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Alan Cummins 1165236 Pages 1 of 10
Freud introduces a distinction between the manifest content of the dream the
dream as the dreamer reports it and the latent content of the dream, the
meaning of which emerges only through the work of dream interpretation.
Student: Alan Cummins Student ID: 1165236
Course: BA Psychology
Module: Formations of the Psyche PS182
Lecturer: Ms. Terry Ball
In order to investigate and discuss the distinction between the manifest and latent
content of a dream we must first give an explanation of the two terms, manifest and
latent. In doing so we will be forced to elucidate the formation of dreams, how the dream
is triggered and its underlying source in the psyche. Once which agencies are involved in
the formation of the dream has been determined we can look at the dream-work that is
carried out to transform the latent content into the manifest dream that we recall. During
this discussion we will make reference to the main theoretical and practical implications
of dreams, namely: Censorship of the dream including dream distortion, condensation,
displacement and compromise formation, as well as explaining what lies behind dreams,
their primary source as it were. This will be tempered with constant reference to how the
analyst should enable the dreamer to make their way back from the manifest to the latent
content and in doing so attempt to highlight and interpret repressed wishes that are highly
psychically charged.
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Firstly we must give a definition of manifest and latent content. Manifest content
is the text of the dream as remembered by the dreamer. It is the recalled dream described
in the proceeding evening. This text is not the complete picture. There is more to a dream
than pure nonsensical and absurd imagery. There is latent content lying behind the
manifest content which holds the true meaning of the dream or rather the true source of
the dream. As Freud puts it
What has been called the dream we shall describe as the text of the dream or the
manifest dream, and what we are looking for, what we suspect, so to say, of lying behind
the dream, we shall describe as the latent dream thoughts [FS1932, pp9-10]
There have obviously been some agencies at work making a transformation of the latent
into the manifest content dream-work has been carried out. These agencies are not, as
Freud alludes to easily classifiable and distinct entities within ones psyche.
as severe as a little manikin or a spirit living in a closet.. or think of a brain
centre [FS1915, pp172]
So the dream-work is the means by which the latent is transformed into the manifest.
The work which transforms the latent dream into the manifest one is called the
dream work. The work which proceeds in the contrary direction which endeavours to
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arrive at the latent dream from the manifest one is our work of interpretation [FS1915,
pp204]
So the analyst and patient must work together to interpret the manifest content and make
a journey towards the latent.
We have to transform the manifest dream into the latent one, and to explain how,
in the dreamers mind , the latter has become the former. The first portion is a practical
task, for which dream interpretation is responsible; it calls for a technique [FS1932,
pp10]
This technique of interpretation makes use of free association. The dream should not be
taken as a logical whole but rather as a set of individual allusions and references that need
to be worked through piecemeal to arrive at the latent content of the dream, the analyst
avoids concerning themselves with the manifest content but rather concerns themselves
with the associations of the manifest content.
We ask the dreamer too, to free himself from the impression of the manifest
dream, to divert his attention from the dream as a whole on to the separate portions of its
content and to report to us in succession everything that occurs to him in relation to him
if he focuses on each of them separately [FS1932, pp10-11]
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However these associations to the dream are not the latent content. Associations will
often come to a stop before they can arrive at the genuine dream thought. It is up to the
analyst to draw conclusions and make sense of the associations in relation to the patient.
This interpretation work of transforming the manifest into the latent is not a simple
process. Resistance is always at work within the patient in regard to psycho-analysis. The
manifest dream hides a highly charged psychical thought that is distressing to the
dreamer.
Resistance.. is responsible for the gaps, obscurities and confusions which may
interrupt the continuity of even the finest of dreams [FS1932, pp14]
In interpreting the manifest dream the analyst makes use of symbols in two forms, those
of the dream-book category where common symbols have common meaning across many
dreams and those relating specifically to the dreamer themselves. By carefully following
the text of the dream, stopping to allow fee association the analyst can bring forth a
pathway to the latent.
We shall briefly now discuss how the dream is formed, what its purpose is and
make further reference to the dream-work that is carried out to form the manifest from
the latent content. Most often dreams are concerned with indifferent sources from the
previous day. As Freuds Irma dream description and analysis suggests he dreamt of what
he had been focused on the previous day that of writing a patients medical history
[FS1899, pp85] Freud makes use of a good metaphor.
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in construction of dreams the part of the capitalist is always played by the
unconscious wish alone; it provides the psychical energy for the construction of the
dream. The entrepreneur is the days residues which decide how this outlay is to be
employed [FS1915, pp264]
Essentially the days residues are triggers for the dream itself but they do not form the
source of the dream. The source of the dream lies in powerful but repressed wishful
impulses belonging to the dreamer. The dream is a defence against disturbance from
sleep as opposed to one that would wish to awaken the dreamer from slumber. A
compromise formation must occur between the unconscious and conscious to ensure the
dreamer is undisturbed.
Dreams are things which get rid of (psychical) stimuli disturbing sleep, by the
method of hallucinatory satisfaction, [FS1915, pp168]
Moreover the dream elements are substitutes for something else that is unknown to the
dreamers conscious thought. The unconscious has played a part in hiding this meaning,
obscuring it to keep the dreamer from harm. The dream-work has taken the affects of the
unconscious ideas or wishes and displaced them onto a less psychically charged element.
Latent dream thoughts.. most powerful element is the repressed instinctual
impulse which as created in them an expression for itself on the basis of the presence of
chance stimuli and by transference on to the days residues [FS1932, pp19]
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So on to the main tools that the psyche has at hand to aid resistance of the latent
content. Distortion is carried out on latent thoughts, allusions, rebus, and puzzles to resist
the latent. A compromise is formed during dream construction allowing the manifest
content to contain a condensed or over-determined genuine dream thought. Importantly
though the dream thought has been transformed into a softened down, unrecognised form
or at least one that requires an amount of interpretation and association to unravel.
dream displacement and dream condensation are the two foremen in charge of
the dream work, [FS1915, pp235]
A transference of the highly charged psychical energy must be carried out by the dream-
work to produce the manifest content of the dream. Displacement must occur to take this
energy and push it on to a less highly charged residue.
in dream formation these essential elements charged though they are with
intense interest are dealt with as if they were of little value, and instead their place is
taken in the dream by other elements which certainly had little value in the dream
thoughts [FS1915, pp233-234]
The displacement occurs so long as the dream content makes reference to recent
experiences and what initiates the dream is psychically valuable. Condensation (as
exampled in Botanical Monograph and Yellow Beard [FS1899]) is a form of
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censorship. The censorship distorts the underlying wish of the dream. The censor wishes
to keep hidden the latent content, to keep the dreamer from disappointment, by
attempting to fulfil the dreamers unconscious wish. The dream thoughts are stripped of
their affect, this affect being transformed into the visual images of the dream.
The political writer who has unpleasant truths to tell.. the writer has censorship
to fear and so he moderates and distorts the expression of his opinion, [FS1899,
pp112]
This censorship takes place via condensation. Many latent thoughts can be condensed
into one manifest concept, a composite figure or image so that compression of thoughts
or wishes can occur. This condensation is clearly seen as the analyst works via
interpretation back through the manifest content of the dream free associating to the
individual images of the dream. Omission of fragments and fusing of others to transform
the latent into the manifest allow the censor to act at its fullest.
With condensation, a compression of two or more ideas occurs, so that a
composite figure is formed.. an image in a dream is able to represent many different
wishes or thoughts through compression.. displacement, the significant unconscious wish
is able to transfer its intensity or meaning to an indifferent term, .. act as a delegate, thus
disguising it. [GE1990, pp97]
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However during sleep the censor, that in waking consciousness has a steady and strong
resistant repression, slips and allows puzzle pieces of the underlying repressed wish to
come through piggybacking on the indifferent residues of the previous day. Upon waking
the censor tries to resist further movement towards the latent content by means of
secondary revision; by reforming, forgetting,
Wishes are what are behind the manifest content of dreams; they are the primal
sources, the latent content.
dreams are first and foremost manifestations of unbridled and ruthless egoism..
freed from all ethical bonds.. the demands of sexual desire.. desire for pleasure the
libido.. hatred too, rages without restraint, wishes for revenge, death.. [FS1915, pp175]
These wishes are linked to sexual libido and at their earliest to infantile sexuality but
shall be left outside of our discussion.
In conclusion there is a distinction between manifest and latent content of the
dream in that the manifest is a censored version of the latent content distorted via
displacement, condensation by the dream-work but also by the pure fact that the dream
thoughts must regress to their primal agencies in order to express the logical statements
of language.
their first material and their preliminary stages were sense impressions.. only
later were words attached to them and the words in turn linked up to thoughts. The
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dream work thus submits thoughts to a regressive treatment and undoes their
development, [FS1915, pp215]
However this distinction does not imply an unconnected manifest from latent, while the
work of interpretation may be long and arduous
Manifest content and latent content are closely connected by reason of the secret
meaning which links the one to the other, a meaning which can be revealed only by
analysis [QJM2004, pp39]
It must be remembered that the manifest dream is not a genuine dream-thought. It has
been subjected to dream-work which has distorted it and made inaccurate. This distortion
though is for a reason, resistance has been enforced to allow the dreamer to repress and
distil psychical energy.
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References:
[FS1899] Freud Sigmund, Translation by Joyce Crick, (1899), The Interpretation of
Dreams, Oxford University Press
[FS1915] Freud Sigmund, Edited by James Strachley (1915-1917), Introductory
Lectures on Psychoanalysis Volume I, The Penguin Freud Library
[FS1932] Freud Sigmund, Translated by James Strachley, (1932 1936), The Standard
Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freund. Volume XXII -
New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis and Other Works, Vintage. The
Hogarth Press
[GE1990] Grozs Elizabeth, (1990), Jacques Lacan A Feminist Introduction, Routledge
Publishing
[QJM2004] Quinodoz Jean-Michel, (2004), Reading Freud A Chronological
Exploration of Freuds Writings, Presses Universitaires de france