However, psychologists have developed theories that might explain what dreams mean.
In other words, Freud believed that the content of your dreams shows what you desire in life.
These symbols, he believed, represented attitudes that are repressed by theconscious mind.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
Research by Hall revealed that the traits people exhibit while awake are the same as those expressed in dreams.
Dream content, he suggests, results from these cognitive processes.
This information is processed and woven into the narrative of a dream.
This theory suggests that dreams don’t hold a deep, significant meaning.
Instead, they are a byproduct of the brain’s natural processes.
Popularizing Dream Interpretation
Since the 1970s, dream interpretation has grown increasingly popular.
Instead, most endorsed Freud’s notion that dreams reveal unconscious wishes and urges.
They also discovered that the weight and importance people attach to their dreams depends mainly on theirbiases.
People are more likely to remember negative dreams if they involve people they dislike.
They are also more likely to take positive dreams seriously if they involve friends or loved ones.
The researchers found that such things as theconfirmation biasand theself-serving biascan impact how people respond to their dreams.
Because people tend to take their dreams seriously, the researchers suggest, they can also become aself-fulfilling prophecy.
2009;96(2):249-64. doi:10.1037/a0013264
