DREAMS Virtually everyone dreams Functions of dreams Processing emotional memories Learning new strategies Reorganizing and consolidating memories Increase ability to cope with threats Four major theories of dreams Freud s dream protection theory o o o o o Dreams transform our sexual and aggressive instincts into symbols that represent wish fulfillment Ego at rest Requires interpretation Manifest vs latent content Rejected by most scientists Most dreams about negative content Very few sexual content 10 Straightforward dream content Wish fulfillment negative content o Activation synthesis theory o Forebrain Theory Dreams brain attempt to make sense of random neural signals during REM Originate in the pons and moves to the forebrain Alternate to AST emphasize role of forebrain in dreaming Damage to forebrain can eliminate dreams completely even if pons are intact Dreams are consistent over time not random as AST predicts o Neurocognitive Theory Dreams are a meaningful product of our cognitive capacities which shape what we dream about Dreams of adults are more complex and frequent than those of children
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