Dream therapy

Question 1

Applying assumptions to therapy

Answer 1

Human behaviour is heavily influenced by the unconscious mind and its hidden fears, desires and conflicts.
Unconscious drives cannot be easily accessed yet they are considered to have the greatest influence on behaviour.
This approach also considers that childhood experiences have significant impact on adult emotions and behaviour.

Question 2

Applying assumptions to therapy - childhood experiences

Answer 2

Another assumption is how childhood experiences impact adulthood.
Traumatic memories may be buried deep in the unconscious may be related to current experiences, but they may also be related to childhood events that are still troubling the individual.
These troubling events may move from the unconscious into dreams as a means of working through traumatic past events.

Question 3

Applying assumptions to therapy - tripartite personality

Answer 3

It is considered that the demands of the id, with desires that are unacceptable at any other time, are relegated to our dreams.
The purpose of dreaming is to allow our unacceptable base needs and wishes to be acted out in an acceptable way. Without that release they could build up and threaten sanity.
Freud considered that whilst the ego would normally block out the unacceptable demands of the id and ego defences would be in operation.
However, during dreams the ego defences are low and the id has the chance to come through.

Question 4

Psychoanalysis

Answer 4

Psychoanalysis is the main therapy based on the psychodynamic approach.
The main aim of it is to make the unconscious conscious so that people become aware of such unconscious influences.
By helping the client uncover those underlying conflicts in the unconscious mind the client can work to bring it to the conscious mind so it can be addressed and dealt with.

Question 5

Main components of dream therapy

Answer 5

The unconscious mind expresses itself through dreams and by analysing the content of an individual’s dreams it can therefore reveal the unconscious.

Question 6

The symbolic nature of dreams

Answer 6

According to Freud, although dreams represent unfulfilled wishes, their contents are expressed symbolically.
The real meaning of a dream (latent content) is transformed into a more innocuous form (manifest content).
Freud believed it was necessary to consider these symbols in the context of a person’s life.
Freud didn’t support the idea of dream dictionaries. He also recognised that not everything in a dream is symbolic.

Question 7

Role of the therapist

Answer 7

The role of the therapist to reverse the dreamwork process.
The decode the manifest content back to the latent content.
They shouldn’t offer just one interpretation of a dream.
They should suggest various interpretations based on the patient’s feedback and knowledge of their life experiences. This will allow the patient to select the interpretations that make the most sense to them.

Question 8

Latent content

Answer 8

The real meaning of the dream.

Question 9

Manifest content

Answer 9

The content you actually experience.

Question 10

Dreams as wish fulfilment

Answer 10

Freud believed that all dreams were the unconscious fulfilment of wish that couldn’t be satisfied in the conscious mind.
Dreams protect the sleeper (primary - process thought) but also allow some expression to these buried urges (wish fulfilment).

Question 11

Dreamwork

Answer 11

The latent content of a dream is transformed into manifest content through the process of dreamwork.
Dreamwork consists of various processes.
These processes are applied to repressed wishes to produce the content of the dream that is experienced.

Question 12

Condensation

Answer 12

Dream thoughts are rich in detail and content, but these are condensed to the brief images in a dream. One dream image stands for several associations and ideas.

Question 13

Displacement

Answer 13

The emotional significance of a dream object is separated from its real object or content and attached to an entirely different one so that the dream isn’t ‘censored’. (Freud uses the concept of a ‘censor’.)

Question 14

Representation

Answer 14

A thought is translated into visual images.

Question 15

Symbolism

Answer 15

A symbol replaces an action, person or idea.

Question 16

Secondary elaboration

Answer 16

The unconscious mind collects all the different images and ties them together to form a logical story.
This further disguises the latent content.
The actual dream material may be supplied from recent events in a person’s waking life.

Question 17

Research evidence

Answer 17

Recent research has provided support for Freud’s link between dreaming and primary - process thinking.

Question 18

Solms (2000)

Answer 18

Used PET scans to highlight the regions of the brain that are active during dreaming.
The results showed that the rational part of the brain is inactive during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
However, the centres concerned with memory and motivation are very active.

Question 19

Methodological issues

Answer 19

Much of the research into dreaming is conducted in sleep laboratories.
For example:
The relationship between REM sleep and dreams.
It can therefore be questioned whether the sleep / dream state is as authentic as when under normal conditions.
The patient is wired up with various electrodes taking measurements.
This set up makes it impossible to conclude that dreaming is the same as in everyday life.
The ecological validity of dream research therefore questioned.
Many studies into dreaming are conducted on humans and animals that have been deprived of significant amounts of sleep or particular stages of sleep.
For example:
REM sleep - when a person’s eyes dart around under their eyelid.
Significant disruption will impair important biological functions.
For example:
The secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters.
These may act as confounding variables.
Any results may be due to these factors and should be interpreted with caution.

Question 20

Subjective interpretation

Answer 20

Dream analysis is a highly subjective process. It goes against the subjective aims of psychology.
Interpreting the manifest content and coming up with its underlying meaning (latent content) relies on the subjective interpretation of the therapist.
The dream that is being interpreted is a subjective report of the dreamer and may not be reliable information.

Question 21

Matt and Navarro (1997)

Answer 21

In a review of 63 meta - analyses on the effect of psychotherapy found that on average, 75% of clients receiving dream analysis showed improvements.

Question 22

Schredl et al (2000)

Answer 22

Found in a survey of psychotherapists in private practise that approximately 70% of patients reported benefits of working through dreams.

Question 23

Hobson and McCarley (1997)

Answer 23

Argue that dreams are nothing but commands sent from the brain and are simply a form of “thinking that happens while we sleep”.

Question 24

Therapist - client relationship

Answer 24

Therapies based on the psychodynamic approach could be seen as unethical because of the potential power imbalance between the therapist and the patient.
The therapist takes the expert role.
They offer the patient insight into their unconscious.
The patient is reliant on the therapist in making progress through the therapy.
This may create a power imbalance.
It could also lead to over - dependence on the therapist.

Question 25

False memory syndrome (FMS)

Answer 25

FMS is a condition in which a person’s identity and relationships are affected by strongly believed but false memories of traumatic experiences.
These false memories can come into light during psychoanalysis when the therapist claims to have uncovered past, traumatic events.
Supporters of FMS suggest that a patient is likely to believe the therapist as they are an authority figure.

Question 26

Toon et al (1996)

Answer 26

Suggest that therapists may induce false memories so that the therapy will take longer and they will make more financial gain.
The result of FMS is that the patients may experience much anxiety because of ‘memories’ of events that didn’t even happen.

Question 27

Emotional harm

Answer 27

During dream analysis, a therapist may guide a client towards an insight or interpretation that proves to be emotionally distressing.
Although this insight may be necessary for recovery, the distress caused may be greater than the distress that the client is experiencing as a result of the current problem.
It’s important that psychotherapists warn their clients of this danger before they engage in the therapy.