Theories of Dreaming and its Function
- Next, Freud discusses theories on the "function" of dreaming. He asks: "what are dreams for?"
- Here, Freud arranges previous theories of dreaming into three main groups: those arguing that dreams continue the same mental activity that occurs when we're awake; those arguing that dreams represent a "lowering" of the mental activity that occurs when we're awake; and those arguing that the dreaming mind has "a capacity and inclination for carrying out special psychical activities of which it is largely or totally incapable in waking life" (1.8.21).