Ask Mark 5.12 - The function of dreams
Channel: UCT CILT
Date: 2016-05-20

Ask Mark 5.12 - The function of dreams

Professor Mark Solms from the University of Cape Town (UCT) a question (see below) posed to him on UCT's free online course, "What is a Mind?", hosted by FutureLearn. For more information on visit http://bit.ly/1JB2Dxf .

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Question: I would like to hear you speak about the function of dreams. 
Some people recall them, others don't. Some think they're critical to healthy mental functioning, others don't. I personally pay a great deal of attention to dreams and find them vastly informative, but I am in the minority amongst my friends and acquaintances. In fact, I suspect many people are disturbed by their dream imagery. Having listened to you discuss confabulation this week, I think the way people distort their memory of dreams could be the most common example of confabulation I can produce. 
What do you think is the role of dreams in our lives?