Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-26
Consinsed from preceding page

type Of mental activity. We think on the level Of
the very young child, who believes that his stick
is gum that there's real tiger in the back yard,
that mothers kiss really cures his pinched finger.
Dreams are formed from this type Of thinking.
For example, q child who cannot wait for the
circus TO come 20 town may dream that he IS
watching one Another child may dream that his
unwanied baby brother Is dead. Such uncompli-
Gated childhood dreams indicate one Of the chief
factors In every dream: the qualification Of wish.
An dreams, even though they ere friehtening
Nightmares, fulAn IN infantiIe wish left over
from childhood.
Children commonly resent new baby and wish
il were dead, but they also quickly learn that such
thoughts are frowned on, and repress them from
the conscious level Of thinking. OF course. the
thought IS not eliminated. and so may later turn
up in dream. Il may. however. be heavily dis
guised - first because every dream Is q kind Of
alleeoEy or charade which has 20 be translated
from the primitive. infantiIe language Of sleep.
But there Is another reason We have Difficulty IN
understanding our adult dreams: the wishes gFati-
fed In dreams are forbidden ones and the dreamer
disiorts them 50 they cannot Be easily Recognized
Il the dream Is remembered.
Expressing The Forbidden
A principal function Of dreaming IS TO protect
sleep. For example, someone on diet for medi-
cal reasons might be uncomfortable and dose 70
waking. A dream Of eorsine himself Al sump-
tuous banquet could soothe him for while. For
hidden impulses could be quite disturbing but the
dream provides q way 70 express them, and there
by temporarily reduces their intensity. Occasion
ally, Of course. the disturbing elements Of the
dream overwhelm all our defenscs and awaken Us.
Al
frightening experiences, although they often can
not recall them when awake. But how can this
crafty q wish? The answer b illustrated BY the
child who Is hurt and frightened BY q medical
injection Later, in his play he takes the role Of
the doctor and gives injections 70 his friends. He
thereby eets to feel that he Is more masteu, less
helpless, and gratifcs his wish to control the
world that might hurt him. The combat dream
helps the soldier to face his experience. but to
e-experience L in a safe place where he IS less
likely to be overwhelmed.
% Vour Dreams Repoat7
Psychoanalytic studies reveal that the infantile
wishes Of childhood never disappear as long IS
they are repressed. This explains the slightly
haunting phenomenon Of having certain dreams
over and over again. Also, everyone tends to
repCess the same kind Of infanfile impulses -
complete sel6shness. for example so our dreams
may have elements Of similarity. Because Of these
similarities some people believe that dreams. OF
parts Of dreams, have fixed meanings and dream
books" claim 70 enable anyone to interpret his
dreams. The fact IS, a black cat or an express
train may have different meaning for everyone.
and in dream can only be interpreted in the con-
text Of the dreamer's own experience.
Despite our almost universal fascination By
dream, We actually Do not wish 10 know ID
meaning. In our sleep the dream has served is