Psychodynamic Approach - Therapy: Dream analysis

Question 1

what shapes our personalities + causes abnormal behaviour

Answer 1

conflict in the unconscious part of our brain

Question 2

what is psychoanalysis

Answer 2

exploring the individuals unconscious mind and bringing the secret fears and wishes into the conscious. By doing this, they become conscious and recognised, and so be dealt with by the patient

Question 3

how does psychoanalytic therapies work

Answer 3

• help patients gain insight into what is troubling them by helping them make conscious their unconscious desires and conflicts
• once patients are aware of the issues then they can talk about them giving a feeling of release of negative emotions, referred to as catharsis

Question 4

what is dream analysis

Answer 4

• a technique used in psychoanalysis in order to access the unconscious mind

Question 5

what does Freud refer to dreams as

Answer 5

‘the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind’

Question 6

why are the real meanings of dreams disguised as symbolism

Answer 6

• the contents of the unconscious mind are threatening and can cause anxiety
• therefore we are protected by the symbolism
• therefore the purpose of dream analysis is to assign meanings to dreams

Question 7

what is wish fulfilment

Answer 7

• id is associated with irrational, instinct driven, unconscious thought which is called primary-process thought. It is where fantasies arise from
• because this form of thought is unacceptable to the adult conscious mind, it is repressed and kept within our dreams (where we are free to act on our wishes/desires without harm)
• dreams therefore allow expression of unacceptable drives which is referred to wish fulfilment

Question 8

why is wish fulfilment important

Answer 8

if we did not have an outlet (dreams) for these wishes and desires, they would build up to intolerable levels and threaten our mental health

Question 9

what is the significance of the symbolic nature of dreams

Answer 9

• Freud believes that even in our dreams, the wishes of the id are too uncomfortable for us to accept and are therefore expressed symbolically
• this means that we can split the content of our dreams into 2 categories. Manifest content and latent content

Question 10

what is the manifest content

Answer 10

• what the person remembers
• often based on the events of the day

Question 11

what is the latent content

Answer 11

the symbolic meaning of the dream (the wish)

Question 12

Give examples of some symbols that Freud suggests

Answer 12

• Snake –symbolises–> penis
• cave –symbolises–> vagina
• water –symbolises–> birth (pregnancy)
• sword –symbolises–> phallic symbol (e.g. the Oedipus complex)

Question 13

why was Freud cautious about symbols

Answer 13

• he state that symbols are more personal rather than universal
• what 1 object means to 1 person, won’t mean the same for someone else
• a therapist cannot interpret the manifest content without knowing someone’s personal history and circumstances
• Freud also agreed that not everything in a dream is symbolic and some things really do refer to what they are

Question 14

what is dreamwork

Answer 14

• the process by where the underlying wish (latent content) is translated into manifest content
• the purpose is to transform the forbidden wish into a non-threatening form, to reduce anxiety and allow us to continue sleeping

Question 15

what are the steps to dream analysis

Answer 15

• the dreamer recalls their dream to the therapist (manifest content)
• the process of dreamwork is applied in order to understand it. the latent content is transferred to the manifest content
• There are 5 main processes in dreamwork which include: Condensation, Displacement, representation, symbolism, and secondary elaboration (remember: “can dogs really sing songs endlessly”)
• The therapist reverses the dreamwork process to uncover the underlying meaning of the dream, i.e. decoding the manifest content back to the latent content

Question 16

what is condensation

Answer 16

when the contents of the dream is condensed into brief images, so 1 image represents several associations or ideas

Question 17

what is displacement

Answer 17

The emotional significance of a dream object is separated from its real object or content and attached to a different one

Question 18

what is representation

Answer 18

thoughts are translated into a visual image

Question 19

what is symbolism

Answer 19

symbols replace actions, persons or ideas

Question 20

what is secondary elaboration

Answer 20

tying all the images to form a story

Question 21

Does the therapist offer multiple interpretations of the dream

Answer 21

• no
• they offer multiple and it’s up to the patient to decide which one

Question 22

are the features of the dream literal

Answer 22

• no
• they’re not literal and can represent other things

Question 23

how does dream analysis link to the second assumption

Answer 23

• assumption 2 says that our unconscious mind has the greatest influence on our behaviour
• therefore the aim of psychoanalysis is to make the unconscious conscious
• the reason for this is to uncover any underlying conflicts within the unconscious mind, and bring it to the conscious mind so that it can be addressed and dealt with
• dream analysis is thought to be the via regia (the royal road) to the unconscious mind. Freud says that dreams represent underlying conflicts and through dream analysis we can decode it to unlock the unconscious and find its meaning

Question 24

how does dream analysis link to the first assumption

Answer 24

• 1st assumption can be applied as any traumatic event that has occurred during early childhood may have been repressed into the unconscious and may surface in the form of dreams.
• And to uncover these repressed memories, the therapist will offer interpretations of the dream in context of the client’s life

Question 25

how does dream analysis link to the third assumption

Answer 25

• 3rd assumption can be applied through the role of the id
• Freud believed that when a person is dreaming, the ego becomes suppressed and the id is given free rein
• dreams may represent unconscious motives, wished and desires that would be socially unacceptable in the real world
• dreams allow the unconscious fulfilment of such wishes in an acceptable way, to prevent them form building up and threatening sanity
• and the reason the dreamer may not remember the dream is because the mind is at work trying to protect the conscious from disturbing desires from the unconscious (ego defence)

Question 26

when evaluating the effectiveness of dream analysis, what would you talk about

Answer 26

• research evidence (Solms, 2000) (Hopfield et al, 1983)
• Methodological issues
• subjective interpretation

Question 27

describe how (Solms,200) relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis

Answer 27

• PET scan highlighting active parts of the brain whilst dreaming
• Found: rational parts of the brain was inactive during REM sleep. And areas concerned with memory + motivation = very active
• Freud would say that this supports dream analysis because it shows the ego being suspended while id is given free rein

Question 28

describe how (Hopfield et al, 1983) relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis

Answer 28

• researching neural networks
• computer simulations that try to mimic actions of the brain show that neural networks deal with an overloaded memory by conflating or condensing memories
• this supports what Feud says about condensation – when unacceptable desires are censored and dealt with by recombing fragments until they emerge in a new form (manifest content)

Question 29

describe how methodological issues (ecological validity) relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis

Answer 29

• most research into dreaming is done in a lab
• therefore questions whether the sleep/dream state is as authentic as when under normal conditions, as the patient is wired up with various electrodes taking measurements.
• we can’t conclude that it is the same as day to day dreaming and therefore it has low ecological validity

Question 30

describe how methodological issues (confounding variables) relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis

Answer 30

• studies conducted on humans and animals about deprived sleep or particular stages of sleep such as REM sleep (when your eyes dart about under the eyelids)
• significant disruption will impair important biological functions such as the secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters
• these may act as confounding variables, so any results may be due to this and so should be interpreted with caution

Question 31

describe how subjective interpretation relates to the effectiveness of dream analysis

Answer 31

• interpreting the dream relies on the subjective interpretation of the therapist
• the dream itself is a subjective report of the dreamer and may not be reliable information
• this means that dream analysis is a highly subjective process, going against the objective scientific aims of psychology
• false conclusions may be reached based on subjective and incorrect information

Question 32

when evaluating the ethical issues of dream analysis, what would you talk about

Answer 32

• Therapist-client relationship
• False memory syndrome (FMS)
• Emotional harm

Question 33

describe how the therapist-client relationship relates to the ethical issues of dream analysis

Answer 33

• imbalance of power between the patient and the therapist
• generally, the therapist takes the expert role, offering the patient insight into their unconscious, and for this reason, the patient is reliant on the therapist in making progress through the therapy.
• this may create a power imbalance and can also lead to over-dependence on the therapist
• this may be especially true in people suffering from depression, as they may have a tendency to over-rely on important people in their lives

Question 34

describe how False memory syndrome relates to the ethical issues of dream analysis

Answer 34

• 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 to light during psychoanalysis when the therapist claims to have undiscovered the past, traumatic events
• Supporters of FMS suggest that a patient is likely to succumb to the belief of the therapist as they’re an authority figure
• Toon et al (1996) even go as far to 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 35

describe how emotional harm relates to the ethical issues of dream analysis

Answer 35

• 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 their current problems
• it is important that psychotherapists warn their clients of this danger before they engage in the therapy