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DREAM PSYCHOLOGY
 _PSYCHOANALYSISFORBEGINNERS_ BYPROF.DR.SIGMUNDFREUD
forFreeEBooks,visit:http://esnips.com/web/ebooks4u
AUTHORIZEDENGLISHTRANSLATIONBYM.D.EDERWITHANINTRODUCTIONBYANDRETRIDONAuthorof"Psychoanalysis,itsHistory,TheoryandPractice.""PsychoanalysisandBehavior"and"Psychoanalysis,SleepandDreams"NEWYORKTHEJAMESA.McCANNCOMPANY1920THEJAMESA.McCANNCOMPANYPRINTEDINTHEU.S.A.INTRODUCTIONThemedicalprofessionisjustlyconservative.Humanlifeshouldnotbeconsideredasthepropermaterialforwildexperiments.Conservatism,however,istoooftenawelcomeexcuseforlazyminds,loathtoadaptthemselvestofastchangingconditions.RememberthescornfulreceptionwhichfirstwasaccordedtoFreud'sdiscoveriesinthedomainoftheunconscious.Whenafteryearsofpatientobservations,hefinallydecidedtoappear beforemedicalbodiestotellthemmodestlyofsomefactswhichalwaysrecurredinhisdreamandhispatients'dreams,hewasfirstlaughedatandthenavoidedasacrank.
 
Thewords"dreaminterpretation"wereandstillareindeedfraughtwithunpleasant,unscientificassociations.Theyremindoneofallsortsof childish,superstitiousnotions,whichmakeupthethreadandwoofof dreambooks,readbynonebuttheignorantandtheprimitive.Thewealthofdetail,theinfinitecarenevertoletanythingpassunexplained,withwhichhepresentedtothepublictheresultofhisinvestigations,areimpressingmoreandmoreserious-mindedscientists,buttheexaminationofhisevidentialdatademandsarduousworkandpresupposesanabsolutelyopenmind.Thisiswhywestillencountermen,totallyunfamiliarwithFreud'swritings,menwhowerenoteveninterestedenoughinthesubjecttoattemptaninterpretationoftheirdreamsortheirpatients'dreams,deridingFreud'stheoriesandcombattingthemwiththehelpof statementswhichhenevermade.Someofthem,likeProfessorBorisSidis,reachattimesconclusionswhicharestrangelysimilartoFreud's,butintheirignoranceof psychoanalyticliterature,theyfailtocreditFreudforobservationsantedatingtheirs.Besidesthosewhosneeratdreamstudy,becausetheyhaveneverlookedintothesubject,therearethosewhodonotdaretofacethefactsrevealedbydreamstudy.Dreamstellusmanyanunpleasantbiologicaltruthaboutourselvesandonlyveryfreemindscanthriveonsuchadiet.Self-deceptionisaplantwhichwithersfastinthepellucidatmosphereofdreaminvestigation.Theweaklingandtheneuroticattachedtohisneurosisarenotanxioustoturnsuchapowerfulsearchlightuponthedarkcornersoftheir psychology.Freud'stheoriesareanythingbuttheoretical.Hewasmovedbythefactthattherealwaysseemedtobeacloseconnectionbetweenhispatients'dreamsandtheirmentalabnormalities,tocollectthousandsofdreamsandtocomparethemwiththecasehistoriesinhispossession.Hedidnotstartoutwithapreconceivedbias,hopingtofindevidencewhichmightsupporthisviews.Helookedatfactsathousandtimes"untiltheybegantotellhimsomething."Hisattitudetowarddreamstudywas,inotherwords,thatofastatisticianwhodoesnotknow,andhasnomeansofforeseeing,whatconclusionswillbeforcedonhimbytheinformationheisgathering,butwhoisfullypreparedtoacceptthoseunavoidableconclusions.
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Thiswasindeedanovelwayinpsychology.Psychologistshadalwaysbeenwonttobuild,inwhatBleulercalls"autisticways,"thatisthroughmethodsinnowisesupportedbyevidence,someattractivehypothesis,whichsprungfromtheirbrain,likeMinervafromJove'sbrain,fullyarmed.Afterwhich,theywouldstretchuponthatunyieldingframethehideofarealitywhichtheyhadpreviouslykilled.Itisonlytomindssufferingfromthesamedistortions,tomindsalsoautisticallyinclined,thatthoseempty,artificialstructuresappear acceptablemoldsforphilosophicthinking.Thepragmaticviewthat"truthiswhatworks"hadnotbeenasyetexpressedwhenFreudpublishedhisrevolutionaryviewsonthepsychologyofdreams.Fivefactsoffirstmagnitudeweremadeobvioustotheworldbyhisinterpretationofdreams.Firstofall,Freudpointedoutaconstantconnectionbetweensomepartofeverydreamandsomedetailofthedreamer'slifeduringthepreviouswakingstate.Thispositivelyestablishesarelationbetweensleepingstatesandwakingstatesanddisposesofthewidelyprevalentviewthatdreamsarepurelynonsensicalphenomenacomingfromnowhereandleadingnowhere.Secondly,Freud,afterstudyingthedreamer'slifeandmodesofthought,afternotingdownallhismannerismsandtheapparentlyinsignificantdetailsofhisconductwhichrevealhissecretthoughts,cametotheconclusionthattherewasineverydreamtheattemptedorsuccessfulgratificationofsomewish,consciousorunconscious.Thirdly,heprovedthatmanyofourdreamvisionsaresymbolical,whichcausesustoconsiderthemasabsurdandunintelligible;theuniversalityofthosesymbols,however,makesthemverytransparenttothetrainedobserver.Fourthly,Freudshowedthatsexualdesiresplayanenormouspartinour unconscious,apartwhichpuritanicalhypocrisyhasalwaystriedtominimize,ifnottoignoreentirely.Finally,Freudestablishedadirectconnectionbetweendreamsandinsanity,betweenthesymbolicvisionsofoursleepandthesymbolicactionsofthementallyderanged.Therewere,ofcourse,manyotherobservationswhichFreudmadewhiledissectingthedreamsofhispatients,butnotallofthempresentasmuchinterestastheforegoingnorweretheyasrevolutionaryorlikely
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