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Feud: A very Short Introduction
Freud’s dream theory reflects both his single-mindedness and his tendency to generalization. He was sure that he was right in asserting that infantile sexual wishes were the root cause of neurosis. Dreams, in Freud’s view, were primitive, irrational mental phenomena, which ignored logic, syntax, and the consciously accepted criteria
defining time and space. But:
The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.
(SE, V.608)
Dreams, therefore, must need be primarily concerned with infantile sexuality, the single ‘indispensable
organic foundation’ of psychoanalytic theory, even if, at first sight, many of them appeared to be concerned with quite other matters.
Freud’s technique of dream interpretation is notably ingenious, but even he had to admit that certain types of dreams did not fit his theory. First, some dreams do not require interpretation. A hungry person dreams of food; a thirsty person dreams of drinking. These so-called ‘convenience’ dreams certainly express wishes but refer only to the present state of the dreamer and not to his infancy. (pages 45-46)
Response to the Excerpt
Feud’s interpretation of dreams is interesting because even though
many people, including me, have similar interpretations, few people have devoted time to explain this phenomenon. His view on dreams is quite correct according to the experience I have regarding dreams. In most cases, dreams are “primitive, irrational, and ignore logic.” This is true because, at times, some of the dreams human beings experience
while sleeping are nothing but unrealistic imaginations or unconscious activities of
activities that can never happen in the real world. For example, a dream that entails walking on a water surface is impossible. Also, a dream that entails being persuaded by a dinosaur is both scary and illogical. Such dreams are some of the root causes of neurosis, as feud noted. This is common to many, especially during their childhood in that when they experience terrifying dreams, they tend to develop fear or psychological distress.
However, not all dreams are primitive, illogical, or irrational. Feud has also acknowledged that not all dreams fit in his theory, which is also true. At times, some dreams reflect what we are planning to do or what we have alread
y done. There are many dreams I have experienced where they reflect the exact things I did, or I was planning to do. These such dreams did not include the aspect of irrationality or primitivity.
Therefore, feud’s view on dreams is intelligent, reasoning that
almost everyone can agree without scientific proof. His dream interpretation can, therefore, be related to neurosis among young people. When they experience sexually related dreams, they might end up developing a thinking
that is based on sexual matters, which can affect her mentally. Rather than thinking about other issues, young people affected by sexually related to dreams would always tend to concentrate on sexual matters.