Dreams and the subconcious

[Carnap]

So, this might not be the best question, but I have been wondering about dreams.

Why should we take them seriously? What is the subconcious? Is it strictly related to instinct?

People seem to analyse their dreams as if they were some sort of transcendental view into how things are happening in their lives.

What makes us think the subconcious is any more objective than our conciousness?

 

[Deleted member 1424]

The subconscious seems to be far less objective, to me. You can't think rationally in a dream (unless you can lucid dream) and emotions experienced are often exceptionally intense. The subconscious seems to reflect the consciousness; but bared of any inhibitions and reasoning. I can appreciate the creativity of my subconscious; but it is far to whimsical to have any definite meaning. Although their does seem to be a correlation between moods and dreams. The more stressed and unwell one feels the worse their dreams are(only in general).

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

I've never bothered with analyzing dreams. They range from the ridiculous to the mundane (I sometimes dream I'm doing ordinary tasks like cooking or mowing the lawn). I don't know what the subconcious is exactly as mine is an eclectic mix at best or a catacomb of the erratic at worst. Trying to analyze it is pure folly. Sure, I could attach symbolistic meaning to what I see in my subconcious states but it is all guesswork.

 

[Carnap]

Why does the subconcious have such a dramatic role in history?

i.e. the subconcious showed us for the first time that man is not master of himself.

Is this, too, giving too much importance to the subconcious?

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Could you give an example of what you mean?

 

[preilemus]

i like to analyze my dreams, mainly because they're almost never mundane, and they give me a sense of the grandeur and fantasy i find lacking in my own daily life. even if i dont make a point of analyzing them, i will still think about them through the day, and if theyre poignant enough, week, month, or forever. collectively, i think my dreams would make one damn good work of fiction.

i dont necessarily think they all have to do with my life, but they affect my life none-the-less in how i think and feel

 

[Insanity]

I also love to analyze my dreams. My friends and family say I have the craziest most vivid dreams they know of. I even write them down and keep them in a journal as saved short stories. I don't really know what they mean, but I think it's fascinating to try and figure it out anyway.

 

[Ogion]

I think the dreams just mostly show what is bothering/preoccupying you, what comes often in your thoughts and such. Not all dreams are that way, but many are.
But, with mine at least, they often are just 'cineastic', like a movie, film, or book. Little stories, sometimes completely crazy and insane, sometimes just like another story you could watch in an arbitrary film on tv.
I think the most important function of dreams is just to process all that you learn at day and prepare it for memory, making connections between the new stuff and the already processed etc. And since i (that's perhaps just me) trust my subconscious very much, i am quite content with my active dreaming, without having to analyze it.

Ogion