The Interpretation of Dreams

Rating:
Summary: My first-time reading of this book
Review: I am not as smart as today's psychologists who say the validity of The Interpretation of Dream is perished. And I have not read other Frued's book yet, beside this. Furthermore, I can not say that I can completely understand what this book says. But I wonder why there is only one person writen a command about this book. And it was three years ago and I feel it is my responsibility to write one. There is a very common saying that the three most influential persons in the 20th century are: Karl Marx, for his book stirred up the world-wide communist revolution; Albert Einstein, for his General and Specific Theory of Relativity and his contribution to the nuclear weapon program of U.S., which changes the nature of war, good or bad; Sigmund Freud, for his theory attempted to reveal the true nature of human beings and denounce the absurdity in religion. The book is the ealiest publication of Freud. He suggested many revoluntionary theories, and the later theories he developed were fundamented on that . One of the most significant book of Freud, I can say. It deals with very normal but very difficult question: what is mind? Do we have completely control of our actions? Do we really know ourself? Then, it touches a philosophy problem: if we can't even control our actions, are we still responsible for every crime we commit? Is capital punishment correct? And then, if nobody actually has free-will, does what the heck is God doing on us? Does God exist? And it questions every piece of moral value of ours. As a philosophy student, I want to tell everybody that this book is as important as reading Bible if you have any certain desire of knowing what life is, and you are trying to figure out the true meaning of life, just like me, then you must read the book. Even though you disagree every single part of your dream might be concerned with sex, egoism, or violence, just don't afraid to read it if you are pretty determined that you are clean from that. Frued's Interpretation of Dreams is a logical explaination based on the symptoms on thousands of his cases. That is why the trueth-value is being doubted because it is still a pure hyponosis and you can't do any experiments to prove it; the scientist still can't understand the electrical function of our brains yet, and they don't know what experiment could they do to prove or disprove this theory. However, if you read this book, you probably would become one of the firm supporter of this book. The first phenomenon I have after reading this book is to extract dreams from any friends I meet. I try interpretate their dreams as possible as I could, and I could always amazed them by telling them what are troubled them. And recently, they start to worship me as if I am a god. Again, reading the book is a of the musts toward understanding the all aspects of life. Don't be like dull Christian or what. Have an open mind and read the book. So tomorrow, go and check the close libraries! Or order one from Amazon.com if you are too crazy to go out like me. Don't be a don't-know-anything idiot anymore.

Rating:
Summary: The unconsciousness - one of the most important discoveries
Review: I read this book when I'm the student of a high school. It was not so easy to understand the theoretical part in contrast to the practical interpretation of dreams. It was so interesting that I could interpret the symbols of dreams. However it is different between the understanding and the assurance. I thought his assertion was false in spite of the logical coherence. All psychopathic phenomena derive from the suppression of the sexual desires! How foolish! For a rural young boy it seemed that "Love" by Standhal was more realistic. In a few weeks, I shut out the content of this book from my brain because I took it serious. This effect was too pessimistic to interpret the human being.

This book shows two important results. At first, the psychopathic is understandable if the unconsciousness exists. At second, the neuroses disappear if the unconscious sexual desires are made conscious. These findings will help the understanding of the later psychoanalysis and psychiatry.

As the unconsciousness is one of the most important discoveries in the 20th century, this book should be read.

Rating:
Summary: Freud's 100 years of dreaming
Review: In a letter to his confidant and friend, Wilhelm Fleiss, the then middle aged neurologist, Sigmund Freud, was in the midst of researching and writing his beloved 'dream book'. He wrote the following:

"Now I have finished and am thinking about the dream book again. I have been looking into the literature and feel like a Celtic imp."Oh, how I am glad that no one, no one knows..." No one suspects that the dream is not nonsense but wish fulfillment."

Indeed, this is the premise of Freud's entire thesis: dreams are no more than repressed unconscious wishes, battling for expression and consummation.

In his own words, Freud had 'dared' to rally against the 'objections of severe science, to take the part of the ancients and of superstition.' In 1900, the official year of the book's publication, its reception, despite its provoctive title, was tepid, and in the course of six years, only sold 351 copies. Freud never gave up hope, and 30 years later, in the preface of the third English edition, he wrote, "It contains, even according to my present day judgement, the most valuable of all the discoveries it has been my good fortune to make. Insight such as this falls to one's lot but once a lifetime.' In present day, one can question any Freud scholar about ~The Interpretation of Dreams~ and they will say the same thing: the book contains everything that 'is' psychoanalysis.

Anyone interested in the history of psychoanalysis and the mind of Sigmund Freud, reading this book is an absolute must. The reading runs along too, quite easily, as Freud was an excellent writer: his unique prose style even shines through some clumsy translations.

If you are interested in the book's process of development, I would suggest reading ~The Complete Letters of Sigmund Freud and Wilhelm Fliess~; another gold mine for understanding the growth of psychoanalysis.

Rating:
Summary: Loving and/or Hating Sigmund Freud
Review: It does not really matter whether we love or hate Sigmund Freud. What is important to acknowledge is that he revolutionized the way we think about ourselves. Some of this revolution can be traced back to The Interpretation of Dreams, the turn of the century masterpiece that outlined his theory of unconscious forces in the context of dream analysis. Joyce Crick's groundbreaking new translation is based on the original text published in November 1899 and it is clearly a more readable and accurate picture of Freud's original work.

It is apparent that Freud concentrates to a larger extent on the use of words in dreams and on the difficulty of deciphering them. Freud's ideas of dreams as wish-fulfillment, his ideas of the retelling of the dream as a continuation, as well as the dream's manifest and latent content, are covered much more clearly than in any of the later editions of the same text. The fact that Joyce Crick's translation is faster-moving and definitively lighter than previous versions enhances the understanding of the material and engages the reader. It established a sense of dialogue with the reader.

While reading Joyce Crick's translation the author of the review remembered her first encounter with Freud's original German version Die Traumdeutung while she was an undergraduate student. The German version was definitely much more difficult to read and caused some confusion for the reader. The author valued Freud's elaboration on the symbols of dreams, but viewed the statement that all psychopathic phenomena derive from the suppression of sexual desires as difficult to comprehend (for an undergraduate student). However when comparing The Interpretation of Dreams with Freud's discussion of dreams in his work Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis it has to be pointed out that the latter is probably an easier way of gaining insight into his views about dreams. Dreams are covered in Part II of the Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, which Freud delivered in two successive winter terms (running from October to March) in 1915-16 and 1916-17 at the University of Vienna. The new translation is targeted at the psychoanalytically minded postgraduate student or psychiatric registrar who had previous exposure and an understanding of basic concepts such as the preconscious, unconscious and conscious as well as the id, ego and superego. However some explanation about these concepts is provided at the end of the book.

Freud's work on dreaming has recently regained interest because among many other opportunities, the ability to conduct studies in sleep laboratories and the neuropsychological assessment of brain-injured patients has assisted us in finding some scientific evidence for some of his theories. Neuroscience has proven that dreaming can be switched on or off by a neurochemical pathway whose main function is to "instigate goal-seeking behaviors and an organism's appetitive interaction with the world" (Panksepp, 1985, p. 273). This means that neuroscience has contributed to the evidence of a radical hypothesis that is more than 100 years old (i.e. that dreams are motivated phenomena, driven by our wishes and the dopamigergic mechanisms, the appetitive (i.e. libidinal) 'command system' of the brain (Panksepp, 1985, 1998)). The Interpretation of Dreams edited by Ritchie Robertson is meeting the challenge for psychoanalysis to refresh Freudian theory, "which now has an unpalatable and distinctly post-Victorian flavor for many" (Panksepp, 1999, p.35). It assists in moving psychoanalysis towards a modern and dynamic mode of thought that continues to be rejuvenated by the accumulating evidence in neuroscience, thus consolidating its presence in the twenty-first century.

References Freud, S. (1900). Die Traumdeutung. GW Bd 2-3, 1-642.

Freud, S. (1966). New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis 1933. In Strachey (Ed & Trans). The complete introductory lectures on psychoanalysis (pp. 471-646). New York: Norton. (Original work published in 1933).

Panksepp, J. (1985). Mood changes. In P. Vinken, C Bruyn, H. Klawans (Eds) Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 45 (pp.271-285). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Panksepp, J. (1998) Affective Neuroscience. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Panksepp, J. (1999) Emotions as Viewed by Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience: An Exercise in Consilience, Neuropsychoanalysis, 1,1, 15-37.

Rating:
Summary: Not Worth the Effort
Review: It is very hard to find the logic in believing Freud when he himself was quite mentally disturbed and sick. Freud rationalizes things to death, he gives no hope, and removes all magic from the world. It seems, finally, that Freud is falling into disrepute after some years of popularity. He was never correct, only popular. If you want really important work in the field, then read Karl Gustav Jung, because, as I mentioned in the title, Freud is not worth reading.

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Summary: "I'm a dreamin' man, yes that's my problem..."
Review: It's hip to disparage Freud, despite the circumspectness of his arguments. But for readers of FINNEGANS WAKE, Joyce's long and winding road WILL lead them to this door, - wordplay and repetitive number significance are touched upon. Freud suggests crucial ideas for a "universal grammar" of dream-consciousness, (consult Noam Chomsky, or Leonard Bernstein's "The Unanswered Question" videos).

1. "I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN, ..."

Remember Molly Bloom's "Yes, yes, yes..." dialogue at the conclusion of ULYSSES, before dozing off? There ain't no "no" in Mr. Sandman's lexicon. Instead, negation is expressed by ideas stood on their heads or made insensible, (compare with Joseph Campbell's appraisal of Picasso's handling of mythic imagery).

2. "YOU WERE PUMPING IRON WHILE I WAS PUMPING IRONY"

A vague idea may be signifying its direct opposite. Freud compares this to primitive proto-language etymology, where either extreme is expressed by one and the same word. (I have known people like this!)

3. "I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE"

Condensation of ideas and personalities occurs to shortcircuit "inner censoring" and "prefrontal control"... For example, not-dreamed-about Ms. A is indirectly indicated by investing dreamed-about Mr. B with details reminiscent of Ms. A. Ostensibly about Mr. B, the dream in fact revolves around Ms. A. Googols of cross-references ad infinitum, while round and down she goes...

Joyceans- just say YES. To all others, an OK+ that will put you to sleep. And if it puts you to sleep...

Rating:
Summary: Forget the controversy
Review: Make up your own mind about Freud, but in the meantime, this is one of his great works that anyone can read without having technical knowledge about psychology. Freud included much about his own dreams, and the reader will suspect that he didn't "tell all" about his own introspection--nor would most of us! But this work, along with "The Psychopathology of Everyday Life" and "Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious" are for all readers. It is worth your while to peruse one of the most influential books in human history. As for the violence of the controversy that Freud inspires--well, that vehemence must mean something: a hundred years later, we are still at it. Decide for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: the dynamics of dreams are the bedrock of thinking
Review: Most reviewers see the value of this great work, which lays out the dynamics of the unconscious mind. Others have a variety of misconceptions: first, he was not a cocaine addict. He misunderstood cocaine [as most people did] and, briefly, recommended it to others, including his fiancee. When his close friend died of it, Freud realized his error.

Second, one reader states that you can't find "measurements" to prove anything about dreams. As one who has practiced in the field, I can say that the reader can measure the truth of Freud's theory by using it to understand him or herself, by analyzing one's own dreams.

The dynamics of dreams are:

first, dreams are phylogenetic, i.e., inherited as a species; they are not ontogenetic, i.e., created by environmental factors.

R.E.M. studies have shown for fifty years that our eyes move rapidly while dreaming as is we were watching a film. However, all of the people in a dream are different fragments of ourselves, of our wishes, of our interests.

Second: this phylogenetic inheritance includes an innate propensity to think in pictures. Moving up the scale of consciousness, in Ucs. [unconsciousness, thinking is mostly pictorial but sometimes verbal]; in Pcs. [preconsciousness, i.e., in daydreaming, thinking is pictorial and verbal and partly in our control]; in Cs. [consciousness, thinking is mostly verbal but partly pictorial].

Dreams have two main dynamics: one, displacement [in which the mind protects itself by displacing the troubling thought with a symbol]; two, condensation [in which the mind places symbols on top of one another in layers in order to make the troubling thought hard to find].

Schizophrenics are hard to understand because much of their thinking is dominated by displacement and condensation while they are awake. Their speech has numerous layers of symbols - condensation.

In displacement, there is a manifest meaning [that which appears evident] and a latent meaning [that which one has to dig for by piercing the condensation of the displacements.

Any thinker, who chooses to simply understand, should avoid preconceptions or anger or a need to disdain or to repress. He or she should merely use the dynamics of dreaming to unravel his or her own dreams and daydreams [which can be analyzed with the same dynamics, except it is much easier because condensation is not as severe].

Freud was originally sceptical of his own insights and, as a result, he sat on this work for about a year, being reluctant to believe himself. He finally realized he was being defensive, that he was trying to repress disturbing truths about himself that were also true of us as a species.

In analysis, the analyst doesn't speak much because the best person in a position to understand himself is the patient . . . just as the best person in a position to understand his/her dream is the dreamer. Further, an analyst doesn't talk because he wants the patient to speak until he/she finally understands him/herself. That takes time.

It takes time for a person to crack the layers of condensation in his/her own thinking and to see all of the displacements.

After 100 years, Freud's book remains one of the great gifts anyone ever gave men and women to understand themselves.

Rating:
Summary: Ridiculous, but unfortunately influential
Review: No philosopher has had such a profound influence on all subsequent thought as Sigmund Freud. His theories, particularly those of this volume, have become such an integral part of daily discourse that most people fail to even realize how much they buy into the psychobabble. However, Freud must be viewed as a philosopher, not as the scientist he believed he was. His conclusions are either backed by superficial research or, more commonly, no research at all, and this book's most famous theory, that of the Oediple Complex, is argued (poorly) through literary examples, not scientific ones. The fact is that Freud is simply following a long-standing METAPHYSICAL tradition of dream interpretation which goes all the way back to Ancient Greece and Biblical tribes. All he does is invent his own gods to send the messages. The underlying motives for the book are quite obvious, though often overlooked--this paranoid cocaine addict wished to deal with his own psychoses by projecting them onto everyone else. We laugh at comedians when they tell of common acts of stupidity, mainly because we are relieved that we're not the only ones who do such things. Similarly, Freud, who fell in love with his mother when he saw her naked at age 2, concluded that everyone must want to sleep with their mother, because to do otherwise would be to admit that he was mad, which indeed he was. This is not to say that the book should not be read, only that it should be read because of its influence, and not because its ideas have any validity whatsoever.

Rating:
Summary: One of the must read books
Review: Sigmund Freud has done an amazing research in the field of Dreams and their meanings, you will be amazed how every single detail in the dream has a meaning (According to Sigmund Freud - not that I agree with him). And it is very impressive. Personally I enjoyed this book very much.