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On Dreams
Among the first of Sigmund Freud's many contributions to psychology and psychoanalysis was The Interpretation of Dreams, published in 1900, and considered his greatest work — even by Freud himself. Aware, however, that it was a long and difficult book, he resolved to compile a more concise and accessible version of his ideas on the interpretation of dreams. That shorter work is reprinted here. Since its publication, generations of readers and students have turned to this volume for an authoritative and coherent account of Freud's theory of dreams as distorted wish fulfillment.
After contrasting the scientific and popular views of dreams, Freud illustrates the ways in which dreams can be shown to have been influenced by the activities or thoughts of the preceding day. He considers the effect on dreams of such mental mechanisms as condensation, dramatization, displacement, and regard for intelligibility. In addition, the author offers perceptive insights into repression, the three classes of dreams, and censorship within the dream.
Students and psychologists will welcome this inexpensive edition of an always-relevant work by the father of modern psychoanalysis. This volume will also appeal to anyone interested in dreams of the workings of the unconscious mind.
After contrasting the scientific and popular views of dreams, Freud illustrates the ways in which dreams can be shown to have been influenced by the activities or thoughts of the preceding day. He considers the effect on dreams of such mental mechanisms as condensation, dramatization, displacement, and regard for intelligibility. In addition, the author offers perceptive insights into repression, the three classes of dreams, and censorship within the dream.
Students and psychologists will welcome this inexpensive edition of an always-relevant work by the father of modern psychoanalysis. This volume will also appeal to anyone interested in dreams of the workings of the unconscious mind.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1901
203 people are currently reading
3681 people want to read
About the author
Sigmund Freud
4,501 books8,609 followersDr. Sigismund Freud (later changed to Sigmund) was a neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, who created an entirely new approach to the understanding of the human personality. He is regarded as one of the most influential—and controversial—minds of the 20th century.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
July 9, 2013
While Freud does an excellent job in explaining the tracing of dreams back to passing thoughts or unfulfilled wishes/desires, I think he attributes too many of our passions and deepest yearnings to simple, instinctual sexuality. Freud, in my opinion, speaks more of his own psychology than he does to explain the reasoning behind dreaming for the masses. This observation, however, leads me to question the notion that one single methodology for interpreting dreams could exist and apply to all. It seems that the encoding of dreams can only be interpreted by the experiencing individual who can then apply the relevancies of their life to the transcription of meaning. Alas, more questions than answers are found in the reading...
May 1, 2019
"Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious."
Dreamstates have always fascinated me. I've always pictured my dreams as something from my own unconscious state, based on images and symbols that my brain unconsciously recollects and reconstructs during sleeping time. These images, pictures, symbols, thoughts, and conversations can represent elements from the past, but in one way or another, they are manifested through dreams. Freud explains the source of dreams based on his thinking skills and experiences.
What I've always thought instinctively concerning this subject, is explained in the "Interpretation of Dreams" by Freud.
Summary:
Sigmund Freud claims that all dreams are forms of "wish fulfilment", and they are a process of the unconscious mind. The process of dreams involves forces from the unconscious, which happens to build an expressed wish or the censorship of that same wish. According to the author, dreams can be divided into three classes/groups:
- First class dreams are those with meaning but at the same time, intelligible. They are usually short and numerous.
- Second class belongs to those self-coherent and distinct meaning dreams. These dreams appear weird and strange because they are hard to reconcile with our mental life.
- The third group are those dreams which are void of both meaning and intelligibility. Incoherent, complicated and meaningless, most of our dreams belong to this group.
Children dream states are unrealised desires that are manifested with the life of the day. At other times the dream expresses the realisation of the desire somewhat indirectly.
Dreams that have common features (all these things have "x" in common) is a way to interpret them by analysing the decomposition of these mixed images.
According to Freud, the most important feature of the dream work is condensation. Condensation or compression in dream content can be depicted in one dream. When someone has several dreams in one night, this means that those dreams are all linked as one with the same meaning. Displacement occurs when the dream content differs from its real meaning. Displacement is the consequence of a censorship element intrinsically linked to that same dream (example: two objects or persons representing one single meaning).
Every dream is connected to our impression of the day or perhaps of the day previous to the dream.
"Dreams do not appear to be expressed in the sober form which our thinking prefers; Rather they are expressed symbolically by allegories and metaphors like the figurative language of the poets."
This means that the dream content is represented by visual scenes, images and fragments of visual images, but the real that same dream can have a different intrinsic meaning. Therefore, there's an inner connection between the content and dream thoughts.
"The direct transformation of one thing into another in the dream seems to serve the relationship of cause and effect...The opposition between two ideas, the relation of conversion, is represented in dreams in a very remarkable way"
"The dream work is not creative; it develops no fancies of its own, it judges nothing, it decides nothing. it does nothing but prepare the matter for condensation and displacement... The regard for appearance remains, on the other hand, peculiar to the dream work."
The dream content is simply a manifestation of dream-thoughts. This means that there's a calculation of a group of physical processes (hysterical symptoms, morbid/dread ideas, obsessions, and illusions). The displacement feature is largely a consequence of the psychological component, hence, making a big issue in regard to dream performances.
During these dream performances, repression (incapacity of consciousness) has a big role in it. "The desire itself is either one repressed foreign to consciousness, or it is closely bound up with repressed ideas (dreams are concealed realisations of repressed desires)... The future which the dream shows us is not that which will occur, but that which we would like to occur."
There's a connection between dreams and desires, and those desires can be divided into different categories: Non-repressed, non-concealed (infantile type); Repressed (it requires analysis); Dreams where repression exists but with or without concealment, replacing dream displacement;
The author makes some remarks concerning the ego in dreams: " Our ego behaves like a child; it makes the dream pictures believable... the absurdity and apparent illogically of the dream is probably nothing but the reasoning of our sleeping ego on the feelings about what was repressed."
In a later part of the book, Freud makes the connection between erotic desires and dreams. He claims that erotic dreams can be manifested in repressed erotic desires. Those sexual presentations can be depicted by allusions and indirect symbols. Those symbols can have a personal meaning or it can have a cultural meaning, but both symbols can be manifested in dream states.
"One never knows whether an element in the dream is to be understood symbolically or in its proper meaning"
General commentary:
The interpretation of dreams by Sigmund Freud was a big leap in regard to dreams and their sources. Let's not forget that his book was written at the end of the 19th century. Many of his findings were conclusions from his patients and from his own dreams. He used mostly subjective methods to explain in a rational way what it appears to be a personal experience. His theory in the book is backed from experiences, though lacking some scientific facts.
Overall, "On dreams" is well written, though confusing at times concerning how Freud exposes his ideas. The book itself is a captivating journey that makes the reader question the real source of dream states. Dreams have always fascinated Humankind, mainly for its content and nature. Much has been said and studied concerning the roots of dream states. I personally believe that dreams are reconstructed in a subject and personal way. Only oneself might know the symbolisms intrinsically depicted in his own dream state. The way we interpret these dreams have a subjective and objective view, and for that reason, we can acquaint knowledge that (try to) explain in a rational way, but the real meaning of these dreams is somewhat singular and personal, and therefore it must be interpreted individually.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Dreamstates have always fascinated me. I've always pictured my dreams as something from my own unconscious state, based on images and symbols that my brain unconsciously recollects and reconstructs during sleeping time. These images, pictures, symbols, thoughts, and conversations can represent elements from the past, but in one way or another, they are manifested through dreams. Freud explains the source of dreams based on his thinking skills and experiences.
What I've always thought instinctively concerning this subject, is explained in the "Interpretation of Dreams" by Freud.
Summary:
Sigmund Freud claims that all dreams are forms of "wish fulfilment", and they are a process of the unconscious mind. The process of dreams involves forces from the unconscious, which happens to build an expressed wish or the censorship of that same wish. According to the author, dreams can be divided into three classes/groups:
- First class dreams are those with meaning but at the same time, intelligible. They are usually short and numerous.
- Second class belongs to those self-coherent and distinct meaning dreams. These dreams appear weird and strange because they are hard to reconcile with our mental life.
- The third group are those dreams which are void of both meaning and intelligibility. Incoherent, complicated and meaningless, most of our dreams belong to this group.
Children dream states are unrealised desires that are manifested with the life of the day. At other times the dream expresses the realisation of the desire somewhat indirectly.
Dreams that have common features (all these things have "x" in common) is a way to interpret them by analysing the decomposition of these mixed images.
According to Freud, the most important feature of the dream work is condensation. Condensation or compression in dream content can be depicted in one dream. When someone has several dreams in one night, this means that those dreams are all linked as one with the same meaning. Displacement occurs when the dream content differs from its real meaning. Displacement is the consequence of a censorship element intrinsically linked to that same dream (example: two objects or persons representing one single meaning).
Every dream is connected to our impression of the day or perhaps of the day previous to the dream.
"Dreams do not appear to be expressed in the sober form which our thinking prefers; Rather they are expressed symbolically by allegories and metaphors like the figurative language of the poets."
This means that the dream content is represented by visual scenes, images and fragments of visual images, but the real that same dream can have a different intrinsic meaning. Therefore, there's an inner connection between the content and dream thoughts.
"The direct transformation of one thing into another in the dream seems to serve the relationship of cause and effect...The opposition between two ideas, the relation of conversion, is represented in dreams in a very remarkable way"
"The dream work is not creative; it develops no fancies of its own, it judges nothing, it decides nothing. it does nothing but prepare the matter for condensation and displacement... The regard for appearance remains, on the other hand, peculiar to the dream work."
The dream content is simply a manifestation of dream-thoughts. This means that there's a calculation of a group of physical processes (hysterical symptoms, morbid/dread ideas, obsessions, and illusions). The displacement feature is largely a consequence of the psychological component, hence, making a big issue in regard to dream performances.
During these dream performances, repression (incapacity of consciousness) has a big role in it. "The desire itself is either one repressed foreign to consciousness, or it is closely bound up with repressed ideas (dreams are concealed realisations of repressed desires)... The future which the dream shows us is not that which will occur, but that which we would like to occur."
There's a connection between dreams and desires, and those desires can be divided into different categories: Non-repressed, non-concealed (infantile type); Repressed (it requires analysis); Dreams where repression exists but with or without concealment, replacing dream displacement;
The author makes some remarks concerning the ego in dreams: " Our ego behaves like a child; it makes the dream pictures believable... the absurdity and apparent illogically of the dream is probably nothing but the reasoning of our sleeping ego on the feelings about what was repressed."
In a later part of the book, Freud makes the connection between erotic desires and dreams. He claims that erotic dreams can be manifested in repressed erotic desires. Those sexual presentations can be depicted by allusions and indirect symbols. Those symbols can have a personal meaning or it can have a cultural meaning, but both symbols can be manifested in dream states.
"One never knows whether an element in the dream is to be understood symbolically or in its proper meaning"
General commentary:
The interpretation of dreams by Sigmund Freud was a big leap in regard to dreams and their sources. Let's not forget that his book was written at the end of the 19th century. Many of his findings were conclusions from his patients and from his own dreams. He used mostly subjective methods to explain in a rational way what it appears to be a personal experience. His theory in the book is backed from experiences, though lacking some scientific facts.
Overall, "On dreams" is well written, though confusing at times concerning how Freud exposes his ideas. The book itself is a captivating journey that makes the reader question the real source of dream states. Dreams have always fascinated Humankind, mainly for its content and nature. Much has been said and studied concerning the roots of dream states. I personally believe that dreams are reconstructed in a subject and personal way. Only oneself might know the symbolisms intrinsically depicted in his own dream state. The way we interpret these dreams have a subjective and objective view, and for that reason, we can acquaint knowledge that (try to) explain in a rational way, but the real meaning of these dreams is somewhat singular and personal, and therefore it must be interpreted individually.
Rating: 4/5 stars
July 5, 2014
Os sonhos tem significados...Alguns!
Freud diz que sonhar é significar!
Freud diz que sonhar é significar!
Read
April 10, 2015As far as course readings go, this one was actually kind of interesting. I managed to read all 80 pages in a night without wanting to hit something. While many if not most of Freud's ideas are outdated, they were the first foot in the door of understanding our own psyches. That doesn't mean I would have enjoyed this casually if I didn't need to write a paper on it.
October 22, 2012
This was so brilliant! Oh, God! Oh, God! I MUST read "The Interpretation of Dreams"!
I know I must make a summary, otherwise I won't remember half of what I've read (not conscious, anyway).
Basically, all dreams are wishes. And if the dream is much too weird and seems like maybe the opposite of something one would want, then it's coded.
Moreover, adult dreams are almost always sexual wishes, although one may not find in them anything to do with that, because they are so well disguised.
I know I must make a summary, otherwise I won't remember half of what I've read (not conscious, anyway).
Basically, all dreams are wishes. And if the dream is much too weird and seems like maybe the opposite of something one would want, then it's coded.
Moreover, adult dreams are almost always sexual wishes, although one may not find in them anything to do with that, because they are so well disguised.
May 14, 2021
Εισαγωγή στην Ερμηνεία των ονείρων από τον πατέρα της ψυχανάλυσης, σύντομο, όχι τόσο ευανάγνωστο και κάπως παρωχημένο.
Όπως πολλά από τα συγγράμματα του Freud, προτείνεται περισσότερο για ιστορικούς (στα πλαίσια μιας αναδρομής στη μελέτη της ψυχολογίας του 20ού αιώνα) και λιγότερο για επιστημονικούς λόγους αλλά φαντάζομαι εξίσου σημαντικό.
Όπως πολλά από τα συγγράμματα του Freud, προτείνεται περισσότερο για ιστορικούς (στα πλαίσια μιας αναδρομής στη μελέτη της ψυχολογίας του 20ού αιώνα) και λιγότερο για επιστημονικούς λόγους αλλά φαντάζομαι εξίσου σημαντικό.
June 7, 2017
Freud's theories are important; his writing is not. Necessary insofar as it introduces ideas which later theorists developed into more thoughtful and productive methods of interpretation.
It is, however, impossible to imagine theory and criticism existing in their present (and past) state without Freud -- meaning that, although his theories may be outdated and laughably convoluted, they have the added value of legacy.
It is, however, impossible to imagine theory and criticism existing in their present (and past) state without Freud -- meaning that, although his theories may be outdated and laughably convoluted, they have the added value of legacy.
May 17, 2019
I'm not gonna put an entire review on here, simply because this is thesis research, but I did want to say that it was quite interesting!
October 22, 2019
I’ve never heard anyone say anything good about Freud so I decided to read him for myself. Before reading him my impression was that he was a sex crazed, arrogant weirdo. After reading, I’ve decided he is a genius in a very undeveloped field of science who may have been biased toward certain things (like all of us) but is nonetheless an important person in our modern understanding of human psychology. I actually liked the book. I don’t agree with everything but must confess that he was much smarter and more experienced than I in these matters. And he doesn’t come across as arrogant at all. Quite the contrary, he seemed very open to being wrong about things.
December 16, 2019
Wow, imagine being in love with your dick that much. Okay, all jokes aside that had some good points and interesting parts, but Freud had a certain way of expressing his ideas that left no room for disagreement and I found quite funny how he kept insisting he was soooo open to criticism. We all have filters through which we view and explain things. I tried borrowing his while reading this book and leave my own aside and I can definitely see the appeal and quite honestly his obsession with his point of view. Anyway, it was interesting but I couldn't disagree more.
August 12, 2020
Freud was no delusional fool.
May 3, 2020
This short text is a great introduction and entry point into the works of Freud, his dream theories and how they relate to neuroses, summarised and popularised by Freud himself. Having known close to nothing about Freud, his impressive list of contemporaries and successors, or the psychoanalytic tradition when I started, little did I know that I was about to plunge into an unparalleled world of intrigue. That a little bit of rationality may be traceable within the convolutions of our minds is morbidly fascinating. Freud is a pioneering genius, and his insight into the human mind is extraordinary, even if he turned out to be wrong about many things, and proposed some ideas that fell well outside the realm of empirical testability.
If seen as nothing more than an exercise in the philosophy of the mind, it is one of undeniable value and relevance. I, for one, was hooked, and continued to read many more of Freud's works after this one. Things that bring us the heights of pleasure through exploration, contemplation and discovery demand repetition :)
If seen as nothing more than an exercise in the philosophy of the mind, it is one of undeniable value and relevance. I, for one, was hooked, and continued to read many more of Freud's works after this one. Things that bring us the heights of pleasure through exploration, contemplation and discovery demand repetition :)
July 8, 2019
On Dreams by Sigmund Freud is a fascinating, brilliant work with boring and confusing elements mixed somwhere in between.
I must admit, I was really impressed by how much work and explanation he has put in less than 100 pages.
I must admit, I was really impressed by how much work and explanation he has put in less than 100 pages.
March 3, 2014
On Dreams by Sigmund Freud is a really tough read for an average teen like me. Freud is extremely thorough in everything he writes to the point where his work can be a bit… boring. I say this in the nicest way possible, seeing as his work was undeniably important to psychology. His purpose in writing this book was to take key points from his Interpretation of Dreams and put them in a much smaller, easier to understand book for someone who wanted to get a good idea of how Freud would classify and interpret dreams. Even so, Freud’s sesquipedalian tendencies and his thorough explanations require a determined reader.
The theme of the book was primarily the study of the psyche and how to determine the meanings of and prior experiences leading to dreams. Freud goes into great detail about the types of dreams and how knowing the type of dream can help dreamers to figure out the experience that the element of the dream came from and vice versa. He gives an example dream of his own that he uses throughout the book and example dreams of other people and himself to prove and explain his points.
Freud’s style is to explain in his own terms and expect that readers know what he means. Several footnotes were used to explain translations and to show what parts of the book were outlined in even more detail in the Interpretation of Dreams. I had to look up several words as well that were necessary to understand a sentence and even a paragraph. This use of large, slightly uncommon words may be blamed on time period difference. Overall, the common use of complicated words made the book seem to drag. A 76-page read became a struggle of several hours as Freud seemed to ramble, almost, about his studies.
I began On Dreams hoping to learn more about psychology and dreams and finished it confused because of wordings but wiser on the topics. Because of my interest in psychoanalysis and Freud's work, I would like to say I enjoyed the book. Instead, I fell into a pit of confusion and boredom.
The theme of the book was primarily the study of the psyche and how to determine the meanings of and prior experiences leading to dreams. Freud goes into great detail about the types of dreams and how knowing the type of dream can help dreamers to figure out the experience that the element of the dream came from and vice versa. He gives an example dream of his own that he uses throughout the book and example dreams of other people and himself to prove and explain his points.
Freud’s style is to explain in his own terms and expect that readers know what he means. Several footnotes were used to explain translations and to show what parts of the book were outlined in even more detail in the Interpretation of Dreams. I had to look up several words as well that were necessary to understand a sentence and even a paragraph. This use of large, slightly uncommon words may be blamed on time period difference. Overall, the common use of complicated words made the book seem to drag. A 76-page read became a struggle of several hours as Freud seemed to ramble, almost, about his studies.
I began On Dreams hoping to learn more about psychology and dreams and finished it confused because of wordings but wiser on the topics. Because of my interest in psychoanalysis and Freud's work, I would like to say I enjoyed the book. Instead, I fell into a pit of confusion and boredom.
September 19, 2018
On Dreams (1901) is very clear and concise exposition of Freud's theory about the meaning of dreams. It is much to be preferred to his much longer - and long-winded - Traumdeutung/The Interpretation of Dreams (1899).
Dreams have a meaning. To discover this meaning, one has to analyse the content of the dream. Then, it will become clear that the manifest content of the dream, if investigated by psychoanalysis (i.e. freely associating about the content of the dream), is a really a distorted form of the underlying, real dream - the latent dream.
The latent dream is always a wish that our unconsciousness wants to see fulfilled, but which the censorship of our consciousness will not allow and hence these wishes will be repressed. To pass the censorship, the latent dream content becomes distorted through the dream-work. The dream-work condenses, dramatises and displaces the latent dream-content sufficiently for it to be allowed into consciousness. This distorted, symbolized form of the latent dream then becomes the dream we actually dream - the manifest dream.
To uncover the latent-dream content, one only has to find the repressed wish laying behind it. This wish is, most of the times, at first unintelligible - mainly for unwanted feelings like shame and guilt. We unconsciously wish the death of others; to have sexual intercourse with people we really ought not to have sex with; etc. The meaning of dreams is truly rather painful and embarrassing.
The dream serves multiple functions. It allows forbidden wishes to be fulfilled; it lets us sleep when really we ought to be awake (e.g. we dream we eat when we have hunger and hence feel satisfied and continue sleeping).
Concluding: dreams are symbolic representations of repressed wishes, which can be discovered by psychoanalytic investigation of the manifest dream-content. Ultimately, most our latent dream-content is composed of repressed sexual wishes, many of them originating in childhood.
Read this (very) short work of Freud, instead of his The Interpretation of Dreams.
Dreams have a meaning. To discover this meaning, one has to analyse the content of the dream. Then, it will become clear that the manifest content of the dream, if investigated by psychoanalysis (i.e. freely associating about the content of the dream), is a really a distorted form of the underlying, real dream - the latent dream.
The latent dream is always a wish that our unconsciousness wants to see fulfilled, but which the censorship of our consciousness will not allow and hence these wishes will be repressed. To pass the censorship, the latent dream content becomes distorted through the dream-work. The dream-work condenses, dramatises and displaces the latent dream-content sufficiently for it to be allowed into consciousness. This distorted, symbolized form of the latent dream then becomes the dream we actually dream - the manifest dream.
To uncover the latent-dream content, one only has to find the repressed wish laying behind it. This wish is, most of the times, at first unintelligible - mainly for unwanted feelings like shame and guilt. We unconsciously wish the death of others; to have sexual intercourse with people we really ought not to have sex with; etc. The meaning of dreams is truly rather painful and embarrassing.
The dream serves multiple functions. It allows forbidden wishes to be fulfilled; it lets us sleep when really we ought to be awake (e.g. we dream we eat when we have hunger and hence feel satisfied and continue sleeping).
Concluding: dreams are symbolic representations of repressed wishes, which can be discovered by psychoanalytic investigation of the manifest dream-content. Ultimately, most our latent dream-content is composed of repressed sexual wishes, many of them originating in childhood.
Read this (very) short work of Freud, instead of his The Interpretation of Dreams.
September 22, 2025
Interessant samenvatting van Freuds werk: 'De interpretatie van dromen'. Toegankelijk en fascinerend geschreven over de interpretatie en waarde van dromen. Wel blijft Freud naar mijn mening te veel in het subjectieve hangen.
Volgens Freud is van mening dat mensen onderdrukte aandriften hebben die naar uiting streven, door middel van mentale aandoeningen of dromen.
Hij trekt daarnaast een interessant parallel tussen de sprookjes van de mensheid en dromen, en impliceert daarmee een vorm van universaliteit van menselijk onderbewustzijn.
Volgens Freud is van mening dat mensen onderdrukte aandriften hebben die naar uiting streven, door middel van mentale aandoeningen of dromen.
Hij trekt daarnaast een interessant parallel tussen de sprookjes van de mensheid en dromen, en impliceert daarmee een vorm van universaliteit van menselijk onderbewustzijn.
May 25, 2011
I suppose the only thing left to do would be to read The Interpretation of Dreams. I feel like I did not gain much by reading this, except exposure to the pathways Freud discusses ("exhaustively" in some cases, according to the translator) in Interpretation of Dreams. I gave it two stars for that merit. But I thought this book was terribly boring.
February 14, 2011
Yeah, yeah, everything is a veiled allusion to repressed sexual desires. We get it.
I still can't help but feel that this tells us infinitely more about Freud's own psychological problems than of the origins of anybody else's "obsessions" or "hysteria".
I still can't help but feel that this tells us infinitely more about Freud's own psychological problems than of the origins of anybody else's "obsessions" or "hysteria".
August 29, 2018
Breakdown - text from Wiki :
Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis is largely based on the importance of the unconscious mind. According to the theory, the unconscious does not only affect a person during the day, but also in dreams. In this psychodynamic perspective, the transferring of unconscious thoughts into consciousness is called dreamwork. In dreams, there are two different types of content, the manifest and latent content. The latent content is the underlying, unconscious feelings and thoughts. The manifest content is made up of a combination of the latent thoughts and it is what is visually being seen in the dream. Freud first argued that the motivation of all dream content is wish-fulfillment, and that the instigation of a dream is often to be found in the events of the day preceding the dream. In the case of very young children, Freud claimed, this can be easily seen, as small children dream quite straightforwardly of the fulfillment of wishes that were aroused in them the previous day. In adults, however, the situation is more complicated as the dreams of adults have been subjected to distortion, with the dream's so-called "manifest content" being a heavily disguised derivative of the "latent" dream-thoughts present in the unconscious.
June 25, 2023
Altho I prefer his student's (i.e, Jung's!) archetypical theories on dream interpretation, this is indeed a classic and groundbreaking.
May 6, 2024
muy buenoo, igual hay que complementar con otras lecturas, pero genial como resumen/introducción que hace
September 17, 2024
we're so back
December 8, 2024
"Wise men have interpreted dreams, and the gods have laughed" -- H. P. Lovecraft, Hypnos
December 18, 2024
chiant à mourir mais c’est pour la culture (je suis en psycho)
October 6, 2025
Je sais pas si j’ai adoré ou détesté
February 19, 2025
as a certified Freud hater this is his least useless work
December 11, 2025
Just completed this great read. Got some interesting insight on dreams and dream Work. Got to explore more of Freud's work.
They are right who regard the dream as foretelling the future. Although the future which the dream shows us is not that which will occur, but that which we would like to occur.
They are right who regard the dream as foretelling the future. Although the future which the dream shows us is not that which will occur, but that which we would like to occur.
August 4, 2024
Decent introduction to Freud. This shows him as an ambitious scientist trying to craft and find his way through the emerging field of psychoanalysis/psychology. We also find his most radical insights here. Firstly, his proof of an unconscious mind. This, combined with his work on dreams, of course, leads into a critique of psychology as just studying "hysteria" and a critique of normalcy altogether. We all dream, and to Freud, everyone has skeletons in their closet.
We also come to learn Freud's focus on form over content. Despite the knowledge that all dreams have this secret latent content, Freud wants us to ask the question of how this latent content is transformed into these absurd depictions we find in dreams, the actual latent content being a side issue. This in turn leads to him positing the existence of an unconscious mind with repressed desires.
I think this book is a somewhat weak middleground between actually reading The Interpretation of Dreams for thorough explanation and methodology and just reading a summary for brevity (Quinodoz' Reading Freud has a good chapter, Freud's Introductory Lectures does too). If you do decide to read this, I think it's fair to skip chapters 4-7. I found them astoundingly boring unless you want to actually analyse your own dreams.
Key Terms:
Latent and manifest dream content
Dreamwork and dream analysis
(Childish) dreams as wish fulfilment
Repression (of sexual desires)
Conscious vs. unconscious
Condensation, displacement, dramatisation
Censorship and compromise
We also come to learn Freud's focus on form over content. Despite the knowledge that all dreams have this secret latent content, Freud wants us to ask the question of how this latent content is transformed into these absurd depictions we find in dreams, the actual latent content being a side issue. This in turn leads to him positing the existence of an unconscious mind with repressed desires.
I think this book is a somewhat weak middleground between actually reading The Interpretation of Dreams for thorough explanation and methodology and just reading a summary for brevity (Quinodoz' Reading Freud has a good chapter, Freud's Introductory Lectures does too). If you do decide to read this, I think it's fair to skip chapters 4-7. I found them astoundingly boring unless you want to actually analyse your own dreams.
Key Terms:
Latent and manifest dream content
Dreamwork and dream analysis
(Childish) dreams as wish fulfilment
Repression (of sexual desires)
Conscious vs. unconscious
Condensation, displacement, dramatisation
Censorship and compromise
March 30, 2011
Freud's first major work was the epic Interpretation of Dreams, published right at the turn of the century (1899, that is). What I didn't know until recently was that the work was a pretty major commercial flop. It only sold something like 600 copies in total over the first few years.
Freud thought his work was very important, so about a year later he wrote and published "On Dreams," a much shorter, much simpler work, intended for a wider audience. It leaves out much of the dense material that makes IoD a slow read -- the survey of the history of dream interpretation, the detailed analyses of multiple dreams. It also leaves out Freud's explication of his theory of mind. But, it does include a succinct and easily digestible overview of what I always found to be most interesting about IoD: the description of the dream-work. While the symbologies Freud devises always seem to me a bit too precise, his identification of the processes by which the "latent" dream content becomes the "manifest" content is useful and provocative, especially from a literary perspective. As I said, he doesn't explicitly describe his theory of mental topography, but it is implied, and I think this work provides a useful intro for those people who would like to get a window into Freud's early work. It can be a helpful starter work before one jumps into IoD, giving one a handle on Freud's basic understanding of mental operations and work as a guide to the longer, more complicated work.
Freud thought his work was very important, so about a year later he wrote and published "On Dreams," a much shorter, much simpler work, intended for a wider audience. It leaves out much of the dense material that makes IoD a slow read -- the survey of the history of dream interpretation, the detailed analyses of multiple dreams. It also leaves out Freud's explication of his theory of mind. But, it does include a succinct and easily digestible overview of what I always found to be most interesting about IoD: the description of the dream-work. While the symbologies Freud devises always seem to me a bit too precise, his identification of the processes by which the "latent" dream content becomes the "manifest" content is useful and provocative, especially from a literary perspective. As I said, he doesn't explicitly describe his theory of mental topography, but it is implied, and I think this work provides a useful intro for those people who would like to get a window into Freud's early work. It can be a helpful starter work before one jumps into IoD, giving one a handle on Freud's basic understanding of mental operations and work as a guide to the longer, more complicated work.
February 2, 2013
It is not necessarily an easy or overly enjoyable read and although I started reading it because of my interest in dreams, now I keep asking myself why don't I just find something else. It is as if Freud is playing with me. As much as I find this text annoying, self indulgent and occasionally far fetched, it's absurdity keeps me going.
Now I'm not gonna argue with those who admire Freud and I do understand that being written a century ago this was one of the very first steps investigating human psychology and dreams. I appreciate that as much as I appreciate fact this writing cannot be compared to the knowledge and methods available today.
And still how brave or vain should Freud had been to be so certain in his own theories! I have just read an example of his dream that involved his friend and Goethe's writing and the analysis of the dream just threw me away. To me it seems like an infinite effort to glue together bits that don't match, as if he is saying that no matter how deep he will have to dig, how obscure and random the ideas might be, Freud will still claim that it all works together.
Once again, I don't know that much about dreams (other than what popular psychology books and programmes have fed me) so I am not claiming I am right, but this book makes me doubt more than believe.
Now I'm not gonna argue with those who admire Freud and I do understand that being written a century ago this was one of the very first steps investigating human psychology and dreams. I appreciate that as much as I appreciate fact this writing cannot be compared to the knowledge and methods available today.
And still how brave or vain should Freud had been to be so certain in his own theories! I have just read an example of his dream that involved his friend and Goethe's writing and the analysis of the dream just threw me away. To me it seems like an infinite effort to glue together bits that don't match, as if he is saying that no matter how deep he will have to dig, how obscure and random the ideas might be, Freud will still claim that it all works together.
Once again, I don't know that much about dreams (other than what popular psychology books and programmes have fed me) so I am not claiming I am right, but this book makes me doubt more than believe.
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