On Dreams

Freud describes the dream’s process in which the mind filters information and compresses it. The mind then transfers certain desires into symbols to render them unavailable to the conscious mind. These desires have been repressed and are often erotic in nature. Freud points to infantile sexuality as the source of many of these desires, alluding to his theories on the Oedipus complex and the varying stages of child development. He asserts that all children are susceptible to certain anxious behavioral symptoms at various stages of development. Obsessions and anxious behaviors are not always born out of sexual abuse but can occur from many different experiences during childhood. Dream displacement positions the desire, along with other manifest content, into a dream narrative, or composition, in which everything has mixed importance. The desire may appear only as a minor symbol or as a symbol of equal importance to everything else in the dream. The patient is unable to determine which symbols have the most meaning or can unlock hidden erotic desires.

Freud provided a map for what he considered the levels of consciousness. Apart from consciousness and unconsciousness, the mind also contains pre-consciousness. In this level, the mind has a plethora of thoughts and information that is not at the forefront of thought but is easily accessible if needed. For Freud, the unconscious mind is a reservoir where thoughts and desires are housed. Many of the erotic desires that have been repressed are considered taboo, dangerous, or threatening. This is the source of aggression and sexual urges. Freud referred to these two urges as “eros and thanatos.” He suggested that both existed within each person and are housed within the unconscious. The unconscious mind works hard to keep these repressed thoughts in a fugue state below the surface. However, they cannot help but emerge.

The psychologist theorized that, although these thoughts are hidden from the conscious mind, they still direct and influence the everyday life of the individual. Freud believed that the unconscious mind was responsible for most human behavior, that past experiences, memories, desires, and thoughts dictate everyday life. The analogy of the iceberg represents the conscious and unconscious mind. Although only the tip of the iceberg peeks above the water (consciousness), there is much more to be discovered beneath the surface (unconsciousness). Freud’s work was unraveling the mystery of the rest of the iceberg below the surface. He believed that psychoanalysis could unlock its secrets.

It is important to note that Freud’s theories about the unconscious mind are met with some controversy. Cognitive psychology suggests that many of the ideas that were contributed to the unconscious mind are, instead, automatic impulses operating outside of the conscious mind. However, Freud was not the first to promote the theory of the unconscious; the idea was generated in the 18th century. Freud’s pupil Carl Jung continued to project Freud’s theories of the unconscious and the concept of the collective unconscious, emphasizing ancestral memory.