Freud's Dream Interpretation: A Different Perspective Based on the Self-Organization Theory of Dreaming

OPINION published: 23 August 2018 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01553 Freud’s Dream Interpretation: A Different Perspective Based on the Self-Organization Theory of Dreaming Wei Zhang and Benyu Guo* Research Institute of Moral Education/School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China Keywords: dream interpretation, self-organization, memory consolidation, dream-work, order parameter The self-organization theory of dreaming proposes that the sleeping brain is a self-organizing system that can

OPINION
published: 23 August 2018
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01553
Frontiers in Psychology | www.frontiersin.org 1 August 2018 | Volume 9 | Article 1553
Edited by:
Simon Boag,
Macquarie University, Australia
Reviewed by:
Caroline L. Horton,
Bishop Grosseteste University,
United Kingdom
*Correspondence:
Benyu Guo
[e-mail]
Specialty section:
This article was submitted to
Psychoanalysis and
Neuropsychoanalysis,
a section of the journal
Frontiers in Psychology
Received: 11 June 2018
Accepted: 06 August 2018
Published: 23 August 2018
Citation:
Zhang W and Guo B (2018) Freud’s
Dream Interpretation: A Different
Perspective Based on the
Self-Organization Theory of Dreaming.
Front. Psychol. 9:1553.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01553
Freud’s Dream Interpretation: A
Different Perspective Based on the
Self-Organization Theory of
Dreaming
Wei Zhang and Benyu Guo*
Research Institute of MoralEducation/Schoolof Psychology, Nanjing NormalUniversity, Nanjing, China
Keywords: dream interpretation, self-organization, memory consolidation, dream-work, order parameter
The self-organization theory ofdreaming proposes thatthe sleeping brain is a self-organizing
system that can combine discontinuous and incongruous neuronal signals (i.e., different
of dreams) into a relatively continuous narrative during sleep (Kahn and Hobson, 1993;
2000,2002).This theory also implies that dreams are not independently functional but rath
coproduct of the sleeping brain, reflecting the dreamer’s physiological and psychologica
such as memory consolidation,emotion regulation,and reception ofexternalstimuli(Zhang,
2016).
By contrast, Freud regarded dreams as a royal road to the unconscious; dream interpr
thus been an important psychoanalytic technique. His theory of dreams mainly refers to
points: (a) what are the materials of a dream? and (b) how do these materials work toge
answers to these questions are closely related to an understanding of dream interpretat
article, we refer to the self-organization theory of dreaming and seek to elucidate its me
dream interpretation.
WHAT ARE THE MATERIALS OF A DREAM?
According to Freud (1900), sources of dreams include stimuli from the external world, su
experiences, organic stimuli within the body, and mental activities during sleep (p. 22).
evidence has supported some of these assertions. The self-organization theory of dream
that memory consolidation, emotion regulation, and reception of external stimuli can co
to dream content (Zhang, 2016); hence, dream content can contain important informati
the dreamer.
Consider,for example,the case of memory consolidation during sleep:according to the two-
stage memory model(McClelland et al.,1995;Stickgold and Walker,2005;Born and Wilhelm,
2012),the process ofmemory consolidation generates memory fragments to extractpertinent
information when an individual is asleep. Moreover, salient memories for the sleeper, su
encoded memories (Born and Wilhelm, 2012; Wamsley, 2014), memories that will be inc
into long-term memory within 6–7 days (e.g.,Blagrove et al.,2011;van Rijn et al.,2015),and
corresponding long-term memories (Lewis and Durrant,2011),are preferentially activated and
then manifested in dream content.In addition,rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM
(NREM) sleep refer to the processing ofdifferenttypes ofmemories:REM sleep is primarily
implicated in emotionalmemory and implicitmemory,whereas NREM sleep is more closely
associated with declarative memory (Rauchs et al., 2005; Smith, 2010). From this persp
encoded memories are related to what Freud (1900) called the “day’s residues” in that t
some daytime activities of the dreamer.Temporarily stored memories,denoted as the “dream-
lag effect,” offer another window into a patient’s recent life. Long-term memory is corre
remote events, implying that dream content may harken back to early experiences (e.g
trauma). Remote memory may even involve information collected over the course of ev

Zhang and Guo Self-Organization vs. Freud
reflected in typicaldream themes,such asflying and being
chased (e.g., Revonsuo, 2000; Valli and Revonsuo, 2009; Mathes
et al., 2014;Yu, 2016).Moreover,many psychoanalysts have
emphasized emotional memories in dream content. Freud (1900)
found thataffectremainsstablein the processof dream
formation,at least with respect to quality (p.460–487).Affect
or emotion can be a gateway to learning more about the state of
the dreamer. “The principle of affective organization of memory”
suggests thatthe memory network is organized by affect(see
Reiser,2001);accordingly,a therapist may be able to identify a
patient’s similar affective memories (e.g., traumatic experiences)
via emotional material in dream content.
The focus on transference dreams and countertransference
dreams in contemporary psychoanalysis aligns with this point.
Unconscious communications between the patient and analyst
may be reflected in dream content as either the day’s residues
or a major emotional focus.As such,the therapist can perceive
and address interaction issues in treatment(e.g.,transference,
resistance, countertransference, and counterresistance) based on
these dreams (e.g.,Hill et al.,2014;Sirois,2016;Ogden,2017).
To understand and use dreams in this way implies a focus on
manifestrather than latentdream content.However,the self-
organization theory of dreaming does not endorse the existence
of latentdream content(see the following section),although
many analysts have expressed interest in manifest dream since
the 1950s (see Spanijaard, 1969; Lane, 1997). Even Freud came to
realize the significance of such content and suggested considering
it seriously at the end of his life (Jiménez, 2012).
Some researchers have contended that manifest dream content
represents the whole dream,with no elementof distortion or
disguise.For example,Kavanagh (1994) advocated eschewing
Freudian latentcontentand instead proposed thatmanifest
contentconstitutes“real”dreams.Greenberg and Pearlman
(1999) proposed that if psychoanalysts understand how manifest
dream content attempts to convey the dreamer’s problems and
resolve them,then a dream can be expressed directly rather
than through an obscured purpose.Jennings (2007) purported
thatdreamsare self-evidentin that they directly reflectthe
dreamer’s experiences, traits, and wishes. From this perspective,
the therapistshould use the self-evidentmethod to discover
dreams as they truly are in therapy.That is,even if no hidden
implicationsexist,dreamscan stillbe a tool by which the
therapist and patient can work together to enrich the therapeutic
process.Nevertheless,Freud paid close attention to how these
materials combine,and his technique ofdream interpretation
also relied on this integration,which brings us to our second
point.
HOW DO THE MATERIALS OF A DREAM
WORK TOGETHER?
Freud (1900)realized thatdream contentis derived from
but not identicalto real life; thus,he suggested thatsome
transformationand connectionmust exist betweenthese
materials. He contended that these connections are not random
but rather constrained by one’s unconscious desires,such that
“a dream is the fulfillmentof a wish”(p. 122).He also
found that “disagreeable” dreams seem more widespread tha
“pleasant” dreams (p.134),hence his hypothesis thatdreams
can disguise their true purpose (i.e., indirectly fulfilling wishe
Freud therefore identified two types of dreams:manifest dream
and latentdream.He stated thatthe latentdream is the real
dream, and the goal of dream interpretation is to reveal it.
To further elaborateon this idea,Freud proposed four
mechanismsby which latent dream can be obscured.
Condensation refersto the reduction and simplification of
rich contents of latent dream.Displacement refers to a process
that substitutesvariousaspects(e.g.,constituents,intensity,
significance,and properties) ofmanifestand latentdream to
render them dissimilar.Symbols indicate thatlatentdream is
expressed by relevant signs.Secondary revision involves making
disordered and incoherent dream materials more well-organiz
and reasonable.This mechanism causesa dream to appear
meaningful,butthe presented dream is in factquite different
from its actual implication (Freud, 1900).
The self-organization theory ofdreaming does notconcur
with thisviewpoint;instead,it offersa differentperspective
on Freud’s dream-work.According to this theory,the nature
of condensation isthe fragmentation ofmemoriesduring
consolidation, as this process must extract important informa
for furtherprocessing.Displacement,from this perspective,
depends on weak controlof the sleeping brain and the high
degree offreedom in dream elements.In this state,the brain
developsnew connectionsbetween differentelements;then,
the self-organization mechanism combinesvariouselements
to construct a relatively concordant “story,” deemed seconda
revision perFreud’stheory.No analogoussymbolsexistin
dream contentbecausethe elementspresented therein are
merely memory fragments and other components of informat
processing (see Zhang, 2016). Some researchers have also p
out that dream symbols are too far-fetched (see Freud, 1916)
other words, dreams are not riddles to be translated (Hartma
2010a),and “the manifest dream is the realdream” (Jiménez,
2012); thus, Freud’s dream-work does not exist according to
point of view.
However,this position does not mean that the self-
organization mechanism does notprovide supportfor dream
interpretation.Accordingto self-organizationtheory,the
sleeping brain’s control of physical and mental activities is we
than in the awake brain (Kahn et al.,2000,2002).Thus,dream
elements are characterized by more freedom than mental con
when an individualis awake,renderinghyperassociativity
between these components possible (Hartmann,2010b;Horton
and Malinowski,2015).This is why dreams can present bizarre
scenes and “miracles” thatcannothappen in reallife (Zhang,
2016).Nevertheless,this “disordered state” isnot unlimited;
it could impair brain function otherwise.Therefore,the self-
organization mechanism isnecessary:it providesa relatively
stable state for the dreaming brain, as it can offer a way in w
the system can give rise to ordered behavior, structure, or pa
from disorder(Haken,1977;Prigogineand Stengers,1984;
Fingelkurts et al., 2013). Order parameters or collective varia
are crucial during this process.
Frontiers in Psychology | www.frontiersin.org 2 August 2018 | Volume 9 | Article 1553

Zhang and Guo Self-Organization vs. Freud
A system’sstateis generally determined based on many
variablesthat describeits differentaspects.Under certain
conditions,the interactions between different components will
cause the system to reach a critical state at which most of these
variables vanish quickly.To put it another way,few variables
survive,but those that do reflect the state of this system.These
variables (i.e., order parameters or collective variables) also serve
as an invisible hand that controls the operation and evolution of
the system,leading to the emergence of a new ordered pattern
or behavior. The formation of order parameters is therefore the
key channelthrough which self-organization can successfully
continue (see Haken, 1977; Fingelkurts et al., 2013).
Emotion is a pivotal factor during sleep. Several investigations
have revealed that dreams are often accompanied by emotions,
especially negativeones(e.g.,Valli et al., 2008;Malinowski
and Horton,2014).Many researchers have identified a close
relationship between dreams and emotions (e.g., Desseilles et al.,
2011), even labeling emotions indispensable to dream formation.
For instance,Reiser (1997) noted that images serving as nodal
pointsin an individual’smemory network are connected by
similar types ofaffect,indicating thataffectplays an essential
role in memory organization.Reiser (1997) further conjectured
that strong affect during sleep evokes existing images that are
loaded with similar affectand hence activate relevantearlier
experiences to form a dream.Clément (2008) hypothesized the
following chain ofprocesses:emotions in sleep are activated
and combine to form differentemotionalscripts,which then
serve as templates and replicate a series ofimages to finally
constructa dream narrative.Hartmann (2010b)stated that
combinationsof dream elementsare notrandom butrather
guided by emotion; accordingly, dreams are helpful for building
and rebuilding an individual’s emotionalmemory system.In
brief,emotions likely play the role oforder parameters:they
controland guide combinations of dream elements.Emotions
can therefore serve as a springboard in comprehending dream
For instance,perhaps traumatic experiences constitute a core
theme ofa patient’s dreams,suggesting an avenue for further
treatment.
CONCLUSION
The self-organization theory ofdreaming offers a framework
distinct from psychoanalytic theories to explain how dreams a
generated and operate.This theory proposes thatdreams are
a byproduct of the dreamer’s physicaland mentalstate during
sleep,distinguishesbetween manifestand latentdream,and
points out that the dream-work proposed by Freud is actually
a result of information processing and self-organization in the
sleeping brain. However, this theory allows the therapist to de
important information (e.g.,significant memories) from dream
content and underscores emotions as a potential order param
thatcan provide an effective means ofgrasping the core ofa
dream.Therefore,dream analysis may stillprove usefulin the
therapeutic process.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
WZ is responsible for the writing of this paper. BG is in charge
the idea.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research wassupported by funding from Postgraduate
Research & Practice Innovation Program ofJiangsu Province
(KYCX18_1239).We would like to express our thanks to the
reviewer for his valuable comments.
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Conflictof InterestStatement:The authorsdeclarethat the research was
conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that cou
be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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