Why We Dream - 1785 Words

Why do we Dream? --http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/p/dream-theories.htm Many different theories have emerged to help explain the mystery of why we dream. Dreams are the touchstones of our characters. - Henry David Thoreau Dreams have fascinated philosophers for thousands of years, but only recently have dreams been subjected to empirical research and concentrated scientific study. Chances are that you’ve often found yourself puzzling over the mysterious content of a dream, or perhaps you’ve wondered why you dream at all. First, let’s start by answering a basic question – What is a dream? A dream can include any of the images, thoughts and emotions that are experienced during sleep. Dreams can be†¦show more content†¦This model suggests that dreams are a subjective interpretation of signals generated by the brain during sleep. While this theory suggests that dreams are the result of internally generated signals, Hobson does not believe that dreams are meaningless. Instead, he suggests that dreaming is †¦our most creative conscious state, one in which the chaotic, spontaneous recombination of cognitive elements produces novel configurations of information: new ideas. While many or even most of these ideas may be nonsensical, if even a few of its fanciful products are truly useful, our dream time will not have been wasted. Information-Processing Theories One of the major theories to explain why we sleep is that sleep allows us to consolidate and process all of the information that we have collected during the previous day. Some dream experts suggest that dreaming is simply a by-product or even an active part of this information-processing. As we deal with the multitude of information and memories from the daytime, our sleeping minds create images, impressions, and narratives to manage all of the activity going on inside our heads as we slumber. Other Theories of Dreams: Many other theories have been suggested to account for the occurrence and meaning of dreams. The following are just of few of the proposed ideas: * One theory suggests that dreams areShow MoreRelatedWhy We Dream632 Words   |  3 PagesThere are many reasons of why we dream and what those dreams mean when we have them such as things what we have learned in the past or just things that we don’t need anymore. Before all the theories and everything else what is a dream? A dream can be images black and white or color of something that has happened in the past or something that you’re wishing for that may just give you insight of how to fulfill that wish that you have. One theory that applies to some the dreams that people have is justRead MoreWhy We Dream908 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many interpretations on the meaning of why we dream. The reasons behind them, if they foreshadow the future, teach valuable life lessons, or if they mean anything at all. Jung’s t heory of dreams describes a theory of life lessons (Jungian Dream Interpretation 2013). Dreams expose things you do not know about yourself, connections with others, and problems in your everyday life (Jungian Dream Interpretation 2013). They help see the potential within, and give insight on how to solve problemsRead MoreWhy Do We Dream?1356 Words   |  5 PagesWhy do we dream the things we dream? What dictates the content of the movies for one that we watch when we fall asleep? This is a question that nearly everyone has pondered at some point in their lives and humans have been studying in an attempt to answer for thousands of years. Humans spend approximately one third of their lives asleep, and the idea that such a great portion of our time is spent in a state that we do not fully understand is bothersome to many. As humans, it is a natural desire toRead MoreWhy Do We Dream?2205 Words   |  9 PagesWhy Do We Dream? By William Allan | Submitted On February 06, 2011 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest Expert Author William Allan The question as it was posed; Your write up is like a journey in itselfRead MoreWhy Do We Dream?2460 Words   |  10 PagesWhy do we dream? What do our dreams mean? Dreams are a sequence of images, ideas, and feelings that involuntarily occur most commonly during the REM stage of sleep. They come in a wide variety of types, from the peculiar to the downright terrifying; the dreamer has no control over what they experience in their dreams. Though neurologists have been studying the human brain for decades, we still don’t fully know why we dream or what their significance is. Some psychologists theorize that dreams areRead MoreWhy Do We Dream?2019 Words   |  9 Pagesis known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep; REM sleep at one stage was thought to be the primary dream period. However recent research and empirical evidence has shown that REM sleep does not have a direct relationship with dreaming, it is however purely and simply the stage of sleep which allows better recall of dreams. This is supported by Nielson (2000) who presented empirical evidence that dream recall during REM sleep in adults was as high as 60-90% after waking, whereas when individuals passedRead MoreWhy Do We Have Dreams?790 Words   |  3 PagesThe reason behind dreaming has still not been scientifically proven, but there are many theories and religious beliefs as to why people dream at night. Theorists, such as Sigmund Frued, devoted their time to peoples dreams and observing them while they dream and sleep. These scientists have discovered that people are most likely to dream during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep than any other stage because the mind is more aware then. There are theories that say that dreaming can predictRead MoreWhy Do We Dream? Essays631 Words   |  3 PagesWhy do we Dream? It has been said by researchers that everyone dreams during sleep and it is thought to be a universal psychical feature of our human lives. However, many of us are unable to recall vividly what happens throughout our dreams, if anything at all. Due to this clouded unique nature that is dreaming, most of the knowledge why we dream is largely inconclusive. Nonetheless, after many years of theoretical debate on the subject, three arguments have remained prominent of which I willRead MoreEssay on Sleeps and Dreams: Why Do We Sleep and Dream?741 Words   |  3 Pagesabout the Sleeps and dreams topic. It will be segmented into different parts, but I will first describe the basics of the sleeping and dreaming, why it happens and how. After that I will describe the different types of sleep which are REM (Rapid eye movement) and NON-REM. Other topics that will be discussed are the biological clock, consciousness and alerted, how much sleep does the body need, treatments and problems such as insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy. Firstly, why do we need sleep? Our body’sRead MoreThe Purpose of Dreams1235 Words   |  5 Pages Dreams are a very ponderous things. Simply saying, dreams are a stream of images, sounds, and the actions of something; like a movie. But never have dreams been able to be explained. The Greeks and Romans claimed that dreams were signs from their gods and had prophetic magic (www.scientificamerican.com). Even though the purpose of dreams has not been discovered, a huge movement in the study of dreams occurred at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1952, scientists in Chicago discovered