Dreams Represent a Disguised Fulfillment of a Wish That Is Repressed - Essay Example

Introduction: Freud believes that dreams represent a disguised fulfillment of a wish that is repressed. Furthermore, hebelieved that by studying dreams, an individual is able to understand the unconscious activities that are in the mind of an individual (Freud, Masson and Brill, 2010, p. 33). His theoretical framework denotes that dreams have two major parts, a latent content, and a manifested content. The manifested content is a dream that an individual remembers when he or she wakes up. The latent content on the other hand is that part of a dream that is not remembered when an individual wakes up. He considers the latent content as part of the unconscious mind (Bergson, 2013, p. 21). Furthermore, Sigmund Freud proposes that the latent content of a dream comprises of three major parts, namely the sensory impressions, the residues, and the id (Freud, Masson and Brill, 2010, p. 11). When an individual is sleeping, Freud explains that the repression by the super-ego becomes weakened. This is because of lack of a voluntary motor activity. This is able to create an increase in the possibility of a subconscious impulse that emanates from the id reaching consciousness. According to this idea, Freud gives a proposal that dreams are a guardian of sleeps (Freud, Masson and Brill, 2010, p. 36). Furthermore, dreams are able to allow a satisfaction of certain drives, by passing through a manifest content, or visual fantasy. This has an impact of reducing the drives that emanate from the id, and this may make a dreamer to wake up, for purposes of fulfilling the dream under consideration. In a layman’s language, dreams normally allow for the fulfillment of certain needs, without the knowledge of the conscious mind (Freud and Lieberman, 2012, p. 31). However, the manifest content of a dream is not comprehensive, and this is mainly because it comprises of a distorted edition, of a latent content of a dream. During the beginning of this psychoanalytic movement, Sigmund Freud and his followers believed that dreams are the main tools of self analysis (Bergson, 2013, p. 39). Dreams were therefore played an important role in the treatment of psychological patients. Understanding and interpretation of dreams was heavily influenced by the drive-conflict theory of Sigmund Freud. The intention of this therapy was to reveal the latent content of the repressed unconscious mind and sexuality of an individual. For purposes of understanding a dream, a therapist has to explore the latent content of a dream, by using the process of free association. This paper aims providing the proof that justifies the assertion that the unconscious impulses are on most occasions expressed in thoughts and dreams. Freud on Thoughts and Dreams: Sigmund Freud extensively explains the role of the unconscious mind on the ego, id and superego, in affecting the dreams and thoughts. Freud explains that the id comprises of a personality component that consists of unconscious psychic energy, which works for purposes of satisfying the basic needs, urges, and desires (Carter, 2011, p. 41). The id normally operates based on the principles of pleasure, which require an immediate gratification of an individual’s needs. The id is the only portion of an individual that is present when he or she is born. Freud further explains that this primitive part of an individual normally exists within the unconscious mind (Bergson, 2013, p. 29). The id is the driving force behind the personality of an individual. This is because it satisfies the basic needs and urges of a person, and it provides the necessary energy to drive the personality of an individual. During the periods of infancy, that is before the other parts of personality begin to emerge, children are entirely guided by the id. It satisfies the basic needs of comfort, drink and food. However, as people grow older, it becomes a problem when an individual needs to satisfy the various needs of the id as he or she grows up (Carter, 2011, p. 36). However, the other components of an individual that is the ego and the super ego normally develop. It allows an individual to control the demands of an ego, hence behaving in a manner that is socially acceptable. Freud explains that the id is an important part of the unconscious mind of an individual (Bergson, 2013, p. 41). The ego plays a great role in controlling the various demands of an id. Furthermore, the ego is part of the conscious mind of an individual. Furthermore, the ego serves as a link between the external world, and the id. In addition, the ego has the capability of responding to stimulation through flight or adaptation, regulating the activity of an individual for purposes of achieving pleasure and avoiding anything that is not pleasurable. Finally, the demands of the superego are managed and influenced by the id (Carter, 2011, p. 44). The superego has the responsibility of representing the influences that teachers, parents, and other role models have towards an individual. Furthermore, it has an effect of representing the impact of societal, cultural, and racial traditions on the individual. Freud further explains that instincts are the major cause of every behavior that an individual would engage in (Fonagy, 2012, p. 53). These instincts are developed and guided by the superego. The two major instincts are Eros, which stands for love, and the death instinct. The main intention of Eros is to preserve and establish unity, through creation of a relationship. Furthermore, the main purpose and intention of a death instinct is to destroy unnecessary relationships. It is possible for these two instincts to operate against each other, either through repulsion or a combination of each. The Eros and the death instincts are part of the unconscious mind of an individual. Freud further identifies the characteristics of the psychical process of being in a state of consciousness, unconsciousness, and pre-consciousness (Bergson, 2013, p. 17). Freud further explains that the ideas which are conscious are the ones that an individual is aware of, and they normally remain conscious in a brief period of time. Furthermore, pre-conscious ideas are the ones which have the capability of becoming conscious. Unconscious ideas or concepts are defined as ideas that are not easy to access, but it is possible to recognize, infer, and explain through a series of analysis (Fonagy, 2012, p. 16). In analyzing the unconsciousness, and how it affects dreams and the thoughts, Freud divides the mind into the ego, and the unconscious mind. This is an indication that Freud believed that the mind played an important role in determining what an individual thinks, and dreams. Therefore, the process of thinking and dreaming begins from the mind. In his theory, Sigmund Freud refers to the state of unconsciousness as a mental process, which people are unaware of themselves (Fonagy, 2012, p. 21). Freud identifies two types of human consciousness, and they are, hierarchical and vertical consciousness. For instance, Freud explains that the preconscious, the conscious and the unconscious mind normally lie beneath each other. He further believed that a significant psychic process takes place underneath the surface of the unconscious mind. These are the hidden messages from the unconscious mind. Freud further explains that such messages and events have an actual and symbolic significance. Under the terms of psychoanalysis, the state of unconsciousness does not encompass everything that is not conscious. However, it involves any idea that is actively under repression from the state of consciousness, or anything that an individual knows, when they are in their state of consciousness. For example, dreams normally occur when an individual is in a state of unconsciousness. Whatever an individual dreams, is always contained in their unconscious mind. These are thoughts and wishes an individual has, and they are unable to be satisfied or fulfilled when he or she is in a state of consciousness. Freud explains that the state of being in unconsciousness is a repository for ideas, desires, wishes, traumatic memories, and painful emotions that are eliminated from the mind by the process of psychological repression (Fonagy, 2012, p. 36). Freud further explains that the contents of these experiences are not always negative, and that is the reason they normally remain in the unconscious mind. Under the views of the psychoanalytic theory, it is possible to recognize the state of unconsciousness through the effects that it has on an individual. The state of unconsciousness can therefore be recognized by the symptoms of the behavior of an individual. Freud explains that the state of being consciousness is superior to the state of unconsciousness, and it normally represses the ideas that emanate from the unconscious mind (Fonagy, 2012, p. 41). Unconscious thoughts are normally not accessible to any ordinary introspection. This is because they are capable of being interpreted and tapped by special techniques and methods such as free association, dream analysis, and verbal slips. These activities are normally conducted and examined during the process of psychoanalysis. Freud further explains that unconscious thoughts are normally cryptic, and hence they need to be interpreted and analyzed (Carter, 2011, p. 39). This is for purposes of understanding the messages contained in them. Freud was able to base his concept or idea of unconsciousness from a variety of observations. For instance, the concept of slipping of tongues can be directly related to the unconscious mind. This is because they show the true feeling of an individual concerning a certain subject or person. Take for instance, when saying that I decided to take a curse in summer, instead of a course in summer. The speaker is able to accidentally use the term curse, when referring to the term course. This is an indication that the speaker has a negative feeling or attitude to the course under consideration. This slipping of the tongue normally emanates from the unconscious mind of an individual, and they reflect their true feeling and attitude towards the concept under consideration. Freud further noticed that the dreams of his patients normally express an important feeling of idea that they were not aware of (Carter, 2011, p. 12). After these observations, Freud came to a conclusion that the psychological disturbances are mostly caused by the personal conflicts of an individual that exists at his or her unconscious level. Furthermore, his theory of psychoanalytic helps to explain the motivation, mental disorder and personality of an individual, by focusing on the various unconscious determinants of the person’s behavior. Freud spent a considerable number of years studying the role of dreams, and how to interpret them (Carter, 2011, p. 38). Freud defines a state of sleep, as a period whereby there are chaos and uproars whereby the unconscious desires of the id normally force their way into the state of consciousness. To interpret a dream, which normally develop from the ego or id, there are certain assumptions that an individual must make. This includes acknowledging whatever was depicted in a dream, is only a façade, and there is a larger meaning that needs to be inferred. Furthermore, dreams are normally caused by conflicts, and they have power to bring and show memories that are forgotten. This is through the use of symbolism, and their ability to repress impression of the experiences a dreamer faced in their childhood. Freud further explains that dreams are normally fulfillments of the wishes of an individual, and Freud believes that the impressions originating from a dreamer can also be unique, and not related to any events or experiences of a dreamer. Freud therefore explains that dreams and thoughts normally emanate from the unconscious mind of an individual or a person. The unconscious mind consists of the id, superego and the ego. These are not physical elements of the mind, but are hypothetical conceptualization of the various parts of the brain. Conclusion: Freud believed that the unconscious mind plays a great role in determining the kind of dreams and thoughts that an individual will face. The unconscious mind is structured in a situation whereby there is the ego, id and the superego. These are not physical areas located within the brain, but they are hypothetical areas or conceptualizations. Freud explains that the id constitutes the unconscious state of the mind. Furthermore, the id consists of two major biological instincts, which are the Thanatos and the Eros. Eros helps an individual to survive, while the Thanatos are destructive forces which are present in the life of mankind. Furthermore, Eros manages to direct the life sustaining activities of mankind, which includes eating, sex, and respiration. Freud believed that these are part and parcel of the unconscious mind, and they help in creating dreams and thoughts, based on the unfulfilled wishes of mankind. Bibliography: Bergson, H. (2013). The world of dreams. New York, New York: Philosophical Library. Carter, D. R. (2011). Brief lives Sigmund Freud. London: Hesperus. Fonagy, P. (2012). The significance of dreams bridging clinical and extraclinical research in psychoanalysis. London: Karnac Books. Freud, S., Masson, J. M., & Brill, A. A. (2010). The interpretation of dreams: the illustrated edition. New York: Sterling. Freud, S., & Lieberman, E. J. (2012). The letters of Sigmund Freud and Otto Rank: inside psychoanalysis. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Read More