Freud’s dream theory is linked inextricably to his theory of personality development, i.e., the breakdown of the human psyche into the Ego, Superego and Id. Dreaming to Freud was another mode or form of thinking that was unique to the dream state. He argued that all dreams had meaning. The meaning of dreams is only given context by our awake state. Freud believed dreams represented the deepest desires of the dreamer, desires for money, love, acceptance or any other strong yearning of the individual. Freud believed dreams unfold when the individual experiences “ego collapse.” To understand this phenomena more completely, one must understand the relationship between the Ego, Superego and Id. The id is the portion of the personality that is based solely on irrational, instinctual drives. The id exists only to supply conscious expression to our need for instinct fulfillment. It is based only on the pleasure principle. If something brings pleasure the id wants to achieve it, and if something causes pain the id wishes to avoid it. Since the id is irrational in its desires, the ego exists as the conscious mechanism which monitors the id to prevent its irrational desires from bringing harm to the self. The super-ego puts pressure upon the ego much as the id does, but in a different manner. The super-ego is the idealized unconscious self that places harsh demands upon the ego that often are irrational in the external reality like many of the demands of the id. The ego’s job is to consciously monitor these aspects of the psyche and make decisions that are rational based on internal and external reality. The ego collapse that occurs during the sleeping state happens when, “the demands of the Id (imperative bodily needs) and Superego (conscience ego ideals) converge upon the Ego (personal desires and mediator between the Id and the Superego)” (Dream, 1999: 1).
With dreams, Freud believe they are communicated to us no...