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Adaptive Theory Dream Meaning

Adaptive theory speculates that species-wide sleep patterns developed as a way of adapting to the environment. Grazing animals, for example, sleep relatively few hours a day in short bursts. According to adaptive theory, this is a response to the necessity of constant alertness for predators.

By way of contrast, animals with few natural enemies, such as opossums and gorillas, sleep up to fifteen hours per day. Adaptive theory hypothesizes that the sleep pattern of human beings developed after the species began living in caves, which offered protection from encounters with powerful nighttime predators. [1]

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Sources and Authors

  1. Dream Encyclopedia by Dreampedia [Back to dream]

Adaptive theory speculates that species-wide sleep patterns developed as a way of adapting to the environment. Grazing animals, for example, sleep relatively few hours a day in short bursts. According...

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J.A. Hadfield, in his book Dreams and Nightmares (Pelican 1954), puts forward what he calls a biological theory of dreams. He says the function of dreams is that, by reproducing...

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The activation-synthesis model of dreaming was proposed in 1977 by Robert McCarley and J. Allan Hobson of Harvard Medical School. Examining the purely physiological correlates of dreaming, Hobson and McCarley...

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Manual dexterity. According to conventional psychoanalytical theory, a phallic symbol.Folklore: Suggests that looking at your own fingers, in a dream, means you want to fight.

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To dream of walking in a pleasant valley denotes sickness (Raphael). An interpretation in conformity with the modern theory of physical stimuli, and attributing hills, valleys, mountains, etc., to sensations...

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To meet with an accident or injury to any part of the body augurs suffering in that part (Raphael). Obviously a dream attributable to physical stimuli, and in accord with...

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String theory is a scientific attempt to explain a spiritual anomaly. Anything that binds suggests a direct relationship with our inner self. This is traditionally seen as the silver cord...

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Psychological / emotional perspective: War is ultimately a way of dealing with distress and discomfort. In theory, the outcome should be the re-establishing of order, but this can often only...

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The body is a physical manifestation of an inner spirituality, so in theory should be almost perfect. Sometimes, rather than looking to heal the body, it is easier to heal...

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Material aspects: To be taking a holiday in a dream indicates a sense of relaxation and of taking a break from responsibilities. In theory we do not have to be...

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To dream of having any of these afflictions foretells good fortune and good health, preceded by a temporary sickness (Raphael) « Dreams probably caused by irritation of the parts of...

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The Profound Nature of Dreams: Freud and Jung's Perspectives ‘Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.’- Sigmund Freud Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1858-1939) opened the door...

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Material aspects: The idea of fighting for a common cause suggests developing qualities which we would not necessarily foster in isolation. As organizations that accept all types of people and...

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If your life is particularly difficult, you may have a dream in which you feel blissfully carefree and happy.If you are feeling lonely and unloved, you may have a dream...

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Clearing evil or decay, or taking in good, is symbolized as devouring it – that is, eating it greedily. Kali, the hindu mother goddess, as the keeper of the graveyard,...

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Alfred Adler (1870–1937) was an Austrian psychiatrist who developed a personality theory referred to as individual psychology. He was at one time closely associated with Sigmund Freud, but broke with...

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A dream of sickness, poverty, affront, fatigue. Invariably ominous according to older interpreters. Modern students, however, attribute to it a-totally different significance; holding it in some instances as a wish...

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In theory, perfect health of mind and body would be possible provided we understood the workings of the physical body – how the organs inter-relate. Spiritually, if through dreams we...

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[DREAM IMAGES: HALF MAN-HALF WOMAN; HERMAPHRODITE; TRANSVESTITE]The symbol of a person who has attained the perfect balance of male and female characteristics, an androgynous being represents the union of opposites,...

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Material aspects: Largely in dreams a newspaper will suggest knowledge that is in the public domain. It might be information that we require in order to make sense of the...

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It represents hearing and therefore, communication. The presence of one ear in a dream means that you must pay more attention to the instructions of your inner voice. This image...

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Gold is the most precious element on the planet.The theory goes that it arrived here from space in the early formation of the solar system. As a symbol, gold represents...

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1- There arc several aspects to dreaming about the future. We may be aware within the dream itself that the events will take place in the future of our dream,...

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Dreams are a fascinating and unique experience that occur during sleep. They are characterized by vivid and often surreal imagery, as well as a range of emotions and thoughts. Although...

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Jung, Hadfield and several other dream researchers believe the dream process is linked with homoeostasis or self regulation (see Man and His Sym­bols, Jung; Dreams and Nightmares, Hadfield; Mind and...

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Understanding Dream Interpretation: Jungian Theory and Symbolic Meaning The Way Station In this dream, I find myself in a rest area, like a way station, possibly along a highway or...

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Said to be the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper and which caught his blood at the Crucifixion, the Holy Grail is a symbol of spiritual perfection....

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Falling, and the accompanying sense of vertigo, is, along with flying, one of the most often reported dream topics. Falling dreams typically occur during the first stage of sleep. Dreams...

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The earth has ancient associations with the human body and personality.According to astrological theory, people born under the earth signs of Taurus, Capricorn and Virgo are thought to have predominantly...

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To dream that you are in the clutches of adversity, denotes that you will have failures and continued bad prospects.To see others in adversity, portends gloomy surroundings, and the illness...

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In his book Landscapes of the Night, Dr Evans puts forward a new theory of dreaming. He states that our brain has programs’ for dealing with survival. We have basic...

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There are two main approaches to dream interpretation: the Top-Down approach and the Free-Form approach. These methods are often in tension with each other, and how we prioritize one over...

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One of the things most of us fear is losing control of our faculties. Dreams in which you are blind or you see blind people may represent your refusal to...

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Family relationships have been studied and written about for centuries, from the brothers Cain and Abel, through Joseph the favored son, to evil stepmothers in fairy stories and Mrs Robinson...

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Certain key figures in human history have had such an impact on world history that your unconscious may have stored the information—perhaps from school or college days, or even from...

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Nightmares often depict issues that threaten your emotional safety and wellbeing and you may find yourself dreaming of the same event, person, situation or setting over and over and over...

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Throughout his life, Jung admitted his strong fascination with the theory of reincarnation but never declared himself for or against the idea. We simply don’t know whether he believed in...

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To dream of books can symbolize knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, the search for knowledge and the ability to learn from the opinions of other people.If you are surrounded by books in...

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Over the years many theories to ex­plain the ‘why’ of dreams have been put forward. These range from dreams being messages from spirits; being results of food eaten prior to...

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The Perspectives of Freud, Jung, Hall, and Domhoff on Dreams Our website, "Symbols, Signs, and Meanings," delves into the enigmatic messages that the unconscious mind conveys during slumber. It also...

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Your dreaming mind may from time to time inflict punishment on you for thoughts and actions of which your waking self disapproves. In most cases, the dream symbols will be...

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The following dreams tend to be common during times of change or transition. A dream of waking and getting up, when in fact you are still asleep, may signal reluctance...

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Giving and receiving gifts in dreams indicates a need to give and take within a relationship, perhaps to share with others what we have and to create an environment that...

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Fierce and fire-breathing, the dragon is a potent animal of dream-lore that is neither good nor evil, male nor female, light nor dark, but a symbol of the primal energy...

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Our Approach to Interpreting Dreams We start our dream interpretation process with some principles of Jungian theory that describe how the human psyche operates. We then consider the dream and...

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The Fascinating and Mysterious Phenomenon of Precognitive Dreams Precognitive dreams are a fascinating and mysterious phenomenon that has captivated people throughout history. These dreams are characterized by experiencing events or...

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Son of a pastor, his paternal grandfather and great grandfather were physicians. He took a degree in medicine at the University of Basle, then specialised in psychiatry. In early papers...

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Jung studied under the tutelage of Sigmund Freud. Their differing views on dreams and dream interpretations led to a permanent rift that led them to go their separate ways. Like...

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Universal Landscape: Productivity; emotionless activity.Dreaming Lens: Was there a robot in your dream? What was it capable of doing? How human-like was it? Was it effective at what it did?...

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While Dr. LaBerge studied lucid dreams as a means of personal transformation, other researchers have delved into the fundamental question of why people dream. Some argue that dreaming is a...

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The Oedipus complex is one of Freud’s best-known and most influential theories in the realm of dream interpretation. The term refers to a group of largely unconscious ideas and feelings...

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Many experiments have been done using hypnosis in connection with dreams. In the early pan of this century Carl Schroetter hypnotised Miss E, a pharmacist, in an attempt to test...

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Universal Landscape: The steps toward mastery.Dreaming Lens: Who was the teacher in your dream? Was this a real teacher from your life, or an unknown character? How did you feel...

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Understanding the Cultural, Psychological, and Spiritual Significance of Dreams and Visions The idea of a dream as a "vision" is a fascinating topic that warrants further exploration. One approach to...

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The brain is not a computer, but it has the power to compute.The word computare is Latin, and comes from putare, to think. Neither is a computer any­thing like a...

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A dream about your mother may be telling you something about your relationship with your mother. Mother-attachment may be so strong that the development of your own individuality has been...

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If a timepiece appeared in your dream, it is important to remember how you felt during and after the dream as it will suggest the way in which you allocate...

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Universal Landscape: Sudden awareness or enlightenment born of divergent, confronting ideas.Dreaming Lens: Where was the flash of lightning in your dream? Were you witnessing from a safe distance, or were...

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Dreams and their meanings might remain an ambiguous domain for many individuals. The notion that dreams carry significant, even profound meanings might be unfamiliar to some. However, the understanding of...

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Buddhism and dreams The principle aim of Buddhism is to achieve liberation from the things that bind consciousness to what Buddhists see as the illusory concepts of the self and...

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Recurrent dream themes often start at a young age, but can begin at any time, and persist for the rest of one’s life.The theme of missing an exam, to take...

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Carl Jung talked about recurring dreams he had in which he would discover parts of his house that he didn’t know existed.In these dreams he believed the house represented his...

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Dream interpretation remains a subject of intense debate among scholars and practitioners, with varying methodologies and philosophies shaping the discourse. This article explores contrasting approaches: the Formal—Closed (Top Down) and...

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Anthropology has contributed considerably to the cross-cultural understanding of dreams. The earliest anthropological research on dreams, which dates back to the end of the nineteenth century, considered the dream beliefs...

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Daydreams Studies show that we all have the tendency to daydream an average of 70-120 minutes a day. Day dreaming is classified as a level of consciousness between sleep and...

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Dreams, it seems, have fascinated the entire human race from earliest times. And until quite recently, most cultures have set great store by dreams. For example, in ancient Egypt the...

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"Now Allah has created the dream not only as a means of guidance and instruction, I refer to the dream, but he has made it a window on the World...

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When you dream that you are the Lara Croft and Indiana Jones of your own adventures, it can be action packed and thrilling; but when you dream that you are...

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Unraveling the Enigmatic Realm of Dreams: Exploring Dream Dictionaries and the Science Behind Dreams Dreams, those mysterious journeys of the mind during the night's embrace, have captivated human curiosity since...

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in dreams Although sex is symbolised in many dreams, where it appears directly it shows that the dreamer is able to accept their sexual urges and hurts more easily. What...

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Your dream world is an invisible but extremely powerful inner resouce, one that you can learn to access freely. You can learn to command and control your dreams, thereby enriching...

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Dreams, while rarely problem-solving or creative by themselves, can sometimes offer profound insights or solutions. This article explores the unique function of dreams as a process for creativity and problem-solving,...

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According to modem theory, the amount of information the human brain can hold is more than is held in all the books in the Library of the British Museum. Gradually...

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As a pan of the human survival ability, the capacity to predict the future is a well-developed everyday pan of life—so much so we often fail to notice it. When...

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Here are the important assumptions of Jungian theory that will help in applying our Top-Down approach to dream interpretation. Consciousness and Unconsciousness Consciousness refers to psychological contents that we are...

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Lucid Dreaming: Exploring the Depths of Consciousness The modern psychological study of dreams is rooted in the groundbreaking work of Sigmund Freud and his seminal book, The Interpretation of Dreams...

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According to Jungian theory, the circle is the perfect expression of infinity, continuity and connection; the circle represents the ideal self, within which the psyche’s various opposing elements have achieved...

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Dream Interpretation Course: A Step-by-Step Guide to Decoding Your Dreams Dreams are windows into the subconscious, offering insights into our emotions, fears, and desires. Understanding their meaning can unlock a...

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“Everything serious comes to us at night.” CICERO What happens when we sleep? Why do we sleep? The answer is not as simple as it seems. We sleep so that...

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Sigmund Freud actually called dreams the “royal road to the unconscious,” That statement will probably remain true in psychology forever. Freud’s classic text, The Interpretation of Dreams, contains some of...

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Example: During childhood I leamt to fly in a long sequence of dreams. Each linked very clearly to the last. I would go to the nearby churchyard and in the...

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“I can never decide whether my dreams are a result of my thoughts, or my thoughts the result of my dreams. It is very queer. But my dreams make conclusions...

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The Scientific Literature of Dream-Problems I shall begin by giving a short account of the views of earlier writers on this subject and of the status of the dream-problem in...

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A to Z Dream Interpretation