Topics Mind

Question I have read some recent material about dreams that seems to say Freud got it wrong. If my understanding is correct, dreaming is a by-product of moving information from short term to long term memory. A recurring dream is simply the result of a recent event that has a connection to a past event. And as with all events in our lives, the emotional context has an effect on how vivid the actual memories are and perhaps the dreams as well; but, the updating process - dreaming - is essentially meaningless in itself. From this, I conclude that many folks waste time and money on dream interpretation which is at best harmless entertainment and at worst harmful pseudoscience, especially if one acts on what they take to be a prophetic dream. What does philosophy of mind say about dreaming?

Accepted:
July 7, 2009

Comments

Freud made many questionable claims about the function of dreaming (e.g. as the fulfilling of wishes) and the meaning of particular dream images. I wouldn't want to defend everything he says about dreams, but I do want to resist your conclusion that dreaming is "meaningless" and dream interpretation is "at best harmless entertainment ."

Many therapists (Freudian and otherwise) treat a person's dreams as a source of insight about that person's thoughts and feelings, preoccupations and fears. This is entirely compatible with your claim that dreams are a by-product of moving information from short term to long term memory since it is (at least in part) our thoughts and concerns that determine what information gets moved into long term memory. The things that a person continues to remember over time show us something about the topics and the feelings that preoccupy that person. All recent events have some connection to a past event,but not all recent events make it into our dreams; so it is reasonableto suppose that the material that makes it into our dreams is moreclosely, or more significantly, related to our background thoughts andconcerns, than the material that does not make it into our dreams.

Actually, the categories of "short term" and "long term" memory are pretty crude (psychologists now tend to make many more distinctions), and the move from short term to long term memory (as traditionally understood) happens within seconds, not over days. So whatever storage of information is being consolidated during sleep, it is not "simply" a move from short term to long term memory. Furthermore, the suggestion that dreams are a by-product of memory storage doesn't imply that they are "meaningless." Freud was eager to understand the biological underpinnings of dreaming, but he insisted that the contents of our dreams are just as meaningful as the contents of our waking thoughts and feelings (which might also be called "by-products" of perceptual and motivational processes).

In addition to using dreams as a source of discovery about the dreamer's existing thoughts and feelings, dream interpretation can people to develop connections between otherwise scattered thoughts (helping to unify one's psychic life) and it can help people to express difficult feelings. These aspects of dream interpretation can be extremely valuable.