Psycho-dynamic therapy- dream analysis Flashcards
how is dream analysis therapy linked to the unconscious mind assumption?
- show any negative childhood experiences and phobias that have been repressed into the unconscious mind
how is dream analysis therapy linked to the tripartite personality assumption?
- Freud believed that when a person is dreaming, the superego is repressed and the Id is given free rein
- dreams represent the Ids motives, wishes and desires that would be socially unacceptable in the working world
how is dream analysis therapy linked to the childhood experiences assumption?
- any traumatic event that has occurred during early childhood may have been repressed and may surface in the form of dreams
What are the 5 steps to dream analysis?
- dreamer recalls manifest content to therapist
- process of dream work (latent content transferred to the manifest content to understand the dream)
- five processes of dream-work
- therapist reverses the dream work process to find the underlying meaning of the dream
- therapist considers the context of the clients life allowing them to choose an interpretation
manifest content meaning
what dreamer remembers
latent content meaning
meaning of dream
what are the 5 main processes of dream-work
- condensation
- displacement
- representation
- symbolism
- secondary elaboration
condensation
condensing all elements of the latent content and representing them in one image/picture
displacement
the emotion linked to one experience or idea is detached and attached to another (what the dream seems to be about is very different to its actual meaning)
representation
describing the dream using words to describe the visual image we have in our heads.
symbolism
any significant features of the dream are replaced with a symbol
secondary elaboration
the unconscious collects all the images within the dream and fir them together in order to make sense of them. However, this disguises the latent content.
what can we use it to treat
phobias, confidence issues, smoking, eating disorders
Quote freud on dream analysis
“where Id was, there shall ego be’
what did freud say about neurosis?
- caused by repressed desires shown through dreams
- the logic of the ego would take place of the emotion of id
Solms (2000)
- connected types of behaviour with achievements
- when the part of the brain which relates to ‘searching’ is damaged, dreams stop altogether
- this supports Freuds idea
Matt and Navarro (1997)
- 75% of clients receiving dream analysis showed signs of improvements
Schredl et al (2000)
- 70% of patients in private practice reported benefits of working through dreams
ethical issues of dream analysis
- may uncover distressing memories for the client
- false memory
false memory syndrome
- An individuals identity and relationships are influenced by false memories that they believe to be true
- may only believe its true because the therapist who has authority says so
what questions the validity of the therapy?
- the reporting of dreams is dependent on the subjective memory of the client
- (no definite answer)
meaning of subjective analysis
no definite answer
Denment and Kleitman
- different stages of sleep where activity changes
- REM stage where people are more likely to wake up due to there being more movement of their eyes
- this suggests that dreams happen randomly
- unlikely there is a psychological connection to achievements
Hobson and Mcarlley (1997)
- Dreams are nothing but commands sent from the brain
- simply thinking whilst we sleep
