What Dreams Are Made Of, Essay Example

The meaning of Dreams has fascinated humans throughout history. Earlier cultures view dreams as a form of guidance or divine inspiration. Although some individuals still believe in this old interpretations. Groundbreaking research has been conducted in the fields of psychology and science to understand the occurrence and function of dreams. Both scientists and psychologists hypothesize that dreams are manifested by the subconscious, and can be normal, bizarre, mundane, or scary. In “What dreams are made of” By Szegedy-Maszak, the author argues that dreams are both physical and mental processes that offer insight into the desires and motives of the individual during the waking state.

Analysis

According to Szegedy-Maszak, the brain does not switch off when we sleep. The use of Positron Magnetic Resonance has enabled scientists to study the brain at work these functions include making decisions, managing uncertainty, and feeling joyous or frightened. These findings reveal that both physiology and psychology are related. For instance, the amygdala, which is the fear center, is known to light up as neurons fire in reactions to stimuli that trigger anxiety. Researchers have used the same technology to scan people who are sleeping, and they suggested that the same brain activity occur 24 hrs daily (Szegedy-Maszak 55). This evidence shows that the brain is not switched off during sleep, but it goes into a stage that allows an individual to find solutions to problems, soothe emotional anguish, and generate unique ideas. Therefore, dreams dramatize how we perceive the world and ourselves in it. Monsters lurking in dreams experienced by children exemplify this. The monsters are a growing awareness of the environment and its dangers. As children grow up, their dreams become more complex. It shows that dreams serve an important function in the maturation of the mind and in processing information gathered during the day.

Szegedy-Maszak also hypothesizes that dreams are not nonsense, but they express ideas and motivations. Following the discovery of rapid eye movement in 1950, physiology purists were emboldened in the argument that when one is dreaming the brain flashes random images. These views were further strengthened in the 1977s following research indicating that brain activity increased in the pons during sleep. The po ns is the primitive part brain, which when stimulated produces disconnected and weird narratives (Szegedy-Maszak 57). However, it has been proven that dreaming is not an expression of weird and disconnected narratives. Research studies using subjects who had suffered brain injury to this part of the brain has to show that dreaming is not just physical activity. Conversely, subjects with brain injury to the part of the brain associated with higher-order thinking, abstract thinking, and passionate emotions reported no dreams. It was evidence to prove that the brain expresses the motivations and ideas of the brain. Although the role of dreaming in inspiring creativity is not clear, new technologies are offering proof that ideas, which have led to significant inventions and works of art, are generated during sleep.

Szegedy-Maszak also makes the argument that the mind is both crazy and smart during sleep. Brain scans conducted on sleeping individuals during the rapid eye movement stage of sleep have shown that some brain centers responsible for processes visual input are turned on except the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is associated with clear thinking, caution, and organization. Since this part of the brain is dormant in dreams, it explains the bizarre and crazy nature of dreams. The usual ways of organizing things are ignored, which create an environment that supports creativity, which is defined as organizing memories in a new way (Szegedy-Maszak 58). Furthermore, it shows the role of dreams learning because putting memories together is a critical part of learning. It is supported by sleep research showing that individuals taught a novel task performed it better after a sleeping.

Lastly, Szegedy-Maszak theorizes on the healing power of dreams. Several studies have shown that dreams play a significant role in healing depression. Studies conducted in depressive patients showed those who experienced rich and emotionally charged dreams recovered without the need for drugs and therapy, while those with bland dreams were unable to recover alone (Szegedy-Maszak 62). Even clinicians working with traumatized patients support the efficacy of dreams because when the patient can change the dream content, they experience a reduction in the post-traumatic symptoms.

Conclusion

Szegedy-Maszak communicates interesting ideas about the role of dreams. She has succeeded in supporting her thesis because she gives enough evidence from sleep research showing that they are dreams are both psychological and physical. She can refute earlier arguments that sleep is just physical activity. The article was easy to read because she the author has arranged the arguments in a systematic manner and the language used simple. What was interesting about the article is the ability of the author to give opposing views and then offer to prove to counter the. This article is useful for psychology students and anyone interested in understanding dreams because it gives evidence that helps in furthering the understanding of dreams.

Work cited

Szegedy-Maszak, Marianne. What Dreamers Are Made Of? U.S. News & World Report, Vol.   140 Issue 18, p54-64, 2006. Internet Resource.