Theories of Dreams in Psychology

Dreaming, whether it be day-dreaming, pleasantly dreaming of something you love during the night, or nightmares, has raised questions amongst us humans for years; why do we have them? What could they mean, and do they relate to our psychological state? Scientists first began studying dreams in ancient time periods, and questions on the matter still exist today without precise, proven answers. Memory consolidation, emotional regulation, or threat simulation have risen as suggestions for why we dream, but psychologists continue to ask questions and use their patients’ dreams as clues to their condition (Dreaming).

Dreams are pictures our minds paint while sleeping that usually evoke some kind of feelings within its producer, explaining some memory of dreams reoccurring in the brain the following morning. During rapid eye movement sleep, or REM sleep, dreams are most vivid, however sleepers can experience dreams during any time of sleep (Facts About Dreaming). The big question, why we dream, depending on who you ask, may follow with several different answers. Perhaps dreams have no purpose whatsoever, or perhaps they are a necessity to sleep and health, but either way, dreams do have ties with psychology, mental processes, and behavior. A group of researchers have proven the significance of dreams when waking sleepers right before they enter REM sleep, when dreams would occur, and discovered that the sleepers experienced tension, anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, a decrease in coordination, weight gain, or an increase in hallucinations (Facts About Dreaming).

The definition of psychology, that it is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes (Rathus), specifically relates to dreams because dreams fit in the category of unconscious behavior. When looking into psychological disorders in patients, psychologists will consider numerous factors that could contribute, such as both sides of the nature-nurture debate, past experiences, trauma, and even dream patterns. Psychologists continue to explore the imperceptible idea of dreams to this day, particularly piggy-backing off of the several theories written about why humans dream during sleep. Among the theories studied, the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, the activation synthesis model, and information-processing theory stand at the top of the list (Cherry).

During his lifetime of 1856-1939, Sigmund Freud stood among the first of psychologists to explore psychoanalysis, the importance of unconscious motives and internal conflicts in determining human behavior. Freud’s specific theory on dreams describes that people are driven by hidden impulses, dreams in this case, that represent unconscious wishes (Rathus). In the German language at the start of the century of 1900, Freud published his legendary book entitled The Interpretation of Dreams. He believed he had discovered the secret, that dreams are wish fulfillments intending to resolve conflicts; dreams are “the Royal Road to the Unconscious” (Freud). In the pages and pages of his book, Freud suggests that signs and symbols noticed in dreams may easily lead to a connotation, a process in which he called a “phenomenon of condensation.” As his work translated to other languages, his discoveries could be shared with psychologists across the globe, and they could use his psychoanalytic theory to interpret the dreams of patients (A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries ).

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In 1977, J. Allan Hobson and Robert McClarley proposed the activation-synthesis model of dreaming, which suggests that during REM sleep, an activation occurs in circuits of the brain (Cherry). The activation then affects the limbic system of the brain; the limbic system is involved in learning and memory, emotion, hunger, sex, and aggression (Rathus). This activation of the limbic system, according to Hobson and McClarley, leads the brain to synthesize and want to find sense in these signals (Cherry). The two theorists simply suggest that dreams only revolve around the brain interpreting signals, whereas the information-processing theories offer an explanation that during sleep, we dream because our brain processes all of the information from the day (Cherry). This theory is the simplest among the three most-used on behalf of psychologists, for it merely revolves around dreams being a result of information-processing. Other theories of dreams include the ideas that our brains try to understand external stimuli during sleep, our brains clean up compartments and have dreams to rejuvenate for the next day, or that we dream as a form of psychotherapy (Cherry). No matter which theory psychologists follow when interpreting the dreams of a patient, they all understand the importance and necessity of doing so.

In psychological disorders, a change in dream patterns can be alarming, however it is very common. With depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, personality disorder, and almost any other mental illness, an increased amount of nightmares occurs within patients (Carr). Depressed patients tend to have more dreams with negative emotions, schizophrenic patients tend to have more dreams of aggression or with stranger figures rather than familiar, and personality disordered patients tend to have more dreams of distress, and they wake up more distressed than the night before (Carr). Patients with personality disorder have had the most frequent nightmares, and their dreams change the most rapidly, altering between good and bad. Suicidal thoughts among psychologically-diagnosed patients usually result in more death themes in dreams. Overall, psychologists must understand the importance of analyzing dreams in their patients, because once dreams start to improve, the psychologist can note progression (Carr).

Nightmare disorder, or dream anxiety disorder, can result from another psychological disorder, or within a patient from its own trigger, such as stress, trauma, sleep deprivation, medications, substance abuse, or even an over-exposure to books and movies in the horror genre (Mayo Clinic Staff). In the DSM, or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, nightmare disorder lists under the parasomnia category of sleep disorders, and it explains that the disorder may result from abnormal events that arise when an individual falls asleep, sleeps, or wakes up (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Having such a disorder usually leads patients to avoid sleep, for the nightmares feel so real that they want to completely avoid them. Doctors may diagnose their patients with this syndrome as parasomnia, however if the syndrome worsens, a psychologist must analyze the dreams to determine a true disorder within the behavior of the patient (Mayo Clinic Staff).

Overall, psychology plays a significant role in dreams, especially when the diagnosis of a disordered patient takes place. Dreams, whether scary, delightful, or strange, help our brains develop copiously. Experts will continue to support the idea that dreams serve as assistance to solve problems, process emotions, or incorporate memories for centuries to come (Facts About Dreaming). As Henry David Thoreau, a legendary philosopher once said, “dreams are the touchstones of our character.”

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References

“A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries .” 1998. PBS. web. 4 December 2016.

Carr, Michelle. “Dreaming in Depression (And Other Mental Illness).” 25 January 2016. Psychology Today. web . 2 December 2016.

Cherry, Kendra. “7 Theories On Why We Dream.” 1 September 2016. VeryWell. web. 17 November 2016.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Washington: American Psychological Association , 1994. print .

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“Dreaming.” n.d. Psychology Today. web. 2 December 2016.

“Facts About Dreaming.” n.d. WebMD. web. 2 December 2016.

Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. Austria: Franz Deuticke, Leipzig and Vienna, 1900. print.

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Nightmare Disorder.” 9 August 2014. Mayo Clinic. web. 27 November 2016.

Rathus, Spencer A. “Psychology: Principles in Practice.” Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2003. 4. textbook.

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