Changes Related to Changes in the Electrical Activity of the Brain - Assignment Example

Psychology 7 March Changes Related to Changes in the Electrical Activity of the Brain Are there differences in the types of dreams that occur at different times? Cardwell and Flanagan define dreams as “mental activities occurring during sleep” (76). The content of dreams and the periods during which they occur vary. Although there are differences in the types of dreams that occur at different times, the things that people normally dream about have some links to certain aspects of their lives. Daydreams are different from other types of dreams due to the fact that they occur when one is awake. The state of consciousness in which daydreams occur however can be said to be between full wakefulness and full sleep. Often daydreams are a result of meditation or some kind of relaxation induced by an individual. According to studies, an average person spends approximately 70 to 120 minutes each day daydreaming (Hale 11). False awakening dreams resemble the circumstances that would take place if one was awake. Individuals experiencing this type of dream often think that they are awake and going through their normal routines only to wake up and find that they were only dreaming. Barrett and McNamara point out that “a false awakening is a type of dream that involves the subjective experience of waking up while remaining in the dream state” (275). In some false awakening dreams, unrealistic elements that have nothing to do with the dreamer’s waking circumstances and fantasies are involved. Lucid dreams are dreams that take place when one knows that he or she is dreaming. In most cases however, when an individual realizes that she is dreaming, she immediately wakes up ending the dream. Some individuals however know how to remain in the dream even after realizing that they are dreaming (Hale 11). Nightmares are dreams experienced by most people a few times during their lives. They are however common in young children. Additionally, individuals who have gone through upsetting and traumatizing experiences experience vivid nightmares, which help them relieve their traumas (Hale 12). Recurring dreams are dreams that repeat themselves. While in some cases the dream might recur night after night, other times there is a slight change of details, but the theme of the dream remains the same. Healing dreams are usually messages to a dreamer, especially in regard to their well-being. They are very common in the spiritually minded people. Hale asserts that “they are often seen as messages from the body to mind to seek medical attention” (12). Prophetic dreams are dreams that come true. It is however hard to tell whether a dream is a coincidence or a predictor (Hale 12). The rational explanation behind prophetic dreams is that they are a result of details collected and stored by the subconscious mind, and later rearranged coming up with a clue about an event. Epic dreams are compelling dreams that happen so vividly, making them huge and unforgettable. According to Hale, they “can be likened to an epic or blockbuster film” (12). The details of such dreams remain vivid for years after the real dream. Mutual dreams are shared dreams meaning that two people have the same dream. They can be spontaneous or planned. Although not a lot of research has been conducted into this nature of dreams, people that experience these dreams have a very strong connection. 2. What functions did Freud attribute to dreams? Sigmund Freud was a Jewish Austrian doctor born in 1856. His greatest work involved analyzing the mind and its motivation to human actions, as well as mental illnesses. He formulated the dream theory, which explains the primary function of dreams and how to interpret dreams. According to him, dreams serve the function of releasing impulses and thoughts which excite neural activity. In other words, he believed that dreams serve the purpose of fulfilling wishes (Weiten 157). According to Weiten, “Freud asserted that the wish-fulfilling quality of many dreams may not be obvious, because the unconscious attempts to censor and disguise the true meaning of dreams” (157). According to Freud, dreams occur as a result of a force in the unconscious mind, which usually holds instinctual wishes. He termed them as the “royal road to the unconscious” (McLeod, simplypsychology.org). Nervous energy requires to be released to subdue the instinctual wish (“The World of Dreams Reexamined,” brynmawr.edu). It can therefore be said that for the unconscious mind, dreams provide great clues to how it operates. The basis of Freud’s dream theory came from a dream he had regarding a patient known as Irma, whom he was worried about since despite giving her some treatment, she was not doing well (McLeod, simplypsychology.org). In his dream, Irma, his patient had been injected by another doctor using a dirty syringe and the other doctor was the reason for the failure of treatment. This dream acted as a wish fulfilling one since Freud had felt very guilty about Irma not recovering and blamed himself for it. It was a fact that Freud has wished it was not his fault that Irma’s condition was not improving. Consequently, his wish not to be at fault was fulfilled by the dream, which informed him that he was not at fault, rather, another doctor was. This served as the main reason behind Freud attributing dreams to wish fulfillment as the primary function. Lewis and Oliver agree with Freud’s dream theory that “dreams provide an avenue for the expression of normally repressed desires while simultaneously disguising and censoring our real urges” (63). This allows the satisfaction of urges that the society holds as unacceptable. In dreams involving actions that are held as being too offensive, their content is disguised and modified to ensure that strong emotions are not evoked. For example, instead of dreaming about killing an employer who is a bully, a person can dream about his “employer’s automobile being accidentally crushed by a runaway garbage truck” (Lewis and Oliver 63). Freud gave an example of sexual desires, which are among the most repressed desires that lie in the unconscious minds of people. Although these desires try to come out, they fail to be fulfilled. Rajamanickam points out that, “they cannot come out in their original form as the censor is preventing them and they are pushed back to the unconscious” (349). During sleep however, the censor is not alert and so the dreams come out. This is another example of the wish fulfillment function of dreams. 3. What functions do researchers think dreams serve today? Researchers have carried out studies on dreams for decades now. While some believe that dreams have no real purpose, others believe that they serve different purposes and are important for the emotional, mental and physical well-being of individuals. . Among the functions that dreams serve include “wish fulfillment, the preservation of sleep, physiological excitation, information processing of waking events, or emotional processing of waking events” (Hill 18). Most of these functions of dreams are prove of theories formulated centuries ago about dreams. Although most theories were challenged and rejected, most of them have been proven to contain some truth. Wish fulfillment is the primary function of dreams according to Freud’s dream theory, which is today supported by researchers who have come to prove it valid. Wish fulfillment however does not mean the literal action, but rather unconscious impulses. According to recent research, brain imaging has to some extent proved that Freud’s hypothesis has high chances of being true. This has been through dream research carried out using functional MRI techniques and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) (Carpenter, neuropsa.org.uk). Sleep preservation as a function of dreams was also suggested by Freud. According to him, dreams do this by “decreasing the growing tension created by the unfulfilled wishes” (Hill 14). Morin and Espie point out that “dreams that were not remembered were those that fulfilled their function of guardians of sleep by preventing the dreamer from waking up and discovering their disguised meaning” (162). This theory is supported by the CBC theory later formulated by researchers. “According to the CBC theory, the dreams that look like they are produced to preserve sleep are in reality made up of three distinct, successive processes” (Loker 50). Physiological excitation is also a role served by dreams. In fact, excitement is one of the natures of dreams. Psychological excitation occurs from the fact that dreams appear to fulfill wishes although not in reality. Daydreams Re a good example of dreams that serve the purpose of exciting the mind. Eggleston agrees that apart from showing direction, inspiring, warning and directing people, “some dreams are full of excitement that the joy of life brings” (37). Information or emotional processing of waking events. According to Hill, information processing theories propose that dreams serve the purpose of “matching current experiences with past experiences in long-term memory and integrating this new information into organized memory structures” (16). Dreams also process emotional information. This is because evens involving many emotions that occur in daily life activate memories that result in dreams during sleep. The information or emotional processing function of dreams is supported by modern researchers who say that this occurs during REM sleep (Helm and Walker, nih.gov). Works Cited Barrett, Deirdre and Patrick McNamara. Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreams: The Evolution, Function, Nature and Mysteries of Slumber, Volume 1.Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2012. Print.   Cardwell, Mike and Cara Flanagan. Psychology A2: The Complete Companion. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes, 2003. Print. Carpenter, Siri. “Freud’s Dream Theory gets Boost from Imaging Work.” neuropsa.org.uk. n.d. Web. 7 March 2014. Eggleston, Felicia. Words of Edification. Bloomington: Xlibris Corporation, 2009. Print. Hale, Don. How to Interpret Dreams - Dream Secrets 2. Texas: Hale Publishing, 2011. Print. Helm, Els van der and Matthew P. Walker. “Overnight Therapy? The Role of Sleep in Emotional Brain Processing.” nih.gov. 23 June 2010. Web. 7 March 2014. Hill, Clara E. Working with Dreams in Psychotherapy. New York: The Guilford Press, 1996. Print. Lewis, James R. and Evelyn Dorothy Oliver. The Dream Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Canton: Visible Ink Press, 2009. Print. Loker, Altan. Migraines and Dreams: Self-Psychotherapy. Bloomington: Trafford Publishing, 2003. Print. McLeod, Saul. “Sigmund Freud.” simplypsychology.org. 2013. Web. 7 March 2014. Morin, Charles M. and Colin A. Espie. The Oxford Handbook of Sleep and Sleep Disorders. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print. Rajamanickam, M. Modern General Psychology, Second Edition (revised And Expanded) (in 2 Vols.). New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, 2008. Print. “The World of Dreams Reexamined.” brynmawr.edu. 25 November 2002. Web. 7 March 2014. Weiten, Wayne. Psychology: Themes and Variations, Briefer Version. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.     Read More