Analysis of Dreams

Hari (01005005)

Sushil (01005002)

Pranav (01005003)

Under the Guidance of

Dr. Pushpak Bhattacharyya

Kekule’s dream …..

"I turned my chair to the fire and dozed. Again the atoms were gamboling before my eyes. ... My mental eye... could not distinguish larger structures, of manifold conformation; long rows, sometimes more closely fitted together; all twining and twisting in snakelike motion. But look! What was that? One of the snakes had seized hold of its own tail, and the form whirled mockingly before my eyes. As if by a flash of lighting I awoke..."

What is a dream?

Report of a memory of a cognitive experience.

Frequently produced in a state called "sleep" Dramas our minds make up when the self

system is not keeping us alert to the world around us.

How often do we dream and when?

At least 4 to 6 times per night. During REM (Rapid Eye Movements) periods During non-REM periods In a relaxed state of mind during waking.

Why are dreams important in life?

They are only as important as people make them out to be.

No evidence which suggests that an absence of dreaming would be harmful in anyway.

Do all dreams contain a hidden meaning? No definite answer. May contain "hidden" meanings in the form of

metaphors or symbols. Mundane "doodles" taken from the events of

our lives.

What are the factors affecting dreams?

Fear Stress Drugs Desires

Do animals dream ?

Never know for sure All mammals have REM sleep. All REM sleeps may not lead to dreams.

Why are dreams so forgettable?

All of us forget 95-99% of our dreams Paying no attention

Freud's theory of dreams

Guardians of sleep. Wish -fulfillment. Significant speeches in dreams can be traced

to memories of speeches heard or sentences heard.

Metaphors and symbols in dreams.

Hall/Van de Castle Dream Coding System

Rules for Coding a Dream. Elements of a Dream.

Characters Social Interactions

Aggression Friendliness

Activities Success and Failure Misfortune and Good Fortune Emotions Settings

Coding of Characters

Chief character in almost every dream. Dreamer is coded as D People , animals and mythical figures. Classes of characters :

Number Gender Identity Age

In case of animals, classify only on number.

NUMBER GENDER IDENTITY

1 individual M male F father M mother

2 group F female B bother S sister

3 individual dead J joint H husband W wife

4 group dead I indefinite D daughter A son

5 imaginary X parents

I infant R relative

O occupational

Y family members

K known S stranger

P prominent

E ethnic

U uncertain

Age : A adult T teenager C child B baby

Character is represented by using : Number , Gender , Identity , Age

Examples :My TEENAGE BROTHER = 1MBTA parade of SOLDIERS = 2MOAMy FATHER AND MOTHER = 2JXA

Coding of Social Interactions

Aggressive Interactions Subclasses of Aggressions : A1 : results in the death of a character. A2 : attempt to physically harm a character A3 : character being chased, captured,

confined. A4 : theft or destruction of possessions. A5 : verbal aggressions

Coding Aggressive Interactions

Coding style :

aggressor aggression-subclass > victim

Examples :

I HIT my brother = D A2> 1MBA

Her husband KILLED her = 1MUA A1> 1FUA

My mother and sister SCOLDED me =

1FMA+1FTA A5> D

Friendliness Interactions:

Subclasses of Friendliness :

F1 : long-term close relationship with a character

F2 : to share in a pleasant social activity

F3 : extending assistance to a character

F4 : offering a gift

F5 : conveyed through either verbal or gestures

Coding style :

befriender friendliness-subclass > befriended

Example :

I INVITED Jim in my marriage = D F2> 1MKA

Coding of Activities :P : physical

M : movement

L : location change

V : verbal

E : expressive communication

S : visual

A : auditory

C : thinking

Examples of Coding of Activities : I am walking : D M I am writing : D P

Coding of Success and Failure SU : Success FL : Failure

Examples : I have TOPPED : SU , D My brother FAILED in exams : FL , 1MBA

Coding of Misfortune and Good Fortunes

Subclasses of Misfortune :M4 : character dies as a result of accident or illness.M3 : character is injured or ill.M2 : character is involved in an accident without

suffering any physical injury.M1 : character encounters an environmental barrier or

obstacle.

Good Fortune is coded as GF

Examples : I LOST my watch : M1,D Ram and I FOUND A BRAND NEW BOAT :

GF,D+1MKA

Coding of Emotions :AN : anger

AP : apprehension , fear , anxiety

SD : sadness

CO : confusion

HA : happiness

Example : I became ANGRY : AN,D

Example : I was in MY ROOM : IF

LOCATION FAMILIARITY

I : indoor F : familiar

O : outdoor D : distorted

A : ambiguous G : geographical

U : unfamiliar

Coding symbols for Settings :Setting is location and its familiarity

Need of Statistical Approach

Variation in dream reports Differing frequencies of one element leads to

the possibility of higher or lower frequencies for other elements.

Solution to these problems

Use percentages and rates Ex:

% of human character who are man =man human character / total human characters

Similarly we can find rate of social interaction

Male DreamersN    (%)

Female Dreamers N(%)

Familiar Characters

501 (45%) 796 (58%)

Unfamiliar Characters

607 (55%) 567 (42%)

Statistical Analysis

Difference between male and female dreamers on what we call the "familiarity percent"

H-profile

“h” value is calculated by

For the above example h score is -0.26

H-profile of male dreamers compared to female dreamers

Use of h-value

Formulas used to find h values at confidence level of 5% and 1%:

For p=.05:  h = 1.960/sqrt(N/2)    For p=.01:  h = 2.576/sqrt(N/2) Experimentally calculated h value is

compared with this h value

Conclusion

No appropriate theory available Good coding system available. More analysis required in the field of dream

content analysis and dream causes. Interesting to know if there is such process

in machines simulating brain processes.

References :

[1]. http://psych.ucsc.edu/dreams/

[2]. http://www.dreamsearch.net/