Several dream theories are discussed in our course textbook, including dreams as our subconscious wishes, dreams as a method of problem solving, dreams as an extension of thinking, and activation-synthesis theory.

After reading about the theories of dreaming, visit the website, Dream Moods at http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/

On this website, you will find a "Dream Dictionary" where you can look up the meaning of a dream. It can be a dream you had or a dream about which someone else, friends, family members, co-workers, told you. NOTE: In selecting a dream keep in mind that, whether they have meanings or not, some dreams can be deeply personal and sometimes upsetting to the dreamer and that the Dream Dictionary represents the unsubstantiated opinions of the its developers. What, if anything, you disclose about a personal dream is up to you and the fact that the Dream Dictionary and other products like it lack scientific back is actually part of the learning experience here as we consider if any value is added to our self-understanding by such websites and whether they might even have a potential negative impact.

After you have looked up the dream you selected, respond to the following questions:

What was the dream that you used with the Dream Dictionary about (if you are not comfortable disclosing the dream skip this question and start with the next one).

What did the Dream Dictionary say about the dream's meaning?

How might this fit into what you learned about dreaming in the chapter readings?

What dream theory would the dream best fall under?

Do you believe that dreams have real meaning? Why or why not?

Do you see any problems associated with the Dream Dictionary and other websites like it? For example, might uninformed people reading about the dream meanings assume they accurately apply to their dreams; or is there anything about the website that might make one question its credibility (what about that ad for a psychic on the main screen, for example)?