Alfred Adler – Dream theorists

Alfred Adler (1870 -1937) believes that dreams are an important tool to mastering control over your waking lives. They are problem-solving devices.  Dreams need to be brought to the conscious and interpreted so that better understanding can be shed on your problems. It is important to learn from your dreams and incorporate them into your waking life. Adler believes that there is a correlation between your dreams and the problems in your daily life. The more dreams you have, the more problems you are likely to have. Conversely, the less dreams you have, the less problems you have and the more psychologically healthy you are.

While Freud believes that sexual impulses are the driving forces behind behavior, Adler believes that it is control, power and motivation that drives your behavior. Furthermore, Adler does not think that an individual’s actions and behavior are ruled by the unconscious. He believes that the strive for perfection and need for control are what causes you to do the things you do. In fact, Adler does not believe that the conscious and unconscious function against each other. Instead, they act the same way whether you are awake or sleeping.

Adler’s views on dreams are that they are an open pathway toward your true thoughts, emotions and actions. In your dreams, you clearly see your aggressive impulses and desires. Dreams are also a way of overcompensating for the shortcomings in your waking life. For example, if you are unable to stand up to your boss in your waking life, then you may find it easier to lash out at the boss within the comfort and safety of your dream. Dreams offer some sort of satisfaction that is more socially acceptable.

• Alfred Adler
• Sigmund Freud
• Calvin Hall
• Carl Jung
• Frederick Perls