文档介绍：第八篇                                               What Is a Dream?
For centuries, people have wondered about thestrange things that they dream about. Some psychologists say that thisnighttime activity of the mind has no special meaning. Others,however, think that dreams are an importantpart of our lives. In fact, many experts believe that dreams can tell us abouta person’s mind and emotions.
Before modern times, many people thought thatdreams contained messages from God. It was only in the twentieth century thatpeople started to study dreams in a scientific way.
The Austrian psychologist, Sigmund Freud1,was probably the first person tostudy dreams scientifically. In his famous book, The interpretation of Dreams (1900), Freud wrote that dreams are anexpression of a person’s wishes. He believed that dreams allow people toexpress the feelings, thoughts, and fears that they are afraid to express inreal life.
The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung2 wasonce a student of Freud’s. Jung,however,had a different idea about dreams. Jung believed that the purpose ofa dream was municate a message to the dreamer. He thought people couldlearn more about themselves by thinking about their dreams. For example, peoplewho dream about falling may learn that they have too high an opinion ofthemselves. On the other hand, people who dream about being heroes may learnthat they think too little of themselves.
Modern-day psychologists continue to developtheories about dreams. For example, psychologist William Domhoff from theUniversity of California, Santa Cruz,believes that dreams are tightly linked to a person’s daily life,thoughts, and behavior. A criminal, for example, might dream about crime.
Domhoff believes that there is a connectionbetween dreams and age. His research shows that children do not dream as muchas adults. According to Domhoff, dreaming is a mental skill that needs time todevelop.
He has also found a link between dreams andgender. His studies show that the dreams of men a