Kiama
Right, I've found a way to be able to surf Aeclectic AND revise at the same time... So, you guys are gonna have to bear with me here, and listen whilst I explain all about the Theories of Dreaming and their implications.. Something I need to know about for my Psychology exam. I find I learn things best if I explain it to others, and why not explain it to a worldwide audience??!!! 
Here goes...
There are many theories of dreaming... They an be spearated into two groups: Neurobiological theories, which focus on functions of the brain and neurones which cause dreams, and Psychological theories, which focus on the dreams themselves. The Neurobiologial theories have a significant difference to the Psychologhical ones in that the Neurobiological ones always see dreams as a by-product of the brain and body functions during sleep, whilst the Psychological theories all see dreams as actual useful functions in themselves...
In 1977, Hobson and McCarley purported a Neurobiological theory known as the Activation Synthesis theory. It is based on the fact that, during REM sleep (Where 80% of our dreams are dreamed), we go through what is called Sleep Paralysis, a process caused by an output blockade at the top of the spinal column, which paralyses us. During REM, the sleeper always experieces neorobiological signals from the barin, which resemble those that come from the eyes and ears... But, because we are in Sleep Paalysis, these signals such as those of seeing, hearing, running, flying, etc, cannot be acted out. This is confusing for the body and brain, so the sleeper processes the signals mentally instead: Causing the dream. Research to support this theory came from Hobson, 1988, when he discovered that there definitely is random firing of neurones in our brains during REM sleep (The signals of running, flying, etc). In 1994, the same researcher produced more research to back up this theory, when he found evidene that internally generated signals (Those of flying, running, etc) can be mistaken for external ones. He noted that levels or noradrenaline and serotonin are lower during REM sleep than during NREM sleep or waking life: These low levels of noradrenaline and serotonin prevent the sleeper from distinguishing between external and internal sigals, thus causing the brain to feel confused when these signals cannot be acted out, and thus causing it to dream...
This theory certainly explains why tastes and smells hardly ever appear in our dreams (Research showed that the signals we recieve are those resembling those we receieve from the ears and eyes, not from the other senses...). It also explains the often incoherent nature of most dreams. However, it doesn't explain those dreams which are of a coherent nature, and have meaning. It doesn't explain why many people have dreams that are relevant to their concerns/previous day, and doesn't explain why some dreams repeat themselves night after night...
The second Neurobiological theory of dreaming was put forward by Crick and Mitchison in 1983, and is known as the Reverse Learning Theory. This theory states that the main function of dreaming is to get rid of useless information stored in the brain, because this info takes up valuable space in the cortex. Dreaming is a by-product of the un-learning process, by which the cortex is bombarded by a barrage of impulses from the brainstem while a mode of synoptic modification ensures that the unwanted elements of each circuit in the brain are unlearned... (Pretty heavy stuff, eh? And I've gotta repeat all this in a 2hr exam on Thursday!) Research support for this comes from Crick and Mitchison, 1983: They claimed that the size of the cortexes in different species provides support for their theory: The only two mammals which do not have REM sleep are dolphins and spiny-anteaters (Useless fact for you there!). These species also have unusually large cortexes, and therefore do not need to jettison unwanted activity through dreaming... (REM is a sign of dreaming) However, this is the only support for this theory... The theory has only one strength: It explains why we only remember about 5% of our dreams. (If dreaming is a by-product of unlearning, then it isn't meaningful and doesn't need to be remembered.) It also could explain why we often dream about things that are concering us or have happened to us the previous day... BUT it as has plenty of limitations: It doesn't explain why our dreams are often significant, and doesn't explain why a foetus, which has no meaningless info to get rid of, still engages in REM sleep. It also doesn't fit with new reseach which shows that our brains have a vast potential for info storage, and thus we don't need to save space, which is what this theory suggests.
Right, that's the two most boring and heavy theories over with... I hope I can remember all that when the exam comes! *Biting finger nails* Now onto the nicer Psychological theories...
The first one is obviously Freud's Wish Fulfillment theory. This theory, first purported by our dear ole Siggy in 190o, claims that all dreams are wish fulfilment, mainly of repressed/forbidden desires. Dreams are symbolic, but the symbols are personal, not universal, and dreams require analysis in order to understand them, and thus, your psyche and own self, and dreams are relevant to current concerns... So, if a woman who is married fancied another bloke, she may dream about making love to that bloke, as a dream is a safe way of getting rid of desires and forbidden lusts... Freud said that there were two parts of a dream:
There is little research evidence in suport of this, but one study seems to: Hajek and Belcher (Unfortunate name!) studied the dreams of smokers who were on a Quit Smoking regime. They found that most of the quitters had dreams about smoking during the course of the quitting regime, and for at least a year afterwards... They also found that those who dreamed about smoking found it easier to cope with quitting, and those who had the dreams about smoking were less likley to re-start smoking than those who didn't... These quitters were having a desire which they were forbidden in real life through a dream, and apparantly, this made it all alot easier for them in the lng run!
This thery as quite a few strengths: It explains why many dreams contain actions not 'allowed' to the dreamer IRL, and it explains all those weird symols that appear in our dreams, aswell as repetitive dreams. BUT it has serious limitations... For starters, it is improbable that there is as much represion of unacceptable desires in today's society, compared to when this theory was formulated in 1900. Secondly, if this theory is true, then why don't the things we 'repress' and dream about change with the times? For Freud's era, the repressed dreamed about desires were sex, but in today's society, can it really be said to be this aswell? Wouldn't it be something like food and eating? This theory also desn't explain nightmares (How on Earth can these be fulfilling??!!! and and the fact that the 'latent content' of a dream is dubiously identified could point to a possibliliy that it may not actually exist! So long Freud, you're nothng but a Fraud... No disresepct for Freud fans out there!
Cont...
Here goes...
There are many theories of dreaming... They an be spearated into two groups: Neurobiological theories, which focus on functions of the brain and neurones which cause dreams, and Psychological theories, which focus on the dreams themselves. The Neurobiologial theories have a significant difference to the Psychologhical ones in that the Neurobiological ones always see dreams as a by-product of the brain and body functions during sleep, whilst the Psychological theories all see dreams as actual useful functions in themselves...
In 1977, Hobson and McCarley purported a Neurobiological theory known as the Activation Synthesis theory. It is based on the fact that, during REM sleep (Where 80% of our dreams are dreamed), we go through what is called Sleep Paralysis, a process caused by an output blockade at the top of the spinal column, which paralyses us. During REM, the sleeper always experieces neorobiological signals from the barin, which resemble those that come from the eyes and ears... But, because we are in Sleep Paalysis, these signals such as those of seeing, hearing, running, flying, etc, cannot be acted out. This is confusing for the body and brain, so the sleeper processes the signals mentally instead: Causing the dream. Research to support this theory came from Hobson, 1988, when he discovered that there definitely is random firing of neurones in our brains during REM sleep (The signals of running, flying, etc). In 1994, the same researcher produced more research to back up this theory, when he found evidene that internally generated signals (Those of flying, running, etc) can be mistaken for external ones. He noted that levels or noradrenaline and serotonin are lower during REM sleep than during NREM sleep or waking life: These low levels of noradrenaline and serotonin prevent the sleeper from distinguishing between external and internal sigals, thus causing the brain to feel confused when these signals cannot be acted out, and thus causing it to dream...
This theory certainly explains why tastes and smells hardly ever appear in our dreams (Research showed that the signals we recieve are those resembling those we receieve from the ears and eyes, not from the other senses...). It also explains the often incoherent nature of most dreams. However, it doesn't explain those dreams which are of a coherent nature, and have meaning. It doesn't explain why many people have dreams that are relevant to their concerns/previous day, and doesn't explain why some dreams repeat themselves night after night...
The second Neurobiological theory of dreaming was put forward by Crick and Mitchison in 1983, and is known as the Reverse Learning Theory. This theory states that the main function of dreaming is to get rid of useless information stored in the brain, because this info takes up valuable space in the cortex. Dreaming is a by-product of the un-learning process, by which the cortex is bombarded by a barrage of impulses from the brainstem while a mode of synoptic modification ensures that the unwanted elements of each circuit in the brain are unlearned... (Pretty heavy stuff, eh?
And I've gotta repeat all this in a 2hr exam on Thursday!) Research support for this comes from Crick and Mitchison, 1983: They claimed that the size of the cortexes in different species provides support for their theory: The only two mammals which do not have REM sleep are dolphins and spiny-anteaters (Useless fact for you there!). These species also have unusually large cortexes, and therefore do not need to jettison unwanted activity through dreaming... (REM is a sign of dreaming) However, this is the only support for this theory... The theory has only one strength: It explains why we only remember about 5% of our dreams. (If dreaming is a by-product of unlearning, then it isn't meaningful and doesn't need to be remembered.) It also could explain why we often dream about things that are concering us or have happened to us the previous day... BUT it as has plenty of limitations: It doesn't explain why our dreams are often significant, and doesn't explain why a foetus, which has no meaningless info to get rid of, still engages in REM sleep. It also doesn't fit with new reseach which shows that our brains have a vast potential for info storage, and thus we don't need to save space, which is what this theory suggests.Right, that's the two most boring and heavy theories over with... I hope I can remember all that when the exam comes! *Biting finger nails* Now onto the nicer Psychological theories...
The first one is obviously Freud's Wish Fulfillment theory. This theory, first purported by our dear ole Siggy in 190o, claims that all dreams are wish fulfilment, mainly of repressed/forbidden desires. Dreams are symbolic, but the symbols are personal, not universal, and dreams require analysis in order to understand them, and thus, your psyche and own self, and dreams are relevant to current concerns... So, if a woman who is married fancied another bloke, she may dream about making love to that bloke, as a dream is a safe way of getting rid of desires and forbidden lusts... Freud said that there were two parts of a dream:
*Manifest content: What is actually dreamed
*Latent content: What the true meaning of the dream is.
There is little research evidence in suport of this, but one study seems to: Hajek and Belcher (Unfortunate name!) studied the dreams of smokers who were on a Quit Smoking regime. They found that most of the quitters had dreams about smoking during the course of the quitting regime, and for at least a year afterwards... They also found that those who dreamed about smoking found it easier to cope with quitting, and those who had the dreams about smoking were less likley to re-start smoking than those who didn't... These quitters were having a desire which they were forbidden in real life through a dream, and apparantly, this made it all alot easier for them in the lng run!
This thery as quite a few strengths: It explains why many dreams contain actions not 'allowed' to the dreamer IRL, and it explains all those weird symols that appear in our dreams, aswell as repetitive dreams. BUT it has serious limitations... For starters, it is improbable that there is as much represion of unacceptable desires in today's society, compared to when this theory was formulated in 1900. Secondly, if this theory is true, then why don't the things we 'repress' and dream about change with the times? For Freud's era, the repressed dreamed about desires were sex, but in today's society, can it really be said to be this aswell? Wouldn't it be something like food and eating? This theory also desn't explain nightmares (How on Earth can these be fulfilling??!!! and and the fact that the 'latent content' of a dream is dubiously identified could point to a possibliliy that it may not actually exist! So long Freud, you're nothng but a Fraud...
No disresepct for Freud fans out there! Cont...
