168 ChapTER 5 Body Rhythms and Mental States
In sum, wishes do not cause dreams; brain
mechanisms do. Dream content, says Hobson
(2002), may be “as much dross as gold, as much
cognitive trash as treasure, and as much informa-
tional noise as a signal of something.” But that
does not mean dreams are always meaningless.
Hobson (1988) has argued that the brain “is so
inexorably bent upon the quest for meaning that it
attributes and even creates meaning when there is
little or none to be found in the data it is asked to
process.” By studying these attributed meanings,
you can learn about your unique perceptions, con-
flicts, and concerns—not by trying to dig below
the surface of the dream, as Freud would, but
by examining the surface itself. Or you can relax
and enjoy the nightly entertainment that dreams
provide.Evaluating Dream Theories LO 5.8
How are we to evaluate these attempts to explain
dreaming? All three modern approaches account for
some of the evidence,
but each one also has
its drawbacks.
Are dreams a way
to solve problems? It
seems pretty clear
that some dreams
are related to current worries and concerns, but
some experts doubt that people can actually solve
problems or resolve conflicts while sound asleep
(Blagrove, 1996; Squier & Domhoff, 1998). Dreams,
they say, merely give expression to our problems.
The insights into those problems that people attri-
bute to dreaming could be occurring after they
wake up and have a chance to think about what is
troubling them.
The activation–synthesis theory has also
come in for criticism (Domhoff, 2003). Not all
dreams are as disjointed or as bizarre as the
theory predicts; in fact, many tell a coherent, if
fanciful, story. Moreover, the activation–synthesisordinary wakefulness. The idea that one part of the
brain interprets what has gone on in other parts,
whether you are awake or asleep, is consistent with
modern theories of how the brain works.When neurons fire in the part of the brain that
handles balance, for instance, the cortex may gener-
ate a dream about falling. When signals occur that
would ordinarily produce running, the cortex may
manufacture a dream about being chased. Because
the signals from the pons occur randomly, the cor-
tex’s interpretation—the dream—is likely to be
incoherent and confusing. And because the cortical
neurons that control the initial storage of new mem-
ories are turned off during sleep, we typically forget
our dreams on waking unless we write them down
or immediately recount them to someone else.
Since Hobson’s original formulation, he and
his colleagues have added further details and
modifications (Hobson, Pace-Schott, & Stickgold,
2000; Hobson et al., 2011). The brain stem, they
say, sets off responses in emotional and visual
parts of the brain. At the same time, brain regions
that handle logical thought and sensations from
the external world shut down. These changes
could account for the fact that dreams are often
emotionally charged, hallucinatory, and illogical.Get Involved! Keep a Dream Diary
It can be fun to record your dreams. Keep a notebook, smartphone, or tablet by your bedside (but if you
use a phone or tablet, put it in sleep mode and turn off the sound so you’re not awakened by beeps or
calls). As soon as you wake up in the morning, or if you awaken during the night while dreaming, record
everything you can remember about your dreams, even short fragments. After you have collected sev-
eral dreams, see which theory or theories discussed in this chapter seem to best explain them. Do your
dreams contain any recurring themes? Do you think they provide any clues to your current problems,
activities, or concerns? (By the way, if you are curious about other people’s dreams, you can find lots of
them online at http://www.dreambank.net.)Evaluating Dream Theories
Thinking
CriTiCally