The Multidimensional Function of Dreams - Essay Example

The Multidimensional Function of DreamsEverybody dreams, which under normal circumstances should mean we should all understand what it is for. This is not the case, however, as dreams continue to be a topic of interest in psychology, sociology, anthropology, religious historians, and even criminologists. It appears from a brief scan of the prevailing theory of dreams that the function of dreaming appears to serve anywhere from coping with psychological needs to social assimilation and homogenization.

Past research have dealt on the implications of the dreamless sleep, the use of dreams for research, diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders, the dream in Catholic and Buddhist literature, dreams in surgical operations, dreams as determinants of segmented social assimilation, dreams as tools for solving crimes, and the significance of dreams within dreams, among many others. It would be a real research effort to gather these theories in one thesis to show the full dimension of the importance of dreams.

I have gathered several sources, ranging from books to websites to articles. However, the three peer-reviewed journal articles below are my favorite because they depart from what is generally known and accepted about dreams and challenges new and divergent territory. Annotated BibliographyHaller, W.; Portes, A.; & Lynch, S. M. (2011) Dreams Fulfilled, Dreams Shattered: Determinants of Segmented Assimilation in the Second Generation. Social Forces, 89(3), 733-762 The topic of dreams is discussed with a sociological context; it examines how dreams help the contemporary immigrant second generation in the process of their adaptation into the society to which they had immigrated.

The additive and interactive models suggested by the study presents some insight into how dreams serve as a social tool for smoothing out differences and forming an integral whole among different cultures and backgrounds in one society. It is no secret that well-assimilated individuals in a society improve harmony and reduce conflict among its members. This knowledge has an important application in diversified groups such as employees in a company.Santo, D. E. (2009) Making Dreams: Spirits, Vision, and the Ontological Effects of Dream Knowledge in Cuban ‘Espiritismo’.

Suomen Antropologi: Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society, 34(3), 6-24In this study, dreams are approached from the standpoint of spiritual anthropology. There are several instances when dreams are depicted as foreknowledge or a message from the Divine; in the Bible, for instance, Joseph’s dreams cause his brothers to become envious of him, while at the same time they gain Pharaoh’s favors. Joseph dreamt of the divinity of Mary’s child, and the three wise men were told in a dream to avoid returning to Herod.

Other than discussing this from a matter of faith, it is also interesting that these are windows into human anthropology, how dreams may be viewed as a tool by cultures with deep roots to further continuance. In this study, the researcher proposes that dream knowledge be conceptualized ontologically, with dreams possessing the power to produce specific effects when they are communicated to others.Schredl, M. (2004) Length of Diary Dreams: Single Dreams vs Two or More Dreams per Morning. North American Journal of Psychology, 6(1), 121-124This is a physiological, more than a psychological, study.

The researcher was interested in the implication of why single dreams are longer than two-dream segments, and hypothesizes that the two dreams are really one. Sleep physiology may have an influence on how many dreams we have. I feel this is interesting because all of us have at one time or another wake up the next day with the feeling that we had two or more dreams in one unbroken sleep. If the source were physiological, maybe if we adjust the conditions under which we sleep, we may have more beneficial or productive dreams, or maybe fewer disturbing ones.