4 Dream Theories Freud’s Theory of Dreams Activation-Synthesis Theory Information-Processing Theory Neural Housekeeping Theory
1. Freud’s Theory of Dreams Dreams reflect a person’s unconscious wishes & urges People dream in symbols Able to express unconscious wishes we find unacceptable in real life Manifest Content (storyline/plot) Latent Content (hidden/disguised meaning)
2. Activation-Synthesis Theory Our Cerebral Cortex is trying to interpret random electrical activity we have while sleeping. Side-effects of neurons firing Why dreams make no sense Biological theory
3. Information-Processing Theory “Problem-Solving” Way to deal with everyday life Rehearse stressful situations Tend to dream more when we are stressed
4. Neural Housekeeping Theory Brain eliminating or strengthening neural connections. Cleaning up brain files