- Question
Are dream interpretations accurate?
Understanding dream meanings has fascinated mankind for millennia. In ancient Greece, physicians believed dreams conveyed indications of diseases present in the body. Sigmund Freud thought dreams revealed repressed desires. Since then, pop psychologists, psychotherapists and psychoanalysts have all begun offering interpretations of clients' dreams. But are dream interpretations accurate?
Dream interpretations are complete hokum
This position holds that dream interpretation is complete hokum. It argues that reading meaning into dreams is mere idiosyncrasy and guesswork — every supposed symbol means something different to each person — and that there is no scientific basis for it whatsoever.
Dreams are informative but not predictive
This position holds that dreams are informative but not predictive. It argues that dreams reveal something illuminating about the subconscious — whether repressed thoughts, processed memories, an evolutionary function, or a window onto the collective unconscious — without foretelling the future.
Dreams are informative and predictive
This position holds that dreams are both informative and predictive. It argues that universal dream symbols carry meaning, that dreams can offer introspective insight, and—for some—that dreams serve as messages from God foretelling the future.