Identify the three primary theories of dreaming noted in your textbook. Describe the evolution of each theory from the time it was proposed to current research that supports the theory.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The three theories of dreaming are:
1. Psychological value of dreams: This is one of the earliest theories of dreams. Sigmund Freud supported this idea with his psychoanalytic theory. Freud proposed that your description of a dream is the manifest content (e.g., the surface or obvious content). The hidden meaning, or latent content, of the dream was the more important part. Freud felt the latent content of dreams symbolized our hidden conflicts and desires. There is no scientific evidence to support Freud's theory about the psychological value of dreams, and contemporary psychologists do not subscribe to Freud's views. Current theories propose that dreams may help clarify where you stand on a problem, be important to your sense of self, help you organize your thoughts, regulate your emotional experiences, and help you solve difficult problems. Additionally, it is proposed that dreams allow people the chance to practice working through threatening situations.
2. Cognitive value of dreams: This suggests that dreams serve an important function in strengthening the cognitive processes associated with learning and memory. During dreams, memories are activated and recombined, which helps to strengthen newly formed memories. Researchers suggest that neural memory networks are established through dreaming. They also suggest that dreams may serve a developmental function for infants, as they have many new experiences to consolidate, which may be why babies need more sleep. Researchers have found that cortisol levels are enhanced during REM sleep, and cortisol is involved in memory consolidation, which supports the role of sleep and dreaming in memory and learning.
3. Random activation: This involves dreaming as a normal byproduct of the brain's activity during the night. It is the activation synthesis hypothesis-the brainstem sends electrical impulses to the brain, activating random thoughts and memories. Current research suggests that the experience of dreaming is the result of certain activation patterns in the brain combined with chemicals involved in sleep. During dreaming, the limbic system becomes more active and the frontal cortex becomes less active, which could explain the bizarre thoughts and hallucinations that occur during dreaming.