then be used as singular foundations for the use of free association. Once convinced the extracted themes had been obtained, Freud would piece the puzzle together as a whole to form a complete analysis. Freud considered this was the best means to sneak up on the repressed material.
Chapter V: Sex in Dreams Sexual impulse has long been suppressed starting from childhood and creates such dreams. There are many symbols in dreams of sexual suppression, if one dreams of a train going through a dark tunnel they are dreaming of having sex. Freud (1920) says, “It is true that the tendency of the dream and the unconscious fancy to utilize the sexual symbol bisexually betrays an archaic trend, for in childhood a difference in the genitals is unknown, and the same genitals are attributed to both sexes.”
Chapter VI: The Wish in Dreams Freud (1920) believed that although our dreams were the result of this wish-fulfilment concept, the subconscious does not directly relay the important message. That is, the message is provided in symbolism and must be decoded. Not because the subconscious wants to make things difficult, but due to symbolism being it is only means of communication the conscious, if you recall, is attempting to bury these desires, instincts, and emotions.

Chapter VII: The Function of the Dream
Freud (1920) believed that dreams a twofold purpose. Freud’s (1920) states, that the unconscious primitive drives energy and urges the expulsion moving it toward the expression of a consciously undesirable urge. The lessening in conscious self-controls typical of sleep allows a symbolic, disguised dream manifestation of the bottled-up wish. The obvious (manifest) content of the dream symbolizes an agreement between the primitive powers (latent content) striving for manifestation, on the one hand, and the oppressive strengths of consciousness, on the other. Freud presumed that the energy pushing for action would stimulate the person who is sleep were it not for the dream, which, through symbolic discharge, allows the person to go back to sleep. Therefore, the dream is seen as providing the biological operation of preservative slumber, as well as the psychological function of releasing an undesirable wish that might then erupt devastatingly into waking life.
Chapter VIII: The Primary and Secondary Process---Regression
Both the hopes and trepidations that the patient brings into the analytic situation are revealed to be based on unconscious, on illusions of one sort or another. Hopes derive from infantile impulses for oral, anal, and oedipal gratifications and triumphs. Dreads derive from fantasied punishment (particularly castration) for forbidden wishes. Hopes and trepidations are transformed, through the analytic process, into rational understanding. The secondary process is fantasy-driven and primary process is conflictual impulses. “The second system is obliged to correct the primary process (Freud, 1920).
Chapter IX: The Unconscious and Consciousness---Reality The mind is constructed into two principal parts: the conscious and unconscious mind. The conscious mind comprises all the occurrences we are aware of or can easily bring into mindfulness. The unconscious mind, on the other hand, contains all of the things external of our understanding all of the longings, wants, expectations, yearnings and remembrances that loll outside of consciousness yet continue to manipulate conduct. There are two types of unconsciousness (psychological) Unc.is unable to involve consciousness and Forec is from emotions and involves consciousness.

Personal Analysis
I truly enjoyed reading Dreams Psychology. I can see how Sigmund Freud had come to his trains of thoughts of psychology of dreams. I truly appreciate Freud for looking deeper into dreams see that they were more than just vision while you slept. He saw that some of them have some latent significance.
He makes so much sense when he explains that dreams disguise one’s desire. One may have always wanted to go to Paris but cannot afford the trip, one night they may dream of the Eifel tower and croissants. I can remember my maternal grandmother interpreting dreams. If she or someone dreamt of fish that meant that, someone was going to have a baby or if there was a dream of crying something great was going to happen. My mother has always been the person everyone went to for dream interpretation; she has never been wrong. She uses her knowledge from her mother and from various dream books. I have always gone to her with dreams (the ones that I remember).
What I found most disagreeable is that most symbolism in dreams has to do with repressed sexual desires. Yes, I can see that could a ply to a young boy have a sex dream; that is what most boys think about consciously and unconsciously. I do not think that every time a man dreams of a banana and a donut he is unconsciously thinking about sex.
Psychoanalysts have established numerous approaches for obtaining unconscious information, e.g. free association, and hypnosis (Burger, 2010). Free association is to clear your mind and say whatever comes to it first (Burger, 2010). For example, the theorist will say “dog” then the client would say, whatever comes to their mind first; mostly cat. Freud believed hypnosis would put the ego to sleep and then the therapist can get to the unconscious mind.
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) has a lot to do with one’s health, sleep and dreaming (Burger, 2010). Dreaming somewhat has a psychological advantages (Burger, 2010). People who do not obtain REM sleep may have a harder time with stressful responsibilities. For example, the Walmart truck driver that hit actor Tracey Morgan’s limo had not had sleep for hours, causing him not to be quickly responsive. When one is sleep and they are in full REM they dream, it is rare that one dreams out of REM (Burger, 2010). Dreams also give us a release of our suppressed thoughts (Burger, 2010). For example, at work a woman that has been beaten will not focus as much on the event, but will dream about it that night.

References
Freud, S. (1920). Dream Psychology: Psychoanalysis for Beginners. New York: The James A. McCann Company.