The Interpretation of Dreams
Quick Summary
Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams (1899) is a foundational work in psychoanalytic theory. Freud proposed that dreams are a "royal road to knowledge of activities of the unconscious mind". He theorized that repressed wishes, particularly those of a sexual nature, are released during sleep when waking inhibitions lessen.1
Dreams, according to Freud, are disguised wish fulfillments. The manifest content (what is remembered) veils the latent content (the hidden wishes) through a process called dreamwork. Key mechanisms of dreamwork include condensation (fusing elements), displacement (shifting emotional focus), representation (thoughts to images), and secondary revision (adding narrative coherence). By analyzing these elements through free association, Freud believed one could uncover the dream's hidden meaning and address psychological inhibitions.21
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Oedipus complex… introduced the concept in his Interpretation of Dreams (1899). The term derives from the Theban hero Oedipus of Greek legend, who unknowingly slew his father and married his mother; its female analogue, the Electra complex, is named for another mythological figure, who helped slay her mother.
Read More… introduced the concept in his Interpretation of Dreams (1899). The term derives from the Theban hero Oedipus of Greek legend, who unknowingly slew his father and married his mother; its female analogue, the Electra complex, is named for another mythological figure, who helped slay her mother.
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mythMyth and psychologyIn his Die Traumdeutung (1899; The Interpretation of Dreams) he posited a phenomenon called the Oedipus complex, that is, the male child’s repressed desire for his mother and a corresponding wish to supplant his father. (The equivalent for girls was the Electra complex.) According to Freud, this phenomenon was detectable…
Read MoreIn his Die Traumdeutung (1899; The Interpretation of Dreams) he posited a phenomenon called the Oedipus complex, that is, the male child’s repressed desire for his mother and a corresponding wish to supplant his father. (The equivalent for girls was the Electra complex.) According to Freud, this phenomenon was detectable…
Read More