Reevaluating Freud’s Theory: A Cross-Sectional Survey Research Design

I’m interested in exploring the reasons behind why people dream, and in Freud’s theory of wish-fulfillment in particular. I would like to know whether Freud’s theory is still a plausible way to explain why dreams contain the content that they do. Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis proposes that dreams contain unconscious wishes that dreamers would like to see fulfilled, whether they realize it or not. Because these wishes may be threatening or unacceptable to the dreamer, they are disguised in symbolic meanings. Freud sought to unravel the true meaning of dreams, looking for the actual wishes represented through the symbolism of dreams. Though many contemporary psychologists reject Freud’s view, further research is necessary to confirm or discard it. Though some dream interpretations may have a very literal meaning  – dreaming about failing a test, for example – other dreams are more complex and can’t be clearly explained through alternative theories.

Though many of the details of Freud’s theory are implausible – for example, dreams about flying probably don’t represent a latent desire for sex – the overarching ideas behind his theory deserve a second look. In this paper, I hypothesize that Freud’s theory provides the framework necessary to understand the reported content of people’s dreams. Though alternative theories may still have merit, they fail to account for some of the content of people’s dreams. To test this hypothesis, I’ll utilize a cross-sectional survey research design to collect data on the content of dreams. I hope to demonstrate that the reported content of dreams is best explained through a wish-fulfillment model.

II. Method

This study will involve a cross-sectional survey administered to 2,000 individuals randomly selected from the U.S. population. The survey will be conducted over the phone. For the purposes of this study, I’ll define a dream as a series of thoughts, images, or sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep. I define Freud’s theory of wish fulfillment as the theory that dreams are, more often than not, (1) concerned with the fulfillment of wishes that are (2) often unrecognized by the dreamer. In order to provide adequate contrast, alternative theories must be operationalized as well. These alternative theories include the dreams-for-survival and activation-synthesis theories. For the purposes of this study, the “dreams-for-survival theory” will be defined as the theory that dreams allow us to process information during sleep that is critical for our daily survival. The activation-synthesis theory claims (1) that random electrical energy is released in the brain during sleep, and (2) that this information is transformed by the brain into a logical storyline.

Participants will be selected from the U.S. population through a random sampling procedure. Because the interview will be conducted over the phone, the completion rate will be higher than mail or internet-based surveys. Conducting the interviews over the phone will also help to prevent the possibility that the researcher’s appearance, ethnicity, or demeanor would influence the data collected. Because of the sensitive nature of some of the survey questions, a phone interview would be less uncomfortable for respondents than a face-to-face interview. This should produce a higher degree of honesty in responses. The interview will be relatively short, containing only 10 questions to ensure a high rate of completion. The first half of the questions will be close-ended, requiring respondents to choose from a predetermined selection of responses. This should familiarize respondents with the interview-process and produce more thoughtful answers for the latter half of the interview, which will involve a series of open-ended questions. Though these open-ended questions will be more difficult to convert into data, they should provide more complex information that would be lacking in a simple questionnaire design.

To complete this study, researchers will partner with a research-collecting call center with random sampling capabilities. The facility would be able to call respondents at the times of day that have the highest response rates (in the early evening, for example). The survey will be conducted in the shortest amount of time possible in order to avoid any longitudinal effects; without budgetary constraints, we would ideally perform all 2,000 of these interviews on the same day. The completion of 2,000 interviews will give us a high degree of confidence that the results of our survey will be generalizable to the U.S. population. Those conducting the interviews will be trained to ensure that the surveys are administered in exactly the same manner each time.

(Table omitted for preview. Available via download)

Before research begins, we will determine which types of responses will count as confirmation or disconfirmation for each of the three theories we are interested in. For example, respondents to question (8) might commonly claim that, when they are in control of their dreams, they pursue sex, friends, family members, delicious foods, or panoramic views. Any of these examples would provide greater support for Freud’s theory than for the alternatives. If respondents to question (6) claimed to resolve very practical problems in their dreams (studying for exams, rehearsing for interviews, etc.), we would take this as greater confirmation for the dreams-for-survival-theory than for Freud’s view of wish-fulfillment.

III. Results

The results of the close-ended portion of the survey would be entered into a data analysis program. The open-ended responses would be recorded and then analyzed for content. To analyze for content, we would identify categories of content and determine which units/ themes appear most commonly in responses. Once we’ve defined the units with which we will be concerned, we would quantify the number of times each unit appeared in the data. For example, in question (7) a common response may be the attempt to fly or levitate. We would analyze all of the open-ended responses, looking for responses to question 7 that involve flying or levitation. If we found that 637 of our 2,000 respondents talked about flying or levitation in response to question 7, we would record this number in our data.

Once all of the data has been compiled, we would utilize a variety of statistical techniques to better understand the relevance of our data to our hypothesis. With the open-ended data, we might analyze the quantified data for measures of central tendency (the mean, median, and mode). For each of the close-ended questions, we would add up the number of responses in each category and display it in a frequency distribution table. Using this information, we would be able to determine whether or not the data supports my hypothesis that Freud’s theory provides the framework necessary to understand the reported content of people’s dreams. We would also analyze the data using alternative theories in order to contrast their explanatory power with Freud’s theory.

IV. Discussion

The chapter on sleep and alternate states of consciousness inspired my interest in this topic (Feldman, p. 138-153). Because of my personal experiences with sleep and dreaming, the possible explanations for why we dream were of particular interest to me. I would use the results of this study to better support or disconfirm Freud’s theory of wish fulfillment. Though further research would be necessary to provide any definitive answers, this type of study would provide researchers with a framework for applying survey data to this type of problem (Cartwright, p. 131). The results could have profound implications for the field of psychology and would be foundational for future research on the subject. Because sleep is such a central facet of life – and of human life, in particular – the results of this research would also be relevant in fields such as biology, sociology, or even in philosophy. The results would be submitted for publication in an academic journal in order to undergo a peer-review process. Once published, the results would benefit both academics who study sleep and regular people who would like to better understand themselves. Though my study wouldn’t provide definitive answers, results that confirmed or disconfirmed Freud’s theory would alter the way that we approach the subject in the future.

Several of the survey questions could be considered embarrassing for respondents, which could be a cause for ethical concern. Individuals who have had dreams about appearing naked in public, about sex, or about failing at work or in school might find the questions distressing. In order to minimize potential embarrassment, the questions would be asked as tactfully and respectfully as possible and would be conducted over the phone to give respondents an element of privacy. Most participants are unlikely to suffer significant distress, and there should be no long-term consequences for these individuals. The ethical concerns associated with this study are very minor, though they do need to be taken into consideration.

V. Conclusion

Overall, I’ve had a very positive experience in designing my own study. I began with the hypothesis that Freud’s theory provides the framework necessary to understand the reported content of people’s dreams. To test this hypothesis, I proposed a cross-sectional survey research design to collect data on the content of dreams. If conducted, this study would survey 2,000 randomly selected members of the U.S. population. Before research began, we would determine which types of responses would count as confirmation or disconfirmation for each of the three theories we are interested in. Once the data had been collected and compiled, we would utilize a variety of statistical techniques to better understand the relationships that we uncover. Each of these steps would be essential to ensure the accuracy of the study’s results, which could have broad implications for psychology and other social sciences.

References

Feldman, R. S. (2012). Understanding psychology (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Cartwright, R. D. (1979). The nature and function of repetitive dreams: a survey and speculation. Psychiatry: Journal for the Study of Interpersonal Processes 42(2), 131-137.