Philosophy on Dreaming: Vasomotor Imagery - Essay Example

The central nervous system, which is active even in sleep, can pay full attention to a dreamer's intrapsychic processes only when it is not distracted by environmental stimuli. If these stimuli exceed a certain intensity, they interrupt dreams, just as acute anxiety associated with fears of a dreamed conflict stops the process of dreaming.

Mild, subliminally perceived environmental distractions are usually incorporated into dream events without misrepresentation of the main dream message. To specify conflict, dream analysts specify attitudes, affects, thoughts, intentions, actions, counteractions, and any revealed personality traits that bear on the conflict. Analysts also look for any allusions to the manner in which dreamers guide, control, or curb their overt social behavior. When dreamers' behaviors and personalities change, dreams change also.

Personality means the function a character plays, intentionally or unconsciously, in psychosocial relationships; role encompasses the intrapsychic processes and the conscious or unconscious overt behavior of the individual. Statement 2One's mental states like values, desires, intentions are functions determined by the brain states. Brain states depend upon the state of affairs and events one is through with or going through at the same instant. The concept of free will plays a central role in one's thinking about the world, particularly in one's apportioning praise and blame, and in our finding persons morally responsible for things they have done.

For instance, a person bought lotto tickets every day. Sure, there's the constituent of chance, but part of the outcome must be determined. If the person wasn't intended to win they would simply not get any winning tickets. Additionally, one could not win the lottery unless chance was on one's side. One would have to be in the right place at the right time, as the saying goes, in order to win. A person taking the side of destiny would say that if one was not meant to win, then destiny would not have placed him in a position to win.

Alternatively, one could argue that free will was responsible and that the person was solely conscientious for good fortune. The individual could have chosen not to buy a ticket on a meticulous day that he might have won. Or one may have chosen to buy a ticket at a different location than he usually goes to. It would be difficult to keep either determinism or free will out of the equation because they seem to have equal parts in them.