Dreams as wish fulfilment
Freud believed that all dreams were the unconscious fulfilment of wishes that could not be satisfied in the conscious mind because they are unacceptable (desires of the id/repressed trauma). Dreams therefore protect the
sleeper by stopping these desires from building to an unacceptable level which would threaten our sanity (anxiety/depression). Dreams allow us to express and live out some of these desires/wishes/fantasies in a more acceptable way.
The repression of these true desires is seen to be a source of mental and behavioural disorders, and so the therapy aims to interpret dreams to uncover the true wishes they repent
- dog dream
Symbolic nature of dreams
what we dream appears in a disguised form. Dream analysis works on the principle that what the dreamer recalls is actually a symbolic representation of the truth buried in their unconscious mind
For example, Freud suggested that the following images (cigar/tunnel/cave) represent sexual desires. Can you guess what they symbolise?!
Latent content defenition
Hidden/ real meaning ( the true wishes and desires )
Manifest content
The dream itself ( how these desires are symbolised in the dreams we remember )
Dream work
The process of changing the latent content into the manifest content is known as
‘Dreamwork, which is a type of ego defence mechanism’. There are several processes of dreamwork. An example is Displacement. This is when the emotional significance of a dream object is separated from its real object and attached to an entirely different one. The dreamer can experience the emotion in an uncensored but safer way.
Dream diary
on waking. The manifest content of the dream is often Between therapy sessions the client may be asked to record thei forgotten as we get involved in a new day, and so the client may be asked to keep the dream diary near their bed and record
dreams while they are in their memory. The manifest content that is recorded in the dream diary is the basis for discussion during therapy sessions.
Role of the therapist
Role of the therapist’
The role of the therapist is to reverse the dreamwork process by decoding the manifest content back into the latent content. Freud emphasised that only trained psychoanalysts should do this as the interpretations need to be in context with the client’s life experiences (Freud did not support the idea of dream dictionaries), and that sometimes the manifest content of the dream does not actually represent some latent content.
Explain how the psychodynamic approach is applied in dream analysis therapy ( 10 marks )
Dream analysis therapy is used to treat mental and behavioural disorders. One key assumption of the psychodynamic approach is that the unconscious mind has a significant influence over our behaviour. For example Freud argues that all mental disorders come from the unconscious mind which holds repressed thoughts and feelings.
The unconscious mind is a reservoir of thoughts, feelings, memories, and desires that are outside of our awareness. Dream analysis aims to uncover these hidden elements by interpreting the manifest content (the literal content) of dreams to reveal the latent content (the underlying meaning). This process involves techniques such as free association, where the patient says whatever comes to mind, and symbolic analysis, where dream elements are interpreted as representations of unconscious desires or conflicts.
Childhood experiences are crucial in psychodynamic theory, as they shape the individual’s personality and can lead to unresolved conflicts that manifest in the unconscious. Dream analysis often explores recurring themes or symbols that relate back to early childhood events, such as relationships with parents or traumatic experiences. By bringing these experiences into conscious awareness, the therapy aims to resolve these conflicts and promote psychological healing.
The tripartite personality consists of the id, ego, and superego. The id operates on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification of desires; the ego operates on the reality principle, mediating between the id and the external world; and the superego embodies moral standards and ideals learned from parents and society. Dream analysis considers how these three components interact and manifest in dreams. For example, a dream might reveal the id’s desires clashing with the superego’s moral constraints, with the ego attempting to find a compromise. Understanding these dynamics can provide insights into the individual’s internal conflicts and guide therapeutic interventions.
Evaluate the effectiveness of dream analysis in treating mental disorders such as depression and anxiety
Point: Evidence supports the effectiveness of dream analysis in treating mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Evidence: Matt and Navarro (1997) reviewed 63 meta analysis on the effect of psychotherapy and found that on average 75% of clients receiving dream analysis showed improvements in the issues they were having therapy for.
Explain: This suggests that dream analysis is an effective form of therapy for common mental health issues such as depression and anxiety
Evaluate the effectiveness of DA in helping people improve their self esteem and gain greater insight into their mind
Evidence supports the effectiveness of dream analysis in helping people improve their self-esteem and gain greater insight into their mind.
Evidence: Falk & Hill compared 22 separated and divorcing women (aged 22-57 yrs) in 8-wk dream interpretation groups to 12 women in a control condition in terms of changes in anxiety, depression, coping, self-esteem, and insight into their dreams.
Results indicate that women who participated in dream interpretation groups showed improvement compared to the control group in self-esteem and insight.
Explain: This suggests that dream analysis appears to be effective at helping individuals (e.g. women) adjusting to significant life changes (e.g. divorce).
Evaluate the effectivenes of dream analysis is that its based on unfalisifiable concepts and subjective interpretations
weakness of dream analysis is that it is based on unfalsifiable concepts and subjective interpretations.
Evidence: For example, Freud did not support the idea of dream dictionaries as each interpretation needed to be made in the context of the individual client’s situation. E.g. a cigar in a dream may indeed represent male genitals or may simply represent a cigar depending on the context of the dream. Therefore the interpretations are based on the subjective judgement of each individual therapist.
Explain: This means that it is difficult to scientifically demonstrate that it is the interpretation of a dream that leads to the effective treatment of behavioural or mental disorders. One therapist may offer an entirely different interpretation from another
Evaluate the effectiveness of dream analysis to adress the long term underlying cause of psychological and behavioural problems (unlike other therapies )
Dream analveis does address the long-term underlving cause of psychological and behavioural problems (unlike other therapies).
Evidence - DA works on uncovering repressed unconscious conflicts and desires that may have occurred in early childhood. Bringing them to the surface and confronting the issue should result in a long-term end to the problems they were causing later in life.
Explanations - This is a strength of DA compared to other therapies such as the biological (drug therapies) and behavioural therapies (aversion therapy) which only treat the symptoms of the problem.
*This point can also be used as a strength for ethical issues - see following pages
Conslusion if DA is effective
There is evidence that suggests DA is effective.
* If DA does treat the root cause of a disorder effectively it should avoid problems such as the ‘revolving door’ where people have to keep returning for therapy as their symptoms reoccur.
* However much of the evidence to support the effectiveness is unscientific.
* In particular there are additional methodological problems with some of the supporting research. For example the Falk and Hill’s study was limited as it was based on a small sample of women going through a specific significant life event (divorce), meaning these findings cannot be generalised to the wider population.
* Dream analysis is not a commonly used therapy today and is less widely available, particularly on the NHS. Individuals are more likely to receive therapies from other approaches such as CBT or drug therapy.
Evaluating ethical issues in does it address the long term underlying cause of psychological and behavioural problems
Dream analysis does address the long-term underlying cause of psychological and behavioural problems.
evidence: DA works on uncovering repressed unconscious conflicts and desires that may have occurred in early childhood. Bringing them to the surface and confronting. the issue should result in a long-term end to the problems they were causing later in
life-
Explain: This is a strength of DA compared to other therapies such as the biological and behavioural therapies which only treat the symptoms of the problem. (EXT - DA should therefore avoid problems such as the ‘revolving door’ where people have to keep returning for therapy as their symptoms reoccur).
•This point can also be used as a strength for effectiveness - see previous page*
Ethical issues DA may cause psychological harm
DA may cause psychological harm.
Evidence: Being made aware of unconscious conflicts may be distressing. DA works by revealing to the client, previously repressed desires of conflicts from childhood.
These desires and/or conflicts have been repressed by the ego’s defence mechanisms because they may be traumatic were we to consciously be aware of them.
EXTENSION = Strupp (1977) found that psychoanalytic therapies can actually be
more harmful than helpful for patients with Sz as they can reinforce delusions (false beliefs).
Explain: This is a weakness because there is the potential for the client to experience psychological harm in the process of acknowledging these unconscious issues/having delusions reinforced
Ethical issues power imbalance between the therapist and client
Point: One of the main concerns about dream analysis is the power imbalance between the therapist and client.
Evidence: In DA, the therapist takes the expert role, offering the patient insight into their unconscious. The patient is therefore reliant on the therapist for making progress through the therapy.
Explain: This is unethical because it can lead to the client becoming overly-dependent on the therapist and unable to face their problems on their own.
Ethical issues DA has the potential to create false memories in people
Point: Dream analysis has the potential to create false memories in people.
Evidence: There are documented cases of therapists leading people to inaccurately remember instances of abuse or other unpleasant experiences in their past. Toon et al (1996) even suggests that some therapists may intentionally encourage false memories so that the therapy will last longer and they will make more money.
Explain: This is a weakness because false memory syndrome (FMS) can cause harm as it strongly affects people’s identity and relationships, as well as having negative repercussions for those who may be falsely accused of causing the unpleasant situation
Ethical issues DA conclusion
- DA has the potential to cause several issues of psychological harm e.g trauma.
- There is the potential for it to be misused to exploit vulnerable people suffering with mental health issues.
- It also does little to empower the individual to help themselves due to the reliance on the therapist to provide interpretations for their dreams.
- Overall it is viewed as an unethical approach to therapy.
