Dreams the Bridge to Our Inward World.docx

Dreams the Bridge to Our Inward World.docx

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DreamstheBridgetoOurInwardWorld

Dreams,theBridgetoOurInwardWorld

FuZhuoWen

141070011

TheDepartmentofInformationManagement

Abstract:

Dreamhasalwaysbeenatopicbothintheliteraturefieldandscientificcommunity.Havingaknowledgeofitsmeaningsisofgreatimportancetodiscoveringourmentalstate.Thisessayismeanttointroducesometheoriesanddiscoverisrelatedtodreams,whichincludesthehistoryofoneirology,thecomparisonofFreud'sandJung'stheories,theexperimentsandfindingsofmodernscientistsandthefuturedevelopmentofoneirology.IwillalsoincludeaquestionnaireImadeandtheanalysisofitsresult.

1.TheHistoryofOneirology

Peoplebegantheirresearchondreamsalongtimeago.InancientChina,therewasafamousbookcalled,writtenbyZhouGong.Thisbookismoreofadictionaryratherthanacommonbook.WecanfindthatZhoudividedallthedreamsintosixcategories,andeachcategoryhasitsspecificmeanings.Forexample,Confucius,thegreatphilosopher,oncedreamedthathewassittingbetweentwopillars.Thushecametotheconclusionthathewasgoingtodiesoon.Andtopeople’ssurprise,heindeeddiedsevendayslater.

However,thisstorywasnotreliableatallbecauseofthepopularityofmythsandlegendsduringthatperiod.Besides,thetheoryitselfhadsomeproblems.Inthebook,everydreamhasisspecialmeanings,andwecanfindthemthroughfindingthesymbolsappearedinthedreams.Thisprocessislikelabeling,whichmayoverlookthepeculiarityofeachdream.

1.Twomaintheoriesofdream:

Freud’stheoryandJung’stheory

FreudandJungarethemostfamoustwoscientistswhostudieddreams.However,theirmainopinionshavesomedistinctions.Bymakingcomparisons,wemayfindsomethinginspiring.

FreudwasafamousAustriapsychiatrist.Throughouthiscareerinstudyingthebehaviorofpsychopathpatients,hecametosomeconclusions.

Inthefirstplace,hethoughtthatdreamisakindofmentalactivityofthesleepersduringsleep.Theentirephenomenonduringsleepcanbeexplainedbyscience,andwhat’smore,dreamscanbeinterpreted.Inotherwords,wecantakeaquickglanceatourinnerheartbyanalyzingtheelementsappearedinourdreams.

Freuddividedourmindintotwoparts,theconsciouspartandtheunconsciouspart.Allthatweexperienceincludingwhatwesee,whatwefeelandwhatwethinkbelongstotheconsciouspart,whichonlyaccountsforasmallpartofourmind.Inthemeantime,thereexistsamuchbiggerpartcalledunconsciousness.Itisamysteriousrealmwhichhasnotbeencompletelystudiedbyscientistsevenbynow.Freudthoughtthatthememoriesstoredintheconsciousparttemporarilywillbesenttotheunconsciousparttopreserveit.It’slikeoperatingabigmachine,andthroughthisprocess,therearesomeby-productswhichincludedreams.Inotherwords,ourdreaminghasitsspecificfunctioninrefiningourmemory,anddreamingisakindofnormalmentalactivity.

Freudoncesaidinhisbook,TheInterpretationofDream:

“Whateverthedreammayofferus,itderivesitsmaterialfromreality,andfromthepsychiclifecentereduponthisreality.Howeverextraordinarythedreammayseem,itcanneverdetachitselffromtherealworld,anditsmostsublimeaswellasitsmostridiculousconstructionsmustalwaysborrowtheirelementarymaterialeitherfromthatwhichoureyeshavebeheldintheouterworld.”

Sofromthisparagraphwecanconcludethatallthematerialsofthedreamscomefromreality,andfromourexperience.Theyarelikefragmentsofourlife,reflectingaparticularangleofourinnerheart.

Jung’sopinioninthisquestionissimilartoFreud’s.Healsoagreedthatdreamisareflectionofthereality.However,whenitcomestothefunctionofdreams,theviewstheyholdarecompletelydifferent.

InFreud’sopinion,dreamscanreflectourwishes.Heshowedusanexampleinhisbook:

Oncealittlegirlofhisneighbormadeadream.Shedreamedthatthelittleboywhousuallyplayedwithhercalledherfather“Dad”,insteadof“Uncle”asusual.Freuddeducedthatthisdreamreflectedthedesirethatthelittlegirlwantedtomakeacloserrelationshipwiththelittleboy,becausethedreamsystemmadetheboyabrotherofhers.Theexplanationwasinteresting.However,thistheorycan’texplainallthedreamslikenightmares.

Ontheotherhand,Jung’stheoryhasitsadvantagesandlimitationsaswell.Hethoughtthatdreamscanserveasaprototypeofourdevelopment.Inotherwords,theycanreflectthepathofourpresenceandfuture.Histheoryiskindofsimilartoancientmythswhothoughtdreamscouldbringusenlightmentsthatcouldguideourlife.

ThemostvalidexampleofhistheoryistheChemistFriedrichAKekule.Heoncedreamedthatthereweremanysnakestwistinginfrontofhim,andatonepointtheyconsistedofabigcircle.Thiscircle,infactwasthefamousbenzenering.Becauseoftheinspirationofthedream,Kekulefoundthestructureofthebenzenering.

Infact,thisexampleisonlyanexceptionoracoincidence.Wecannotjustputtogetherthefindingsandsomeelementsappearedinthedreamsandthenjumptotheconclusionthattheyhavesomerelationships.Infact,therearemanycasesinwhichpeopleclaimthattheGodgavethemenlightmentintheirdreams,andthemajorityofthemarethesleepers’imagination.Theyinterpretedtheirdreamsinaparticularwaytomakeitsuitableforthethingshappenedafterwards.

Inconclusion,Freud’stheoryfocusedonthepresentmentalstate,whileJung’stheoryfocusedonthefutureimpactofthedream.Intoday’ssciencecommunity,thesetwotheoriesbothhavesupportersandopponents.Perhapsweshouldputthemtogethertogetamorecomprehensiveandobjectviewonthistopic.

2.Studyingdreamsinmoderntechnology,whatwillwefind?

Freud’sandJung’stheoriesarebothbasedontheobservationandanalysisofthepatients,anditismoreofainductiveinferencethanasolidfact.Nowadays,modernscientistshavecomeupwaystoquantizeoursleepingstate.So,whatdidtheyfind?

1953wasabigyearasabreakthroughcameintheoneirologyfield.Twoscientists,NathanielKleitmanandEugeneAserinsky,beganrecordingpeople’sbrainwavesastheysleptduringnight.Byputtingelectrodesontothesleepers’heads,theywereabletoanalyzethedifferentpatternsofthebrainwaves.Throughthisprocess,theyfoundthatpeoplewouldexperienceadifferentkindofsleepingstate.Usually,itwaseasytodistinguishwhetherweweresleepingorawakethroughobservingthepatternofbrainwaves.However,duringaspecialstateofsleep,thebrainwavesbecameasactiveaswewereawake.Inthemeantime,theyobservedthatthesubjects’heartratesandbreathingbecameirregular,andtheireyesdartedaboutbeneathshutlids.Thus,theynamedthisstateofsleepRapidEyeMovement,orREMsleep.

What’smore,whenthesleeperswakedup,theyallclaimedthattheyhaddreams.SotheycametotheconclusionthatwehaddreamsonlywhenwewereintheREMsleep.Thisfindingmadetheresearchintodreamsmuchmoreeasierbecauseinthiscase,wecouldnarrowthescopewefocusandonlyrecordthebrainwaveswhenweweredreaming.Basedonthisdiscovery,scientistsmadeanewfinding.Perhapsmanypeoplewonderwhyweforgetourdreamswhenwewakeup,andperhapssomeonewillclaimthattheyneverdream.Infact,wedreameverynightandmostofthetimewewillhavemorethanonedreameachnight.Itisdependonthemomentwewakeupthatwewillrememberourdreamsornot.Brieflyspeaking,wehavetwostatesofsleep:

RapidEyeMovenmentsleep（REM）andNonRapidEyeMovenmentsleep（NREM）,anddreamsonlyappearduringtheREMsleep.

Thistwosleepingstateswillalternativelyappearwhenwearesleeping.SoifwewakeupduringtheREMsleep,wecanrecallthecontentsofthedreams,andifwewakeupduringtheNREMsleep,wearelikelytoforgetourdreams.

ThelatestfindinginthefieldcamefromaresearchmadebyaHarvardprofessorRobertStickgold.Hehadbeenfocusinghisattentiononthefunctionsofdreams.Healsorecruittedhumansubjectstosleepoverinhislab,buthisexperimentwasdifferentfromotherscientists.Firstly,heletthesubjectslearntoplayanewgame:

AlpineRacer,whichwasadownhillskiingstimulator.ProfessorStickgoldassumedthatasthebrainwenttosleep,itwasgoingtocomebacktotheimagesinthegame.Thenextmorning,thesubjectswereaskedthecontentsoftheirdreams.Earlyon,therewereonlyasimplere-enactmentsoftheskigame,andasnightwenton,therebegantoincorporeteothermemories.Thismayprovenoothing,butwhenthesubjectplayedtheskigamethenexttime,theirperformancesweremuchbetter.ProfessorStickgoldbelievedthatthisexperimentshowedthatwhenwearedreamingatnight,ourmemorieswillgetrefined,andsothatourabilitytodealwiththatparticularaffairwillimprove.

Fromthisconclusionwecantakeaquickglanceathowimportantrolethedreamplaysinourpersonaldevelopmentanddailylife.ThelatterresearchalsodemonstratedJung’stheoryinsomedegreeashealsofocusedontherolethedreamsplayedasaprototypeofdevelopment.

3.Generalpeople’sunderstandingofdream

Todiscerngeneralpeople’sunderstandinglevelofdreamandtheirknowledgeofthemoderntheory,Ipreparedaquestionnaireandcollected68validsamples.Hereisthequestionnaire:

1.Whichgradeareyouin?

A.Grade1

B.Grade2

C.Grade3

D.Grade4

2.Haveyoueverwonderedwhatthemeaningofyourdreamsis?

A.Yes,Ihave

B.No,Ihaven’t

3.DoyouknowthemaindreamtheoriesofFreudandJung?

A.No

B.Alittle

C.Iknowthemwell

4.Doyouanalyzeyour